A mother of four who was called for jury duty but couldn’t find a babysitter was forced to bring her 18-month-old triplets and five-year-old daughter to court to avoid paying a $1,000 fine.
Torrey Scow, from Utah, was left confused when she found out she would have to do her civic duties in June while her babysitter was on vacation.
With her husband, Kody, busy with work, Torrey decided to go to court with her four young children, Emory, Lexi, Zoey, and Lincoln, in tow — and it sure was an experience.
She hoped the judge would excuse her once the judge saw her predicament — but instead, she was held there for two and a half hours while the toddlers “screamed” and “threw things on the floor.”
A mother of four who was called for jury duty but couldn’t find a babysitter had to bring her 18-month-old triplets and her five-year-old daughter to court to avoid paying a $1,000 fine
Torrey Scow, from Utah, was left confused when she found out she would have to do her civic duties in June while her babysitter was on vacation
With her husband, Kody, busy with work, Torrey decided to go to court with her four young children, Emory, Lexi, Zoey, and Lincoln, in tow — and it sure was an experience
She hoped the judge would excuse her once the judge saw her predicament, but she was held there for two and a half hours while the toddlers “screamed” and “threw things.”
She documented the “nightmare” day and shared it on her Instagram account earlier this year, where it quickly went viral, receiving more than 181,000 likes and 8,000 comments.
She documented the ‘nightmare’ day and shared it on her Instagram account earlier this year, where it quickly went viral
“My day: jury duty with triplets = a nightmare,” she captioned a montage of clips shot in court.
‘If only you could have seen everyone’s looks when I came in… I felt so sorry for everyone there with us.
“Definitely one of my worst mom moments. But thank God it’s over now.’
A clip showed her riding the three babies in a giant cart while her five-year-old walked alongside them. And another showed her giving the younger ones treats and bottles to distract them.
“Me and Kory haven’t even gone to church with all the babies that long because it’s too much,” she told her followers in a voiceover.
“It was dead quiet except for us,” she continued. “I ended up getting them out of the car because they had been sitting there for over an hour and they were screaming.
“I didn’t even bring them shoes because I didn’t think we’d be staying there very long. They kept walking to the judges’ table.
“My day: jury duty with triplets = a nightmare,” she captioned a montage of clips shot in court. “Definitely one of my worst mom moments. But it’s over now thank God’
Torrey said she gave the kids “more snacks than they’ve ever had in their entire life” in an effort to “keep them quiet”
She explained that “one of the policemen” on duty was “so nice” to her and brought a “bin filled with toys” which “helped immensely”
“I’ve given them more snacks than they’ve ever had in their entire lives to keep them quiet.”
The mother explained that ‘one of the policemen’ on duty was ‘so nice’ to her and brought a ‘bin filled with toys’, which was ‘a huge help’.
Other moments in the video showed the triplets running around the courthouse trying to keep them in one area.
“Of course all three babies pooped too, so the room smelled so bad,” she added. “I’m shocked they didn’t kick us out sooner, they kept us all along. But we did it’
“Of course all three babies pooped too, so the room smelled so bad,” she added. “I’m shocked they didn’t kick us out sooner, they kept us all along. But we did it.’
While chatting with People about it, Torrey explained that you get a $1,000 fine if you don’t show up for jury service, so she had no choice but to attend.
She told the outlet that she was only given three days’ notice and that it’s extremely difficult for her to find new babysitters because many people can’t handle “all four” of her young children at once.
“It would be easier if they were older toddlers, but (three of them are) still babies who need bottles and changing at different times,” she said.
She recalled that the courtroom was “dead quiet” except for her boisterous little ones.
“They are at this stage where they are screaming at the top of their lungs. It’s impossible to quiet one baby let alone three,” she joked.
“My eldest daughter is so good, she just sits there and tries to help as they throw their bottles on the floor. Everyone looked at us.
While talking to People about it, Torrey explained that you get a $1,000 fine if you don’t show up for jury service, so she had no choice but to attend
While she can be lighthearted about it now, she said the experience left her “physically and emotionally drained” and nearly brought her to tears.
‘It’s all so worth it. You’re going to have hard times, but the good times you get times three, and it’s definitely the best,” she said of having so many young kids at once
“I thought for sure the judge would see me and excuse me, but he started going through so many questions.
“And I couldn’t even hear them because my babies were so loud other people in the room were asking him to repeat questions.”
While she can be lighthearted about it now, she said the experience left her “physically and emotionally drained” and brought her close to tears.
It was dead quiet and all eyes are on me. By the end I was almost crying and then they finally let us go,” she recalls.
When asked what was the hardest part about having so many young children, Torrey explained that it was not being able to hold them all at once.
“You only have two arms, so when I take them somewhere I have to carry two and go back for one,” she said.
In the end, she said she wouldn’t change a thing, especially since she welcomed triplets after years of struggling with infertility issues.
‘It’s all so worth it. You will have difficult moments, but if you have only one child or no children, you (still) have difficult moments,” she concluded.
“But the good times, you get times three, and it’s definitely the best.” Try to put all those worries away from you and be positive.
“I think that’s the most important thing, just stay positive. It all works out. It can be so stressful, but it’s so worth it to laugh three times, smile three times, hug three times.”