I admit it, I judged moms—including my own mother—when I was younger. I would watch them discipline their kids and think "I will never allow my kids to talk to me or act like that". I would watch parents in the airport, carrying 3 bags, pushing two strollers and sweating as they tried to catch their flight. I would think smugly to myself "I will never be that sweaty mom, schlepping all that stuff in the airport." Well, let's just say karma caught up with me—with a vengeance!
To my dismay, I have become every situation I ever judged, and every parent I silently scolded. I cannot believe how naive younger Maggie was, thinking how much better I could/would do things as a parent. Having kids is great, but it is hard and messy and sweaty and the opposite of pretty. Me + my kids (in their younger days) = full on travel *!@$#show!
Running after my three year old, while pushing my younger two in a stroller, had me not only sweating, but in a full panic that the three year old was going to get lost in the mass of travelers.
Then add the security line. Hmmm, how to fold the stroller while holding my six week old, holding hands with my 1 1/2 year old all the while begging my three year old to "stay by mommy"? Once I was so overwhelmed and without help (nope, no one offered) that I took one of the bins that hold your bags as they go through security and put my six week old in it. To be clear, it was not on the conveyor—we were still on the non-moving part. I had the other two hold onto my leg as I managed to fold the double stroller up. Then this security lady came over to me as I am mid-fold with two crazy toddlers hanging off of me and said "Ma'am, babies cannot go through conveyor." I looked at her in disbelief, thinking she was joking that she obviously knew I was not going to send the baby through security in the bin.
Then it hit me. She didn't know, she was just observing a half crazy, sweaty lady in full panic mode put her newborn in a security bin.
So, my parental diet has subsisted of primarily humble pie.
Experiences like this are the reason we wanted to create the Jet Setter Collection. A set of t-shirts, onesies and totes that made light of how stressful traveling with kids is for parents, aunts, uncles, grandparents etc.... They're meant to be a light reminder for bystanders to show a bit of compassion on the flight when there is a screaming child next to you or a little size three side-show keeps kicking your seat. We promise we are trying our best to keep our kids calm, quiet and in their seat during the flight. We are sorry our kid just barfed in your lap, really sorry!
