Yesterday I spent a large portion of my day in the Kansas City airport, specifically the Southwest terminal. The Southwest terminal has exactly three things, Starbuck's, Burger King/Sbarro and a Mexican place. Not exactly the best airport to get stuck in. On top of all that, I was without my lip balm because I had to check it to avoid having it confiscated. Darn terrorists! Now we all know that the airport is an excellent place to people watch. What you might not know is it is also an excellent place to pick up parenting DOs and DON'Ts.
DO
-Prepare for delays with a myriad of snack/toy options appropriate to your child
-Travel with a stroller or sling or something to carry the little person around in - this also works as an excellent sleeping location as I noticed yesterday
-Make yourself and your children comfortable with blankets or sweatshirts or whatever is available
-Keep your children within a three foot radius of you at all times (you would be surprised how many people do not abide by this one - have they never seen those kidnapping movies?)
DON'T
-Let your children stand on furniture, just because it isn't your chair doesn't mean they should be allowed to stand on it.
-Take your airport frustration out on your kids (tough to abide by but necessary)
--Pack everything your child owns in a carry on-seriously!
-Let your kids run wild - it annoys everyone else
My best parent-to-be moment came when I was in the restroom for the 90th time and I hear a woman instructing her child not to touch anything. "Don't let your shirt touch the wall Becky, stand perfectly still!" Now don't get me wrong, I don't want my kid to lick the toilet but they are not going to catch a fever if their shirt brushes the bathroom wall. Call me crazy but I am not an anti-bacterial gel kind of girl.
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3 comments:
Re: the bacteria mother, I remember a story my cousin tells and a similar one Andy's best friend's wife recounted. The cousin used to Pine Sol her first kid's toys and by the second one came she was lucky if she Pine Sol-ed the floors. The best friend's wife has three kids under 5. When the third, Anna, was born she said she never worried about her getting enough food because there was always plenty dropped on the floor by the other two. I love hearing the reality of having kids -- the perfect imperfection of it all.
Erika, congratulations on the new upcoming new arrival! I am very happy for you and Jeff. A baby! Of course, I heard the good news through the grapevine (thanks Britt and Erica Felt) and wanted to let you know I am thrilled for you. You will be a great mom... you had an amazing role model in yours. Take care!
Kim Chacham
Erika, i am with you on kids in airports. Ok, I REALLY DO like kids and we are trying ourselves. I dont understand though why some parents look at airport terminals as a playground. The airplane is not a station wagon either. Love it whenyou get the kind of kid that sits behind you and pulls your hair if it happens to stick over the top of the seat (static will do it). Or the ones whose legs are just long enough to make kicking contact with the back of your seat. fun fun!
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