The bambino and I just got back from a whirlwind tour of New Orleans! We flew in late one day and left dark and early 36 hours later. He is a charm - he really is, but I forgot just how challenging it is to travel alone with a little one. They like to be fed, and they like to be fed every 2.5-3 hours!!! Plus the diaper bag needs all sorts of extras - a change of clothing (or two), bottles, burp cloth, toys, etc. All of this competing for space with the standard laptop carry-on. Navigating the conveyor belt, taking off the shoes, not dropping the baby (or the laptop), not losing the wallet or the ticket can all be very very stressful at 6:00am!
I just heard on television that the airlines are ranked 49/49 in customer service with other service industries. I usually am fairly forgiving, but this morning I saw the industry at its absolute lowest, and I was not feeling so generous with my wailing 5 month old in my arms only wanting to eat. I rarely pull rank, but felt it best for everyone that I move myself to the "first class" line and told them I was active duty and on orders. I left out the part about the crying infant since that part seemed self evident. He told me he would help me next. Wow! I should have thought of that sooner. Not one of the other couple hundred people batted an eye when I moved myself to first class. I think they all felt like my little boy did, and had it been socially acceptable for us all to be crying this morning, I think many more of us would have been. Later, when I was on the plane, people from the line came up to express their empathy with me. And to think I was afraid I was bothering everyone.
Once we breezed through TSA (and I am not joking - TSA has been fabulous on my last several flights) and I was able to get him feed, he started making friends with everyone in the terminal. He actually made friends with everyone on our 36 hour trip. Holding a baby makes people want to talk with you! Strangers on the street, people on the elevator, LTJGs at my meeting, Navy Rear Admirals, children, the elderly, parents missing their own children, men, women - everyone wanted to come talk to my baby.
I felt fairly honored. I am his mother and do think he is one cute little kid, but then I realized the magical power of a baby and how as a society we are taught to tuck our children away so they are not a "bother". Here, I had brought my baby out into the world - first to a professional conference and then through the airport. People were just not used to seeing this little bit of perfection in their otherwise drab world. He smiled and coo'd and finally fell asleep. Then he would wake and do it all again. Believe me, the whole time it was running though my head whether I had been too presumptive to bring an infant to a professional conference. In the end, the little voice inside my head was quieted. The world needs to see more babies!
With that revelation, the two of us will be flying again next week. Not sure I have the energy to do it all again so soon, but here goes. Yair will be out as an ambassador for all the babies, and I as his mother will not be so worried that he is bothering everyone.
No comments:
Post a Comment