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The Mommy Memoirs: We Survived…

Well, we survived.

Just barely.

What would cause us to have this near death experience, you ask?

Oh you know, just traveling with two kids. 

Going into the trip we looked like your average, run-of-the-mill, American family. All bright eyed, bushy tailed and annoyingly peppy.  I had Googled some kiddo-friendly travel tips, and was pretty happy with my decision to use backpacks as carry-ons to free-up our arms and hands (#parentingwin). 

Our two-year-old oohed and ahed over all of the airplanes out of the terminal window, and  my husband and I were feeling like we had this whole flying with kids thing figured out. 

We even found a play area at the Nashville Airport that kept the kids entertained before our flight (bonus points!). 

The portable DVD player and iPad were fully charged, and we had enough snacks packed to keep their mouths full for at least two hours. 

This would be a breeze, right? We were untouchable. 

Flash forward five days later as we traveled back to Nashville …

I had a case of laryngitis, an unidentifiable stain on my shirt and baby food on my pants.

My husband had crazy hair and did his best to pretend he wasn’t stressed while waiting for a TSA agent to test every single baby food and formula container in our carry-on bag – yes, every.single.one.

It took us 45 minutes at the ticket counter to get our boarding passes due to the airline’s printer breaking down.

We missed our stop on the airport tram and got to ride it for an extra 15 minutes (two-year-old was thrilled about this and had a meltdown when we were finally able to get off). 

Sadly, the DVD player was no longer with us…RIP. The iPad wouldn’t connect to the airplane’s wi-fi, and our 11-month-old decided while waiting in line to board the plane, was the perfect time to poop.

So what’s the moral of my story? 

Is it that we shouldn’t travel with kids?

No. All the in-between stuff was pretty amazing. In fact, we’d do it all over again for the unforgettable memories we made. 

The moral of the story is to never get too cocky. Because the minute we high-five one another and think we have it all figured out – the universe will reply with a big, fat, ‘Nope.’ 

Happy summer travels to all of you other parents, bravely flying or driving into the unknown.

Godspeed. May the odds be ever in your favor. 

Do you have some tried and true family travel tips you’d like to share? Got a funny kid story? Want to send me some feedback or share some parenting advice? 

E-mail me at jechronicle@nctc.com. I’d love to hear from you!

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* Oh, by the way, this is my new column. I’m writing it partly to keep you entertained and partly to keep myself sane. 

PSA: If you don’t like kids and/or stories about kids, then this column probably isn’t for you. However, if you think kids are awesome and enjoy the occasional laugh (mostly at my expense) – then by all means, read on my friend 🙂