The Duct Table Survival Mindset- Mom Emergency Kit: Why Duct Tape Lives in My Car, Purse, and Junk Drawer

I wanted to share a fun fact with you which is part of 🛠️ The Duct Tape Survival Mindset- and a new post I created for the series. Mom Emergency Kit: Why Duck Brand Duct Tape Lives in My Car, Purse, and Junk Drawer because duct tape isn’t just for the handy man in our lives or our husbands’ women use it to.

I used to think carrying duct tape around was something only “prepared people” did. Now? I’m pretty sure it’s just motherhood. Because somewhere between raising kids, running errands, quick school runs when Charlie went to public school and grocery trips, while trying to hold an entire household together… you learn really fast that something is always about to break.

And usually at the worst possible time. One time it was a backpack strap snapping right as Charlie was trying to get out of the car and into school before the tardy bell rang. Another time it was a shoe sole peeling off in the middle of errands like we were in some low-budget comedy movie.

And then there was the day something inside the car decided it no longer wanted to stay attached while we were driving around town. None of those situations were serious. But every single one had the potential to completely derail the day.

And honestly? Sometimes you don’t need a perfect fix. You just need something that works long enough to get everybody home without losing your mind. That’s where Duck brand duct tape comes in to play in my home. Does it do this in your home as well?

These are not the cute emergency kits you see online. Not the perfectly organized bins with labels.

Real mom emergency kits are random.

Mine looks like:
— Duck brand duct tape
— receipts I forgot to throw away
— pens that may or may not work
— hair ties
— a phone charger
— snack crumbs
— and at least one mystery item I forgot existed

But somehow… it works.

The duct tape stays in my car because that’s where life likes to fall apart first. Sometimes the duct tape ends up in my bag because kids never wait for convenient moments to have mini disasters. Or Charlie and his friends never did. How about your children?

And the junk drawer?

That’s basically the household “we’ll figure it out later” station anyway. The older I get, the more I realize motherhood isn’t really about perfection. It’s about recovery.

Keeping things moving even when we don’t want to.
Fixing what you can when you can.
Laughing at what you can’t.
And learning that sometimes the difference between a ruined day and a manageable one is a five-minute temporary fix.

Which is honestly probably why Duck brand duct tape has survived every generation of parenting.

📌 Next up:
We’re talking about the fun side of duct tape — easy kid crafts, creative projects, and the weird things children can make out of one roll and pure imagination.

💬 What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever fixed with duct tape?

Thank you,

Glenda, Charlie and David Cates