| For Better Or Worse: A Plane Ride With Young Kids, From Both Sides of the Marital Fence | | Print | |
| Written by Tom and Cynthia Papa | |
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Page 2 of 5 AT THE AIRPORT C: By the time we get to the airport we have worked so hard and done so much that in any other time of my life I would be asleep by now. T: Going through security when you’re traveling alone is a hassle. When you’ve got two kids under the age of 6, it’s nearly impossible. I’d rather eat a bag of rocks. C: Not only do we have to take the kids’ shoes and jackets off and rip Curious George from their hands and stuff him through the Xray machine, but now they make you dump all liquids before getting on the plane — including sippy cups. It doesn’t matter how sneaky I think I am, the little one instinctively knows it’s gone and immediately demands water. If there is no water, the first screaming fit begins. Then I have to do the song and dance routine of distracting her until we can buy another bottle of liquid gold on the other side of security at five bucks a pop. T: I’m holding all the boarding passes and IDs, double-checking as I see the little one jumping near this metal railing. She seems happy. I let it go. C: As we’re in line I look over and the little one is jumping near this metal railing. Her head is clearly in harm’s way. I say, “Sweetie, be care…” WHACK! She bangs her head. That’s going to be a bump. It’ll go nicely with her cut lip from one of yesterday’s mishaps. Tom is holding her while she screams in pain. He’s handling the situation, but every inch of me wants to take over. T: She’s not so happy anymore. I’m holding her trying to make jokes. She’s screaming. Some airport worker tries to get her to stop crying by pretending to steal her backpack. She screams more. I want to go home. C: I’m surprised to find that I am actually jealous of Tom holding our hysterical daughter. Isn’t Mommy the one that is supposed to make everything OK? T: She’s not hurt, just startled by Mom’s panicked gasp. In a situation like this Dad is the only one who can calm her down. C: We get through security and the little one wets her pants. She’s been out of diapers for months and chooses this very moment to regress. Good thing I packed emergency clothes for her. Now all three of us ladies need to get in the ridiculously long “potty” line. I pray that we will get the large stall. We get in and everything is wet — the floor, my daughter, the toilet, even the walls. And the little one is touching everything. The plastic bag the clothes were in will now serve as a pee bag that I get to hold the rest of the trip in my purse. Delish. T: I’m sitting at the gate watching all the luggage. There’s a young couple making out across from me. No kids. No strollers. No problems. I start looking around for a bar. |
