I hate the thought of marathons.

I honestly can’t imagine how people put themselves through something that intense, for no clear reason, at least to me.

Movie marathons though..that’s a whole different ball game! One, which after becoming a mom has also ceased to hold the level of excitement it used to. It burns me out.

Presently, the word ‘marathon’ burns me out! Doesn’t matter what kind.

I can’t for the life of me imagine why anyone would put themselves through that?

Yet, sometimes I feel choosing to be a parent is somewhat like choosing to run a marathon. And this is something I chose to do (with some of my kids at least).

I’m not talking about those ‘people should not become parents because parenting is not for everyone’ thing that’s going around. I do agree that parenting isn’t for everyone and seriously, some people should just choose to not have kids, for their sakes and for the sake of the children.

And something I recently very clearly felt as well is a need for proper education into the responsibilities of parenting, what it entails – the good, the bad, the ugly and the beautiful! The importance of knowing how it is to care for a child, from conception all the way into adulthood, and sometimes into the last days of our lives. Anyone looking into becoming a parent or even considering the option, if their finances allow it today, should be forewarned of all the never ending emotional and physical responsibilities it carries and the burnout it eventually causes from constantly providing for another human, mentally, emotionally and physically! I personally feel that I had lacked the knowledge and know-how’s of becoming a mom. For me, it was more of a ‘learn as you go’ process.

Parenting is not a ‘let’s train for a month, run the race and we’re done’ kinda run. Here’s the why I started with my dislike to marathons and where I compare it to parenting in some ways. Parenting is like a ‘let’s train for nine to ten months, run the race, keep running till you can’t feel your own feet anymore, realize you’re thirsty and grab a drink while you’re running if someone is holding one out for you because there’s not going to be a chance for you to make your coffee and drink it while it’s hot in this run, and if you do manage to gulp down your drink while you’re still running, you’ll want to pour it all over your face and neck as well, thanks to how hot all the running is making you. You’ll then need to let it dry up against the wind that’s hitting you ’cause you’re not going to find the time to change out of those wet & dirty clothes anytime soon. Then, you run till the end of the race where you’ll pass the finish line and see all those people cheering you on, at which point you’ll hit a different realization – you’ve just started the next lap. It’s one continuous loop after another and you can’t ever stop running. And yet, we choose this!

Kids really do need to come with a warning label. “People who don’t wish to run a never-ending marathon, please take the other more scenic and relaxing route! Those of you who wish to end your life as you know it, go this way!“

Don’t get me wrong, kids are an amazing blessing and I don’t want to forget to mention the never ending entertainment but sometimes I’d just like to stop running for a bit and feel the non-existent breeze against my face a little. Just a little, so I don’t forget what a cool breeze feels like.