I dropped Molly off at the daycare and was on my way to register our new camper van when I got stuck in traffic. Which would have been annoying but bearable if Benny had been asleep but he was wide awake and complaining.
Groaning turned into whining turned into screaming. For a full hour and a half, I was trying to sing, shhh Benny and every now and then shove a dummy in his mouth and keep it there. All the while I was driving slowly enough that I was able to attend to Benny in the back seat, but fast enough that I don’t get beeped at. For a full hour and a half Benny was upset and after a while, I was emotionally exhausted.
Five minutes later it was difficult to tell which one of us was crying more loudly. Having a minor hysterical breakdown was my cue to pull over (sobbing while driving across two lanes full of very angry drivers to the only empty parking space I’ve seen for ages) and treat myself to some nice breakfast (or any food, actually!).
The second I took him out of the car, Benny was in a great, smiley mood which made me feel a lot better but it also made me re-think my life philosophy: I realised that we were healthy, we were about to have some tasty food, it was a very sunny day and there was actually absolutely nothing to be stressed about. Everything else could wait. So I forced myself to breathe deeply and enjoy my unexpected moment for myself.
As we were about to get back in the car of course I was hoping for a fast, tear-free and enjoyable drive.
But I knew it was OK to just pull over and find something else to do if either of us got too stressed. And honestly – both options sounded good.