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Mum takes toddler triplets and four-year-old to jury duty as she didn’t have child care

Home> Life> Parenting

Published 09:45 24 Aug 2023 GMT+1

Mum takes toddler triplets and four-year-old to jury duty as she didn’t have child care

Torrey Scow was left with no choice but to take her kids with her after being summoned

Emily Brown

Emily Brown

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 Scow had no choice but to take her kids with her.
YouTube/ Scow Family

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 couldn't be bribed with snacks forever.
YouTube/ Scow Family

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."

Featured Image Credit: YouTube/ Scow Family

Topics: Parenting, Life

Emily Brown
Emily Brown

Emily Brown is the Community Desk Lead at LADbible Group. Emily first began delivering news when she was just 11 years old - with a paper route. She went on to graduate with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University before contributing to The Sunday Times Travel Magazine and Student Problems. She joined UNILAD in 2018 to cover breaking news, trending stories and longer form features, and now works as Community Desk Lead to commission and write human interest stories from across the globe.

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