This adventure actually began a few days ago. Here’s a look into the start. The photo is the view from my seat prior to landing in Santiago, Chile.
We are now making our final descent into Santiago, Chile.
Yesterday as I walked through the airport toward our gate, I chatted with my 13 year old son about how much easier it is to travel as a family now that our children are older.
“It was definitely worth it. But traveling with little children is hard.”
I told him about the time he, at about 15 months, on a flight to Denmark, had a crying spell just as everyone on the plane had settled and fallen asleep.
“You had just settled down yourself and fallen asleep in the bassinette when we hit turbulence and the flight attendant asked me to take you out of the bassinette,” I said.
At that point, back then, he had wailed and wailed, waking up passengers. I remember feeling terrible for him, terrible for everyone else on the flight and sweating as I tried anything I could do to soothe him.
I remember one passenger, a man probably in his 40s who was particularly perturbed. He instructed me to sing softly to him.
Yeah. As if I hadn’t tried that one yet.
Eventually he did fall asleep and all was well once again.
I explained to my son that each of our children had one unforgettable incident which, now, were actually finally fading from the forefront of my mind. (hallelujah!!)
Our second child had had a similar crying incident at around 16 months and our third didn’t have a nighttime airplane crying incident I could remember, but did have a massive diaper blowout. Fortunately that happened at the airport after a flight from Houston to Paris, just before our connection to the next flight. I was able to get her cleaned up in a regular bathroom as opposed to a cramped airplane lavatory. (You gotta be thankful for those little blessings like that when traveling!)
As I shared this with my son, we both laughed a little as to how much easier it had become.
We have enjoyed traveling together, internationally and domestically, since each of the children were babies. Some trips held sickness and confusion, frustration at times in navigating a city or a menu, but all trips have held great joys, interesting sights and adventures we have explored, conquered and experienced together.
And now the next adventure begins…
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