The Boat Was Cancelled... But That Wasn't The Worst Part.

If you've got children, you'll know this already.

The holiday isn't over until you're actually home.

We'd popped over to Jersey for a long weekend.

Everything had gone perfectly.

The weather was lovely.

The hotel was gorgeous.

The kids were happy.

I'd actually started believing we'd managed one completely stress-free family trip.

Then...

Grayson ran.

You know that split second where you can already see what's about to happen before it actually does?

That was this.

Straight into the sharp end of a sunbed.

The sound still makes me cringe.

Blood everywhere.

Not a little bump.

Not a tiny cut.

His forehead had split open just above his eye.

Suddenly I'm holding towels against his face while trying not to panic because every child is now crying and everyone's staring.

Within minutes we were in an ambulance instead of packing our suitcases for the boat home.

Definitely not how I'd imagined spending our last morning.

Children have this incredible ability to bounce back far quicker than parents.

While I was mentally replaying every second wondering if I'd somehow failed, Grayson was already chatting to the paramedics like they'd known each other for years.

The stitches went well.

He was unbelievably brave.

Then came the next surprise.

Our ferry home was cancelled.

Normally that would have been another disaster.

Instead?

We were told we'd have to stay another night.

In the same five-star hotel. (Thanks to my wonderful mum)

Not exactly the ending we'd planned...

...but definitely the nicest unexpected extension we've ever had.

Sometimes motherhood is exactly like that.

One minute you're sipping drinks by the pool.

The next you're covered in someone else's blood.

And somehow by bedtime you're laughing about the whole thing because if you don't laugh...

you'll probably cry.

It's still one of those stories we tell every single time someone mentions Jersey.

Although Grayson now insists he was "completely fine."

I'm not convinced I was.