By Stephanie Kanowitz for Kveller
I
always assumed that being a parent meant teaching my children the basic
skills–and with luck, perhaps a few extras they’d need to become
productive members of society. As it turns out, I’m learning just as
much about life from them. Remember that book, All I Really Need to Know
I Learned in Kindergarten? I think the lessons start much earlier. Here
are some that I’ve learned:Lesson 1. Be yourself. Somewhere along the way, we–or at least I–got caught up in worrying about how others see us. We put on our best face and maybe if we’re starting to wear our hearts on our sleeve, we throw on a cardigan. I’m not advocating for throwing public temper tantrums or sob fests, but I’ve noticed that if my kids are tired or otherwise having a cranky day, they don’t hide their feelings and most people cut them slack. As adults, we’re quick to dismiss others as rude or snobby when they might simply be having a bad day.
Perhaps one of the worst places for a kid to lose it is on a typical commercial airliner when 100-plus people are stuck riding out the tantrum. When I flew alone with both my kids (ages 3 and 1), from Virginia to Florida, I felt prepared for anything. Except for what I got: My daughter, Ellie, decided to flip out at the end of the flight.
I spent the descent trying–mostly unsuccessfully–to catch my daughter’s vomit in a barf bag. If anyone made negative comments while Screampuke Fest 2013 was happening, I didn’t hear them. I couldn’t have because Ellie’s hysteria set her brother off, too–although he kept his cookies in. When the plane landed, it would have been easy, understandable even, for everyone on that full flight to bolt past us fleeing the screaming and the smell. But a man clad in a business suit stopped and offered to take one of my carry-ons off for me. He didn’t take my daughter’s behavior personally, and he didn’t judge me for not getting her under control. He just smiled and took my bag to the jet bridge.
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