The best part of traveling is people-watching. A young family was sitting a sat or two behind me. The mother had to take the little girl to the bathroom and interrogated the little boy vigorously as to whether he had to go. Emphatically, he did not. Mom annoyed him by asking again. He stalwartly denied a need to go, despite her insistent interrogation. Giving up, she took the little girl. Not long after they were reseated and buckled in, imminent landed was announced. He’d missed his chance. Immediately, he set up a howl. “Mom, get me out of here. I gotta go! I gotta Go! The pee is coming down!”
“What! You said you didn’t have to go!”
Next I watched a young mother bouncing her wailing newborn. Clearly, she was exhausted. A young man walked up and she handed off baby, bottle, and pacifier. He skillfully bounced and fed the baby with pacifier in his mouth. What a man!
Another couple was corralling two little guys. The older knocked the smaller off a climbing toy. Dad exploded. “That’s it!” and stormed off. Mom simultaneously calmed the little one and put the other in time out. He howled.
“You hush and think about what you did. I don’t like the way you treated your brother.” He snuffled a while before quieting. Before too long, he was playing with his brother. Eventually, Dad was back.