…a travel update by Jennifer Ashdown

By Jennifer Ashdown

I just happened to see that Jennifer Weiner has a new book. Yes, maybe I am procrastinating, but in my defense I do have a meeting at Simon & Schuster in two weeks. I wasn’t aware Simon & Schuster was her publisher, even though I am a long time fan. My heart started beating faster when I saw her name on their roster. Maybe, maybe there is a god and I can become her #1 PR chick! Oh well, a girl can dream….

Stop rambling you say, ok, I’ll get to the point. Jen posted a story on her blog about a recent trip with her two daughters. What a coincidence, I am about to take a trip with my two daughter’s- see it was fated I become her #1 PR chick!

My oldest daughter, Audrey, who is six, can hardly contain her excitement about our upcoming journey. No, it is not because we are visiting her grandparents, or her cousins, nor is it the sailing adventure, fourth of July parade, or fireworks. No, it is because we are traveling Jet Blue. I feel like there should be a drum roll here, and no, I do not do public relations for Jet Blue. It is the lure of the tiny television screen that has her on the edge of her seat, even though we haven’t boarded yet. This excitement is heightened by the fact that her evil parents have canceled the cable subscription in their latest round of budgeting.

Sadly, I know the forbidden fruits of Direct TV will not guarantee a smooth flight. My other daughter, Lila, is not yet three and she is our wildcard. The last trip the three of us took was to San Francisco. I thought I had planned an optimal departure time (late afternoon), and not wanting to take any chances I gave her some Benadryl (please don’t rat me out to the pediatrician). Of course, I also had every gadget, snack and bribe imaginable. It turns out that Lila is one of those kids who get revved on Benadryl. She ended up flailing her small self around, kicking the seat in front of us and pitching a royal fit. I did my humble best to keep her under control, but that did not stop the man two rows up from shouting “Can’t you do something to quiet her”. Well, no I couldn’t and despite what he thought my suffering was far greater than his own. I not only had to listen to Lila, I also had to worry about how her behavior was impacting each person in our vicinity.

Like most moms, I have no solution to the problems created by traveling with children-not the least of which is getting through security with all the gear to keep them entertained. Instead I would like to raise awareness to the fact that like you, our children are paying customers. While this does not give children license to act however they choose, it does grant them some respect- they aren’t freeloaders or rather not your freeloaders. I would also like to point out that in all my travels I have yet to meet a parent who wasn’t concerned about making sure their children behaved. So let this be my call to arms fellow moms “Equal Rights for Equal Fares.”

Darcy, can you design the t-shirt?