Parenting certainly has its fair share of ups and downs – which includes many awkward, embarrassing and unsophisticated moments. Recently, a Dad named Ben Patterson, had a parenting day which was considerably harsh in this regard.
Ben had just swopped cars with his wife Stephanie, who went out with friends that evening. He had the kids in the car with him and on their way home, their son Declan vomited – a lot. He then took a photo of the child and sent it on to his wife who did not respond.
As if that wasn’t bad enough, Ben got sick too.
Ben had pulled over on the side of the road to clean up the mess but then a lady, who’s lawn Ben threw up on, thought he was vomiting due to drinking and accused him of drunk driving!
As if that wasn’t bad enough, she called the cops!
Ben however passed the Breathalyzer test and was finally able to get home while Declan continued to vomit…
With kids, the unpredictable happens and Ben will surely have a story to tell for a long while. After the incident, Ben posted screenshots of his texts to his wife on Facebook and it got many parents laughing out loud.
Motion sickness in the car is quite common in children between the ages of 3 and 12. Most children grow out of it as they reach their teen years. There are however a few things you can do to help your child who suffers from it:
- Make sure there is adequate air ventilation in your car as this might help prevent car sickness. Also try to keep the air clear of any strong odors, too.
- If a child is prone to getting sick in the car, distract the child during car trips by talking, listening to music or singing songs.
- Minimize any sensory input by encouraging the child to look at things outside of the car as opposed to focusing on books, games or movies. Traveling during nap time may also help.
- If you are planning to take a long trip and if your child is older than 2 years of age, speak to your child’s doctor about an over-the-counter medication which can prevent car sickness.