If you find yourself in a situation where you are stuck without being able to get inside or start your vehicle, it can be an incredibly stressful time period. Those stressors can be increased with the addition of having children with you.
But what do you do?
Try to remain calm. If you’re upset, chances are your kids will also become more upset. To make the process of getting back on the road as smooth as you can, try to keep a cool head. You’ll get through this.
First and foremost, make sure that you are all safe. If you are in the middle of a busy parking lot or parked on a busy street, get to safety. A local park, restaurant, or store are just a few places that will keep everyone away from a busy lot or intersection.
If you aren’t sure if there are any safe alternatives for one reason or another, call the non-emergency police number. While different municipalities have different policies and regulations, many will be able to assist you so you can get ahold of the help you need.
Call for backup. Is grandma or your significant other nearby? If you can, call for a trusted adult to either hangout with you or pickup your munchkins so you can focus on what you’re doing.
If your children are a little older and able to entertain themselves, come up with some fun games while you wait for help to arrive. Counting cars that drive by, looking for different colored objects, or simply name things that you see. While the situation at hand might not be ideal, make the most of a place you don’t usually spend a lot of time at and try to focus on it from a new perspective.
Watch a show if your battery and data plan allow it. Streaming video services can be a godsend in times like this. As long as your battery and cell service allows it, why not pop on that favorite tv show to pass the time.
Have them do their homework. If it works out that your kids have their schoolwork with them, put that time they’d just be sitting around to good use.
Talk about what’s going on. While car troubles aren’t fun, stuff like this happens to everyone from time to time. By talking to your kids about what’s going on, what you’re doing, and why you’re doing it, they can have a mini life lesson about stuff that happens to everybody.
Hopefully you won’t have to wait too long, and then you can get back on the road and back to your regular parenting routine.
