Traveling With Children, PART 1
When I was pregnant, I knew that things would change after my baby was born. Prior to becoming parents, my husband and I were frequent flyers and enjoyed traveling. This was just one of the things that would change.
Admit it, we have all been there. While sitting patiently waiting to board the plane, you check for gum and your book that is safely packed away in your carry on. You are thinking about your destination until you are distracted by a parent and a baby that sit down next to you. The baby is screaming and trying to flip out of its parent’s protective arms while the parent struggles to hold the child and continues to say his or her name over and over. You slowly turn and cross your legs away from these noisy passengers. You say a silent prayer that your seat is no where near theirs.
If you are not a parent, you may not think about what it feels like to be the person that is traveling with a child. It is hard to be the one that everyone rolls their eyes at and races to get away from. I have experienced the dirty looks from fellow passengers and the less-than-friendly behavior from several flight attendants. As a Mother that has traveled with her kids, I can describe the stress that goes along with being on the other side.
As the travel day begins, we pack the car, drive to the airport, unload our bags at curbside check, and I stay with the kids and the carry-on bags as my husband parks the car, unhooks the car seats and gets on the shuttle to meet us in the airport. As we wait in the security line, we each remove our shoes, take the laptop and DVD player out of their protective bags, and get our 3 car seats, 5 carry-on bags, liquid items and stroller ready for inspection.
I watch the kids and help them to put their shoes back on while my husband attempts to gather our belongings. Thank goodness for him because I would have no idea where any of our things are. The boys want to put their shoes on by themselves despite the fact that we are getting dangerously close to boarding time.
We value and respect the experiences of all of our HERWriters, but everyone is different. Many of our writers are speaking from personal experience, and what's worked for them may not work for you. Their articles are not a substitute for medical advice although we hope you can gain knowledge from their insight.
Add a Comment2 Comments
The traveling I use to love is now a real chore. Getting through security is a nightmare and I truly envy the people that can arrive at the airport only an hour before boarding. It takes us nearly that long to get thru security. I pray it will get easier as they get older.
October 20, 2009 - 8:13pmThis Comment
It's tough, do you get to the airport extra early so you don't feel stressed for time and struggle with keeping the kids entertained. OR do you try to minimize the time your kids are waiting for departure but feel incredibly stressed that you'll miss your flight? I love to travel and overall my kids do really well but navigating the air travel system with small children is NOT fun.
October 20, 2009 - 8:45pm