Strangers on a Plane
I made a spur-of-the-moment decision about 3 weeks back to get planes tickets to Missouri to surprise my Grandpa for his 70th birthday. Unfortunately, my husband couldn't join me because he couldn't get the time off of work. But I wanted to go anyway since that side of my mom's family doesn't get to see their great grandsons very often. Understandable considering the distance and toll it takes on them to travel to colorful Colorado.
To my advantage my parents and my aunt were able to travel with me. I would never travel with 9 month old twins by myself. I still have a sliver of sanity left.
Nothing really eventful occurred on the flight to Missouri, other than my sons being their incredibly extroverted selves. It was the usual climbing and drooling all over the chairs at the our gate, touching the people sitting in front of us on the plane, exploring some guys laptop case, and smashing their faces against the windows to look outside. Tidbit: I used to be introverted before children, you know.
My grandpa was, indeed, very surprised and we had a wonderful long weekend getting to visit with them and celebrate the big 7-0. We got to shop and explore the beautiful old town St. Charles area. I didn't realize how much I missed it until I was there. It brought back so many fond childhood memories and I was so bummed that Ryan wasn't there to share it with me. But the wonderful visit came to an end and it was time to head back home.
As we were waiting for our flight home to take off, I was listening to all the chaos of other children around me screaming, crying, and not wanting to stay in their seats. Here I'm thinking in my head, "I have perfect children. They travel so well, they are so endearing, and love meeting new people. Those poor schmucks." Just as that line of thought ended, I look over to find my son (who is sitting with my aunt in a different aisle seat) climbing up the middle aged man next to him to reach the overhead light! In my complete embarrassment, I start asking why on earth Jeremiah was being allowed to climb on a complete stranger! Their response: "Jeremiah was fussy holding still, and this guy doesn't mind at all." My perfect bubble popped.
Jeremiah spent the remainder of the flight with this complete stranger climbing his head, playing with the overhead lights, drinking his bottle, and slobbering all over the window to see the plane lights. I was thinking, "Is there any way that this guy still isn't aware that this is my child? Maybe by some miracle he thinks this child is my aunt's." I was so busy feeling horrible that my child was acting like a modern day Tarzan, it didn't immediately occur to me that this total stranger was a natural, probably had grown children of his own, and might have been enjoying my son.
The plane landed and as we were all getting off the plane, I approached him and apologized if Jeremiah was of any inconvenience or bother to him during the flight. He told me it was a joy and that he would have chosen Jeremiah to play with over all those other screaming babies on the plane. Later it came out that he had 4 grown sons of his own. Whew...I was off the hook! He had twice the chaos I will probably ever experience. And...WHAT AN AWESOME GUY!! I am always surprised by the people I meet when I travel.
Truth of it is, a person ignoring a young child trying to get their attention bothers me more than someone who laughs and genuinely takes interest in a child's curiosity. I try to give people who ignore children the benefit of the doubt but, honestly, they truly are extinguishers of joy. This traveling experience and reality helped me momentarily get over my "embarrassment."
To my advantage my parents and my aunt were able to travel with me. I would never travel with 9 month old twins by myself. I still have a sliver of sanity left.
Nothing really eventful occurred on the flight to Missouri, other than my sons being their incredibly extroverted selves. It was the usual climbing and drooling all over the chairs at the our gate, touching the people sitting in front of us on the plane, exploring some guys laptop case, and smashing their faces against the windows to look outside. Tidbit: I used to be introverted before children, you know.
My grandpa was, indeed, very surprised and we had a wonderful long weekend getting to visit with them and celebrate the big 7-0. We got to shop and explore the beautiful old town St. Charles area. I didn't realize how much I missed it until I was there. It brought back so many fond childhood memories and I was so bummed that Ryan wasn't there to share it with me. But the wonderful visit came to an end and it was time to head back home.
As we were waiting for our flight home to take off, I was listening to all the chaos of other children around me screaming, crying, and not wanting to stay in their seats. Here I'm thinking in my head, "I have perfect children. They travel so well, they are so endearing, and love meeting new people. Those poor schmucks." Just as that line of thought ended, I look over to find my son (who is sitting with my aunt in a different aisle seat) climbing up the middle aged man next to him to reach the overhead light! In my complete embarrassment, I start asking why on earth Jeremiah was being allowed to climb on a complete stranger! Their response: "Jeremiah was fussy holding still, and this guy doesn't mind at all." My perfect bubble popped.
Jeremiah spent the remainder of the flight with this complete stranger climbing his head, playing with the overhead lights, drinking his bottle, and slobbering all over the window to see the plane lights. I was thinking, "Is there any way that this guy still isn't aware that this is my child? Maybe by some miracle he thinks this child is my aunt's." I was so busy feeling horrible that my child was acting like a modern day Tarzan, it didn't immediately occur to me that this total stranger was a natural, probably had grown children of his own, and might have been enjoying my son.
The plane landed and as we were all getting off the plane, I approached him and apologized if Jeremiah was of any inconvenience or bother to him during the flight. He told me it was a joy and that he would have chosen Jeremiah to play with over all those other screaming babies on the plane. Later it came out that he had 4 grown sons of his own. Whew...I was off the hook! He had twice the chaos I will probably ever experience. And...WHAT AN AWESOME GUY!! I am always surprised by the people I meet when I travel.
Truth of it is, a person ignoring a young child trying to get their attention bothers me more than someone who laughs and genuinely takes interest in a child's curiosity. I try to give people who ignore children the benefit of the doubt but, honestly, they truly are extinguishers of joy. This traveling experience and reality helped me momentarily get over my "embarrassment."
Copyright 2012 ->Renee Sunberg
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