Letter to fellow drivers on King’s Road

Dear fellow drivers on King’s Road on Tuesday,

Thank you for not beeping at me or sending me angry glances when I held up the traffic outside Waitrose.

I was really appreciative of all the understanding smiles directed at me when I had to make a sudden stop and run out of the car in a bid to stop my toddler escaping from the back seat.

I thought it would be short and sweet like other times I’ve had similar car-related challenges, but this time I couldn’t physically get my screaming Baby Girl back in the car seat.

It wasn’t for the lack of trying. I did my very very best to strap her back in, so we could drive out of your way and avoid causing a scene in the heart of Chelsea.

But things don’t always go to plan with a 26-month old in tow. That’s why I was very touched with the large number of passersby who tried to help me deal with the situation. I particularly want to thank the friendly mum who came with her daughter, and suggested we take Baby Girl out of the car and offered to hold her while I could turn the car onto Flood Street.

Baby Girl might have seemed even more shocked when I handed her over to a stranger on King’s Road, but there was little change to the noise levels the lovely mum and I had to cope with.

After returning Baby Girl to me–who by this point was teary-eyed and felt completely drained–I continued on my mission to get Baby Girl back in the car seat. It took another 40 minutes, and I was constantly debating calling a friend who lived nearby to ask her if she could run out to help me at least get the car to a proper parking space, so I could take Baby Girl home in a taxi instead.

But then Baby Girl suddenly seemed to forget she didn’t want to sit in the car anymore. She noticed her toes and a nail that needed cutting, so she stopped crying.

‘Mummy, my nail?’

Phew.

Thank you, King’s Road mum, passersby and drivers. I wouldn’t have wanted to be anywhere else.

Tags: 26 months, Car journey, Chelsea, Driving, Growing up, Letter, Tantrums, Toddler behaviour