Janet Christie on parenting: ‘This is my lucky day’

As Youngest and I park at Asda the car dies. Bugger. Never mind, I’ll think of something while we shop.

Inside we bump into an old friend who has jump leads, buying beer. While I thank whoever is up there looking out for me he goes to get them and we buy him more beer. He comes back, fires up the battery and suggests we drive round the bypass. This is my lucky day.

As we drive the engine dies again and we halt, straddling two lanes. Not the battery then. More like the alternator. The hazards aren’t working so before we’re shunted in the back I get Youngest out and we stand on the hard shoulder while I Google a tow truck. He’ll be 20 minutes. Yay! This is my lucky day.

“At least we’ve got food. You could go and get the cupcakes from the car,” says Youngest, whose thoughts are never far from her stomach.

“No, it’s too dangerous.” I can see the Evening News headline when I’m smeared like a squashed jam doughnut across the carriageway. “Cupcakes mum runneth over”. But she’s looking crestfallen, so I dodge the cars and retrieve them.

She smiles. “Can I have your jacket as well?”

“Told you you’d need a coat,” I say.

“How was I to know the car would break?”

“Because, in life, things like this happen. That’s why you always take a coat.”

“Well, I’ve got a coat. Unlike you.”