Would you have done this?

It was 4 pm. Both children are in the car after the 2 separate school pick-ups. Hangry. 2 hangry kids who haven’t eaten ‘forever’. We were 30 minutes from home. I spot a take-away shop we haven’t been to before and pull over. Hot chips are ordered. 1 serve with chicken salt. 1 serve with a little bit of plain salt. Sorted. I smiled from ear to ear. Literally.

It was supposedly a quiet and peaceful trip home. We get going and kaboom. We have a problem. The chips with a little bit of salt have just that…a little bit of salt. I was unaware that this child’s standard hot chip order had suddenly changed and it was now ‘normal salt Mum!!!!’ It escalated quickly.

I was committed to this 30 minutes in the car having some calm. I was not going to let the quantity of salt - or lack of - ruin my dream. I questioned if I was aiming too high. ‘Go for it’ yelled my heart. I did.

Due to covid, no take away shops have the little salt and pepper packets out for you to ‘help yourself’ anymore. I was pulled into the next take away shop and just stroll in all casual, take a look around and slowly make my way to salt packets, grab some and cruise on out.

Enter plan B.

7-11 Petrol station was the next place that would have salt. Yes! I am a solutions expert. This was my 3rd stop and I enter with intention in my steps - straight to the tiny grocery section and spot the salt.

I grabbed that sucker not even looking at the price and headed to the counter to pay for it. $3.50 - take my money!

Back in the car, I hand over the salt to get the reply of ‘you really just went in there and bought this salt for me?’

“I sure did” as I eye-rolled on the inside. 3 times my child asked me to pass the salt ‘to add just a little bit more. And then, the words no mother in my position wants to hear… “I can’t eat these rotten chips…they have too much salt on them!”

True. Story.

I do things for my kids that other parents wouldn’t do for their kids and I am so cool with that now. I stopped and paid more for the salt than the chips for ME, not my child. It was never about making life all rainbows and lollipops and spoiling my child.

It was about making my life all rainbows and lollipops for that car ride home and spoiling myself with calm and quiet (which I didn’t quite pull off sometimes).

Do what you need to do for yourself. We get to make it about us too.

It doesn’t need to make sense to anyone else but you.

May your hot chips have the perfect amount of salt on them the next time you buy them and here is permission to make it about you.