Travel Days Are Here Again

Well, it was another get away day for us. We flew out to California on the 11:20 am flight. We almost didn't make it. Dominic mistakenly thought the flight left at 11:40 and had dropped us off to get tickets and go through security and he went to park the car and would meet us at the gate. But by the time I got to the gate they were already boarding the aircraft. I kept looking for Dominic, but he took a long time to get there. When I finally saw him, they were about to make the last call. I started waving for him to run, but he thought I was just being silly. Finally I yelled to him that it was final call and the plane was leaving. My husband flew down the hall, scooping Piper up under one arm and we made it JUST in time.

The flight was fine, except for one little kid about Piper's age. His mother had zero control over him, and he was running like an animal up and down the aisle of the plane. The flight attendants kept telling us what wonderful children we had. They were being pretty good, but they seem ever so much better next to a hellion. I checked out the kids mom later. She was an attachment parent gone bad.

I actually think attachment parenting is a wonderful thing. Baby wearing, extending nursing, forging a bond through togetherness and contact. I think it sets up a relationship in which discipline can progress naturally. Since you have such a loving relationship, you can be firm and your children will want to please you. I'm not saying it's easy, as I don't think any parenting plan is. But really, attachment parenting, with firm discipline is probably the best way to describe my style. Anyway, here is this mother with her flowered sling and nursing top, and absolutely no say over her child at all. I think there are a small number of AP moms who give it a bad name. They equate AP with permissiveness, and it drives me nutty. There is nothing loving about letting your child run your home. It's too much pressure for a little kid, and it's dangerous. Anyway, though hers was an only child, I'd rather have a dozen of mine, then just her one.

Reagan and I sat next to an exchange student from South Korea. She was lovely. She told Reagan all about what Christmas is like in Korea, and taught him to say thank you in Korean. She was going to have Christmas with some Aunts in California, and we'll say a prayer for her that she enjoys the rest of her stay and gets home safely to her family. We took her picture, too. We'll put it in Reagan's school book. It's just another example of how homeschoolers learn through everyday life. When we got here I had just enough time to drop everyone off, then Bridget and I went to go pick up Karina. Now we're settled in for a nice visit, and my parents have gone to buy an 8 seater Toyota Sienna. It will actually fit all of us! At least for a few months.