Last night we flew overnight to London and we were across the aisle from a couple who had a baby that was not well. The baby would cry then throw up and once she was done throwing up she would look as bright as a button with a big grin on her little face. Her parents on the other hand were horrified and looked around to see if anyone was looking at them. I smiled at them to let them know I had no problem with the little girl throwing up having been there before with my children.
I thought back to the flight when I was four months pregnant with our daughter when we flying back to Bermuda in the worst turbulence I have ever experienced. Thinking of how our son threw up everywhere each time the airplane dropped. The throw up bag proving not to be enough. How with each drop in the airplane he seem to projectile vomit. The smell awful. His clothes ruined as were mine. And I did not have a change of clothes for him. I remember the feelings of frustration and embarrassment I felt. The panic rushing through me. The desire for that flight to end as quickly as possible.
So I could relate totally to the husband and wife panicking about their daughters’ welfare and at the same time feeling angst about everyone else around them.
Then behind us was another little girl who started screaming as we were approaching the landing because her ears were hurting her. Bringing back memories of when our son used to experience the same pain and discomfort. And how I was like the mother behind panicking about whether I was upsetting anyone. Trying my best to shush our son so he would stop crying.
We asked our son if he remembered the pain he used to experience and if he still had the pain. He said he remembers it and sometimes his ears still hurt but now he can stop the pain before it gets bad. And then our daughter looked at me. Her eyes wide. Telling me her ears were hurting. As if she was experiencing sympathetic pain with the little ones. She unlike the others was old enough to understand and find a remedy for her pain.
As I looked at the two new mothers struggling with their children, I thought about how quickly time has gone by. How my children are so self sufficient now and how they are capable of explaining their pain. And in most instances they can take care of themselves.
I thought about those mother panicking and wanted to tell them the time their children were babies will become such a blur and them crying in public will be forgotten about so quickly that they should not worry about upsetting anyone else. But I didn’t. Instead I smiled a compassionate smile at them so they could know I was okay with their children crying and throwing up. After all I had been in their shoes in what seems like just yesterday.
And then the flight was over and both the little girls and my big girl were fine. Pain gone. Discomfort gone and we all got off the flight and went our separate ways but not without the memory of last night playing on my mind. Reminding me how quickly life is flying by. Too quickly to sweat the small stuff. Too quickly to waste time worrying about what others may say or do.
Looking at my 14 year old and 10 year old strutting through the airport with their own luggage. Reminding me how precious our children are and how limited our time is with them for those infant years before they become independent as are mine today.
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