Saturday, August 16, 2008

Long Distance

So I was watching some of the Olympic races last night, and it occurred to me that Jim and I, as co parents, are a lot like a sprinter and a marathon runner. Sprinters explode with energy, giving a hundred percent every second that they're on the track, and keep an amazing pace. Marathon runners, on the other hand, must pace themselves. They ration their energy, deciding when to speed up and when to hang back, conserving strength for when they will need it most.

Which parent are you?

15 comments:

Kelsey said...

I feel like I'm a marathoner who occasionally throws in a sprint for good measure.

d e v a n said...

marathon. Definitely.

Anonymous said...

What a great analogy! I'm the marathoner in our house, most definitely.

Mary O said...

Totally marathon. My husband would be the sprinter.

Anonymous said...

Marathoner. Adam is the sprinter.

I might actually be a speedwalker though. I'm not much of a runner ;)

Astarte said...

I think I'm the marathoner, since I'm here all day with them, but I do throw in a sprint now and again. :)

Anonymous said...

Definitely, marathoner. Great analogy!

Anonymous said...

Wow, it looks like I'm the only mom who thinks she's the sprinter--maybe that's why my kids have been driving me insane lately!

And seriously, I am not built for speed. So maybe I need to kick back and settle in for the long haul....

Mommy Daisy said...

I'm the marathoner and Matt the sprinter. I imagine that's how it is for you and Jim. In fact, I'd guess that most mom's tend to be more marathon-like.

clueless but hopeful mama said...

I'd like to think we are a relay team. It always seems like on weekends we are constantly passing this adorable, demanding baton back and forth.

But when I was at home full time I was totally a marathoner. Conserving energy and pacing myself was the only way to stay sane. Now that I work part time, we have to share the load a bit more and I have more energy for the sprints.

Love the analogy!

Anonymous said...

We are total slacker parents I think... so we aren't part of the Olympics at all.

Our general goal on Friday and Saturday (we just have them for the weekends) is to tire our kids out so they will go to bed without actually putting in so much effort that we fall asleep before them.

Does that sound like either marathoner or sprinter? It sounds more like basic survival of boot camp.

Jill said...

!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I think you get my drift.

Sarah said...

jill: wink wink. Indeed.

Jess said...

I think the mother is more commonly the marathoner and the dad the sprinter. Not always, though.

Erin said...

I love this metaphor/ analogy (which is it? I never remember.)

I am a sprinter Monday through Friday. On the weekends I'm a marathoner through and through.