Alexis' backpack is packed. She knows which favorite blanket is coming with her. Her luggage is filled with my old tank tops that she wears as dresses. The DVD player is charged, crayons are organized, and stickers are waiting to be stuck. For the last 13 mornings, Alexis has asked if it is "San Cisco" time yet. With every airplane we see in the sky, Alexis reassures herself that it is not going to San Francisco. After all, the plane going to San Francisco cannot be departing without us on it. Makes perfect sense.
Alexis is ready for vacation.
What I don't think she is ready for is the 4 hour direct flight from Minnesota to California. Alexis is a good traveler. No, scratch that, she is a great traveler. But she is still a 2 1/2 year old on an airplane for 4 hours. It will be her fifth flight, but the longest straight stretch of time. I used to try to find direct flights for us because they make life so much easier. Now I think it might make life a little more inconvenient.
Let me regale you with my basic tenet of air travel with a child: throw the rules out the pressurized triple-paned window. Give the child whatever he wants*. Candy, DVDs, juice, popcorn, markers, Play Doh, you get the idea. For the sanity of every single person in the airplane, make your kid think that flying is the single coolest adventure he could embark on.
However, for a 4 hour flight with my toddler, I think it might not be enough. I have flown with her a few times by myself and this flight with a second adult is making me more anxious than those. I have the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse DVD, the Word World DVD, stickers, coloring books, dry erase boards/markers, M&Ms, lollipops, sugary snacks, salty snacks, tons of books, her Taggie blankets, and a couple favorite stuffed animals. Even with all that, I think I am going to be entertainment central. For 4 hours. And I am going to be like the flashy, loud, brand-new Christmas morning toy after 90 minutes. Thrown into the corner and forgotten for her favorite book. Hopefully I remembered to bring that one.
Here's hoping she doesn't kick my ass.
When we return, I will post with a review of how the flights went!
*Exception: headphones for DVD players/tablets and no loud electronic toys or musical instruments. There are 182 other people on the aircraft who don't think your child is adorable, interesting, or gifted.
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