Last week was challenging and a whole lot of fun traveling with our grandchildren – 8-year-old twins, one of whom is on the autism spectrum. We were traveling to Arizona to visit the grandkids’ step-great grandmother, whom they had never met.
If I learned one major lesson from this trip it was BE PREPARED.
Situation #1: It was their first airplane ride. We prepared them in advance on what it would be like, going through security, boarding, buckling seat belts, listening to instructions. My grandson, who is on AS, was very excited and had worked out in his mind everything that was going to happen. We were all booked sitting together with their mom, so things were under control.
There were 200 people aboard that flight and it took a long time for the drink cart to make it back to us. My grandson was getting more and more agitated and repeating, “The cart is parked. Is the cart parked?” Eventually , they got to us and he got his cup of water.
Then the unexpected happened (as it usually does.) His drink spilled all over him and he was completely soaked from the waist down. He was screaming, we were asking for paper towels and trying to soothe him. Thankfully, his mom had the idea of getting him out of his shorts (under cover of the tray) and air drying them by waving them in the aisle for 2 hours. Kudos to mom for quick thinking.
Lesson: Be prepared by bringing extra water bottles and a change of clothes for the kids in the carry-on. Also plenty of plenty of snacks.
Situation #2: My daughter’s birthday happened to be when we were in AZ. I planned to bring a gluten-free cake mix, so we could all enjoy cake. My granddaughter and I had been plotting and planning this. Her job was to distract mom while they were off to a trip to a local stream for wading. Everyone left, so I could “take a nap.” Upon opening my bag, I discovered I only had GF chocolate cookie mix. Plan B. Make a giant chocolate chip cookie to decorate. Nothing to decorate a cookie, so I used pistachios to spell out her name on the cookie. But my granddaughter was soooo disappointed when she returned and found there was no cake to decorate. So I had her finish the decorating with chocolate chips I had brought along for a snack.
Lesson: Be prepared to think on your feet!
Situation #3: When we arrived at the airport for our flight home, we found that our flight had been cancelled with no notice, no call, no text. Two hundred people milling around with no direction from the airline (Delta). My husband jumped out of line and called the airline to re-book us. The earliest we could get out was the next day. Granddaughter had a birthday party, and sleep over at her best friend’s house the next day. When it dawned on her she would miss it, crocodile tears were rolling down her face. Grandson was asking question after question, “Has it been stopped?” “What are we doing?”
So I knew one thing would snap them out (maybe.) I said, “Guess what? We get to go stay in a hotel with a pool. You guys can go swimming!” Tears slowly dried up, directions handled, and we hopped out of the madness and made our way to the hotel. Thank goodness breakfast was still being served and they let us right in our rooms. Thank you, Hampton Inn Airport in Phoenix!
Lesson: Be prepared for the unexpected left turn when traveling with kids.
All in all, it was a great trip, a wonderful opportunity for the kids and a crazy travel adventure for everyone.
Have you ever had a trip with grandkids that turned out a little bit crazy? Please share in comments.
Check out my website here for more info on the wellness coaching I do or shoot me an email at jane@janespringer.com. I would love to hear from you!
Jane Springer is a certified Life, Wellness and Style Coach who assists women in taking care of themselves, in body, mind and spirit. She coaches women who want to lose weight, avoid diabetes, and feel great. She also helps them thrive after divorce. She also helps them to clear their closets of old clothes and outdated attitudes, so they can shine and feel confident.