I’ll Fly Away

Flying is a necessary evil to get to where I want to go. I love traveling and seeing new lands, both near and far. So, I just deal with it. I guess I sort of mentally prepare myself for the dry air and close quarters a few days before. Usually, I get through it with a portable dvd player and some music in addition to shea butter and some other moisturizing cream. Long flights can do a doozy on my skin and depending upon the length, I may end up peeling….so I’ve learned prepare instead of complain.

When traveling with children, I’ve learned to do the same….just prepare for what they might need. That means I have snacks, games, toys, wipes, whatever to keep them calm and relaxed. Giving them a reward to look forward to after the flight does help with behavior control.

Danielles last blog post..When they say you can’t

We fly with our kids (now 3 and 5) two or three times a year. We’ve gotten it down to a science with all the gear. We once had someone in the Orlando airport literally bow to us when they saw our double stroller with all of our carry-ons and two car seats piled up on it.

The worst part of flying is going through security. Before the advent of family lanes, without fail we had a grumpy, impatient, self-important business guy behind us huffing and puffing as we hurried to toss our stuff onto the belt and coax a reluctant two year old through the metal detector. My dear husband and I usually ended up mad at one another until we recognized that it was the situation that was getting us frustrated. Now, I take the kids and get them and their backpacks through while he deals with the stroller and car seats. I honestly don’t know how I’d handle it if I was traveling alone with them!

Getting the car seats installed on the plane is another issue. Usually, the kids and I wait on the jetway while my husband takes care of this. Other times, we wait in one row while hubby works in the other. We separate two and two because the car seats have to be installed at the window. Flight attendants are sometimes helpful, but more often annoyed that we insist on installing the seats instead of gate checking them. But the kids are much more comfortable (not to mention safer) in their normal seats.

Once everyone is seated, we have toys, games and snacks to keep them busy. The hardest part is keeping an eye on them to stop them from kicking the seat in front. My husband is usually oblivious to this, so I try to have him sit behind me so if my son kicks, he kicks my daughter’s seat. I’ve been very lucky in that I’ve never had to deal with a dirty diaper while in flight.

We also try to time our flights at mid-afternoon so they coincide with nap time. But despite all our preparation, we on occasion deal with cranky, fussy children. We just do our best and try to ignore the angry stares.

Oh, and the Benadryl? For some kids, it has the opposite effect! I’ve never dared to find out which way it worked for my kids.

Funny I used to fly every week but I still shoot up prayer hoping the plane doesn’t crash. My boy likes airplanes so he wasn’t afraid. My sister on the other hand refuses to get on planes. It’s still a work in progress.

I have flown many times, my first time being when I went away to boot camp. I spent three years surrounded by pilots, fighter jets and cargo also. I like to travel so flying is a part of my life and I love it. I don’t like going through screening though. Once I get past that, I’m good. I must admit that sometimes I think about the plane crashing, but I just say a prayer, and hope that if it happens, my death is quick.

My granddaughter was 2-1/2 the first time she flew with me. The next trip she was 3. I took a coloring book and her favorite doll to keep her occupied. She was excited and whooped out loud and clapped her hands when the plane took off and landed. I must admit I like that part too – when the plane takes off and lands. She is now 11 years old and has been watching the news and reading the paper for a few years now, and has learned to be afraid because of planes crashing. When I questioned her fear, she said she watches the news . .LOL She said she wasn’t afraid when she was younger because she didn’t know any better.

Oh no! The thought frightens me!