Motherhood is one of the longest road trips I’ve ever taken — complete with pit stops, flat tires, and plenty of backseat noise. You think you’ve packed everything you’ll need for the journey, and then life hands you a curveball — or in my case, a four-year-old with car sickness.
This past spring, we decided to take a little day trip. Nothing wild — just an hour and a half from home, a family drive to change up the scenery. My son had been doing better with car rides, so I figured we’d be fine. (Cue the ominous music.)
We weren’t fine.
From the first stop of the trip, things went downhill fast. He started throwing up — not once, not twice, but in a glorious series of “are we there yet?” moments that included a restaurant stop where he managed to cover his daddy in the process. We finally got him to nibble a little food, and I dared to think the worst was over. Spoiler: it wasn’t.
We got back on the road, and before long, he threw up all over himself again. In the back seat, his 17-year-old sister — bless her heart — is very sensitive to the smell and sound of anyone getting sick. So there she was, hanging halfway out the window, gagging and trying not to add to the chaos. Meanwhile, I normally have no issue, but I was pregnant at the time, so I was just silently praying my own stomach would behave.
We pulled off the parkway at a random gas station that, of course, had nothing helpful inside. My daughter was deep breathing on the curb, and my husband came out with paper towels and Windex — just the faint smell of despair. I was trying to do what I could with a dry paper towel when another mom walked up and handed me a bucket of cleaning wipes.
I could’ve cried.
In that moment, I was so grateful — not just for the wipes, but for her. For that quiet, knowing look moms give each other when words aren’t even needed. She’d been there. And she helped without hesitation. That kind of mom solidarity sticks with you.
By the time we got back on the road (again), my daughter was past the worst of her secondary queasiness, my son was freshly changed, and I was wondering how a simple day trip could feel like a cross-country adventure.
But you know what? As much as that day tested every bit of my patience, I still laugh about it now. Because that’s motherhood, isn’t it? Messy. Unpredictable. Loud. And somehow, still full of joy.
The laughter is what gets us through the long miles — the humor tucked between the chaos, the moments that remind us we’re not alone in this wild ride. It’s the deep breath you take after the storm, when you realize the road ahead is still beautiful, even if you’re driving it with a car full of wipes and backup clothes.
The road is long, but the laughter makes the miles sweeter.
What’s one funny moment that kept you going? Share it below — we could all use a laugh.
From my road to yours, happy wandering.
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