This post features Adam Smith – an Editor, Blogger and Author of the ebook, Discipline: The Art of Achieving Greatness. He also has a new podcast available on iTunes, Live Life With Purpose. Website: asmithblog.com/
Traveling with kids 101.
-Arrive extra early because there are always delays with the stroller, the car seat, the luggage pound capacity, the missing diaper bag and the wandered off kid.
-Security clearance takes double the time.
-Walking to your boarding gate is painfully slow because their little legs walk 1 inch per hour. You usually end up carrying a kid, and biceps burn.
-There are potty breaks. Diaper changes. Water fountain sips. And returns of the candy they somehow swiped as they were walking past the magazine shop. Why is the candy at kid level?
-And NEVER board first – even when they announce, “those traveling with small children may now proceed with boarding.” Why torture yourself for longer than you have to?
Oh and, don’t even think about bringing leisure material for yourself. Your sole job on an airplane is to mute your children so they don’t annoy the other passengers – cause I’m not sure what’s worse: wiggly children with sore ears, or grumpy women giving death glares.
As a close friend of mine once wisely said, “Flying with kids is like wrestling raccoons in a phone booth.” Thus… no parent ever boards a plane without:
An iPad.
Toys.
Coloring books.
Crayons.
Stickers.
Juice.
Wet wipes.
Extra clothes.
A blanket.
Headphones.
Gravol.
Earplugs.
Tylenol.
Advil.
And SNACKS!!!!!!
Side story: Chris and I once counted how many cheerios our youngest ate in the span of a minute. We sat him on the counter and watched him give-er. It was impressive. We then guestimated how many cheerios we’d need for the duration of our sanity flight. You think I’m joking, but I’m not.
It’s called preparation. And every parent knows that when traveling with small children, you need a whole lotta backup. Can I get an amen?
Doesn’t that beg the question: why would we travel through life being any less prepared?
Preparation requires us to embrace a possible result, while remaining positive in the process. We have to acknowledge reality along our journey. Things happen. But no matter what the situation is, we need to prepare rather than assume, because preparation is what increases our chances for success.
~Adam Smith
In other words…
Reaching your destination IS going to take you longer than you thought…
Walking to each gate (phase) of life IS going to have distractions….
Things are gonna hurt…. spaces are going to feel constrained… meltdowns are inevitable… and there will certainly always be people giving you glares….
If you had to answer your top 5 pillars of support right now / spur of the moment / without hesitation, who and what would they be?
Hands down, mine are:
My faith.
Chris.
My fam.
My BF’s.
My church community.
Why?
Because these are the foundations that would hand me cheerios when it seemed like life was trying to wrestle me down in a phone booth.
Who and what is your backup? And are they the right types of support you need as you journey through life?
But what happens when we live God’s way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely.
~Galatians 5:22-24
Adam lives in Northern Colorado, is married to Jasmine, and dad to Colbie Wren. He blogs about leadership that hopes to inspire and direct people towards living a purposeful life.
