It can be a struggle to get childcare at the best of times, and one mum proved just how much it can impact your life when she showed up to jury duty with three toddlers and a four-year-old.
The stressful ordeal unfolded after Torrey Scow, from Utah, US, was called to take part in jury selection in May.
The family were supposed to be on holiday on the week she was called, and as a mum-of-four, Torrey knew she wouldn't be able to find any cheap or quick childcare.
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Torrey told Today that she emailed the court to explain the situation and submitted a family photo 'so they wouldn't think [she] was lying', and was successful in deferring her duty.
Unfortunately, she didn't succeed in deferring for long.
Just a short while later, Torrey received another jury selection notice, this time for the following week.
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Her husband, Kory, couldn't get out of work, and Torrey's mother wasn't available to babysit.
Skipping jury duty can result in a fine or even imprisonment in Utah, so with few other options, Torrey packed up her triplets, who are now 19-months-old, and her now-five-year-old daughter, and set off to the courthouse.
"I thought they'd see that I had my hands full and send me home," Torrey said.
Needless to say, that's not what happened.
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She took her seat with the kids, and at first she was able to keep them quiet with snacks. Eventually, though, the kids got tired and started throwing their treats onto the floor.
"Me and a woman picked them up, but the triplets thought it was a game, so they continued throwing them," Torrey recalled. "I was embarrassed."
Things only got worse when the kids started crying.
"If one yells at the top of their lungs, the others do too," the mum explained. "I can't calm them all at once because I only have two arms. If I pick up one child, the other two get jealous and scream until I get to them."
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The kids drowned out the judge to the point that people had to ask her to repeat her questions, and when the judge asked if there was a reason anyone couldn't serve, Torrey indicated to the kids, saying: "These are my reasons."
Torrey didn't even feel comfortable leaving to change the babies' nappies, so she waited until she was dismissed to change their nappies in the car.
She was 'exhausted and overwhelmed', but ultimately dismissed from serving jury duty.
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Following her experience, Torrey made clear that she respects the judicial system and doesn't blame the judge for keeping her in court.
"If I had a babysitter, serving would be a really nice break for me," she admitted. "That day just did not work."
Emily Brown