There’s nothing quite like tucking your child into a beautiful bed with pristine bedding after a hectic day of fun. It’s one of life’s little pleasures.
Throw in a lovely bubble bath to wash those grubby hands and feet and your sense of contentment soars.
Now, imagine all that after being stranded miles from home with a car full of hot and bothered children and a two hour wait for roadside assistance.
Such was the end of my ‘big half term day out’. As you can probably guess, I adored finally seeing the children all happy and tucked up in their beds, but I have to say that my first glass of super-chilled wine that evening was almost as good…
Against all the odds, we had enjoyed a fabulous day at an adventure park where we traipsed along muddy streams, crawled through spinning tunnels and all in all had tons of good old fashioned outdoor fun. I say against the odds because my children had feared the worst following recent events in Manchester and were angling to stay at home....
We had been at the park from the minute the gates opened and were now one of the last groups to leave. We were hungry, thirsty and more than a little dirty!
“Never mind!” I quipped, “There’s a fast food treat on the way home. Burgers, fries, ice creams, whatever you want.”
The children squealed with delight - until I discovered we had a flat tyre that is. Now, this wasn’t any old tyre, this was one of those pesky ‘run flat’ tyres, the type that is beyond my capabilities to change.
Upon hearing there would be a two hour wait for help to arrive and we were miles away from anywhere, I started to silently panic about what I could do to placate the children on this absolutely sweltering of days. Anxiety was creeping into the back seat of my car, despite my best efforts to reassure the children that all was well.
I needn’t have worried. The park had closed and most people had left, but many of those who were still there came over to offer their assistance. Unfortunately my tyres are beyond everyone’s capabilities it seems! But not to be deterred, those with supplies came back carrying armfuls of sandwiches, drinks and a plethora of snacks. Some also offered lifts and the use of their phones.
The staff were very lovely too by allowing us to wait in the car park instead of locking up as they intended.
So we sat on the grass, in the shade with our very eclectic picnic. With every mouthful of our gratefully received food, the children’s worries gradually disappeared. We sang songs, played games and imagined all the capers and japes we’d get up to if we had to stay in the adventure park all night!
By the time we did get home we were all pretty much exhausted. But as I tucked my girls into their crisp and clean children's beds after a lovely bath (and BGT!) the curse of the flat tyre suddenly seemed more like a blessing.
The children had started their day wondering if they should go to the park at all, harbouring worries that tragedy could strike, just as it had in Manchester the week before.
But they’d come home with first-hand knowledge that there are many lovely people in the world who will help in times of need and make us feel better when things try to scupper our day - not least pesky flat tyres. They went to bed with hope in their little hearts.
Sometimes it’s the smallest of gestures that have the greatest impact of all...