Traveling is stressful. No matter how often you do it, taking a flight somewhere always comes with challenges.
Even if you're not someone who gets anxious about flying, it's still tension-inducing to have to pack, get to the airport, go through security, and wait for your flight.
Of course, the more people you're traveling with, the more stressful it can be — especially if you have kids with you.
And, obviously, the younger the children, the more difficult the challenge. If you've ever had to travel with an infant or toddler, you know what I'm talking about.
Most kids don't have the patience to deal with long flights, and that's not even counting the time spent waiting around the airport. Some lucky parents travel together, but if you're alone with a little one, it can be especially overwhelming.
A few eyars ago at a Los Angeles International Airport, a wild toddler got the best of his mom, and she collapsed into tears.
Photos: Pixabay / mradsami; Wikimedia / Bidgee
Beth Bornstein Dunnington, who was at the airport at the time, shared what happened on Facebook.
Within three days, her post had over 33,000 reactions and almost 10,000 shares.
Beth wrote:
Something extraordinary at LAX today… (writing this on the plane). I was at the gate, waiting to get on my plane to Portland.
Flights to two different cities were boarding on either side of the Portland fight.
A toddler who looked to be eighteen or so months old was having a total meltdown, running between the seats, kicking and screaming, then lying on the ground, refusing to board the plane (which was not going to Portland).
His young mom, who was clearly pregnant and traveling alone with her son, became completely overwhelmed… she couldn’t pick him up because he was so upset, he kept running away from her, then lying down on the ground, kicking and screaming again.
The mother finally sat down on the floor and put her head in her hands, with her kid next to her still having a meltdown, and started crying.
Then, this gorgeous thing (I’m crying just writing this)… the women in the terminal, there must have been six or seven of us, not women who knew each other, approached and surrounded her and the little boy and we knelt down and formed a circle around them.
I sang “The Itsy Bitsy Spider” to the little boy… one woman had an orange that she peeled, one woman had a little toy in her bag that she let the toddler play with, another woman gave the mom a bottle of water.
Someone else helped the mom get the kid's sippy cup out of her bag and give it to him.
It was so gorgeous, there was no discussion and no one knew anyone else, but we were able to calm them both down, and she got her child on the plane.
Only women approached.
After they went through the door we all went back to our separate seats and didn’t talk about it… we were strangers, gathering to solve something.
It occurred to me that a circle of women, with a mission, can save the world. I will never forget that moment.
People who read Beth's post were totally moved by it — and so glad someone stepped in to help the overwhelmed mom.
Can you imagine how thankful you'd be if people helped you out in a situation like this?
Please SHARE this article if you're inspired by these incredible women!
