What to do when you can't find the Home Bargains game...

 OK- so this is what happened when I collected my little boy from my in laws after a long day at work followed by an after work meeting...

Being a Dad is hard work!!!

He seemed perfectly fine when we walked through the door- playing happily with his cars and trains. 

Then he saw his iPad. 

Now personally I believe the iPad to be the most pointless invention in the history of the world. It's just a big phone but weirdly without all of the features phones have. I'd happily throw it in the bin to be honest. However, this is the subject for another blogpost, not for now. 

Anyway so he spies the iPad, nestled snugly inside its bomb proof case- now that HAS been a good purchase trust me- and then says...

"Daddy- can we play the Home Bargains game?" 

Sorry what?

"The Home Bargains game... can we play it?"

To be fair, I know there seems to be a game for every eventuality under the sun but is there really a Home Bargains game? Doubtful but I'll try and search for one. 

Anyway, I searched high and low through the inner reaches of the Appstore to absolutely no avail. I looked over at his cute, big, innocent eyes and mouthed Home Bargains game???

"Yes Daddy, Home Bargains game..." a little more insistently this time. 

I asked what this game was about to which he said- you know driving- with his little arms outstretched in front of him. 

Aaaaaaahhhhhh you mean Truck Game don't you, thankfully a game we already had. 

"No.... Home Bargains game". He might as well have said- find the game you stupid little imbecile...

I resigned myself to it- "Look", I said kindly, "There isn't a Home Bargains game on the iPad- why don't we just play one that we already have?" Trust me reader he has about 10 truck games that are literally all the same, and that number grows by the day. 

"Home Bargains"

"There is no Home Bargains", I replied. Bad move. I was met with a wail to ear splitting that I almost rang for an ambulance, followed by a river of salty tears. 

"Home Baaaaaaaaaargains." By this point I am literally desperate to find something. I even search for the Home Bargains app but did you know there isn't even one of those?! Come on Home Bargains! Sort it out! 

As the tears build, so does my desperation to calm him down, and if I'm honest so does his frustration and mine. Here's where the bomb proof case pays for itself as the iPad is subjected to a minor amount of abuse. 

"Home Bargains!"

"Look, there's no Home Bargains... how about...."

"Home Bargains! Home Bargains!"

I am frantically searching my brain for the answer to the Home Bargains conundrum. Wracking it for another nightmare time I've had where I have managed to solve the problem but nothing comes. Damn you brain! Failure! 

I don't know why Home Bargains is so important all of a sudden but it is. Neighbours 5 streets away would have definitely heard this riotous behaviour. 

Now I am searching for reasons for this sudden change in behaviour and I blame a plethora of things ranging from being tired to nursery to that bl**dy iPad! Worst purchase ever made! Throw it in the bin. 

Then it hits me! No not the iPad, the answer to the problem. There is simply no answer to the problem whatsoever. The problem will be left unsolved this time and to be honest I am completely happy with that. Soon I am wrestling him upstairs to his mum at which point I quickly disappear to make myself busy, already panicking about what I'll be met with when I return... upturned wardrobes? Surely not?

To be surprise. I can detect no noise at all when I return. What I do see is a little boy, completely quiet, ready for bed and utterly settled. 

So I was perplexed by this. But finally at age 39 I think I am mature enough to understand that I simply do not have all of the answers- not even close to even a quarter of the answers. But... that is ok. I accept that it is completely ok to not have the answers or to even understand what the problem is or what to do about it. 

What is important is that I remained calm (ish!) and I was able to ask for help from his mum. 

One thing I have realised over the past 2 years is that a change of scenery during a meltdown can work wonders too. 

I don't have all of the answers.

It's ok.