It’s all harder when we don’t have the parenting information we need, when we need it…
We knew our connection was going to be tight after our first flight left our home airport over an hour late.
We needed to make that plane - it was the only flight going to our destination that day.
My family felt the urgency and we certainly weren’t alone. There were a lot of people getting panicked about their connections. I reassured my kids that we could rush and make that next plane. At least I thought we had a solid chance.
By the time we elbowed our way off the plane, anxiety was setting in for all of us.
We were greeted in the jetway by an airline employee asking if we were headed to X destination. “Yes!” I yelled and she shoved some paper into my hand.
I didn’t stop to look at what she’d given me. We just took off, jogging through the terminal, trying desperately to make the new gate in time.
This was us - only more desperate!
When we finally got there (of course it was on the whole other end of the airport!), we were out of breath but jubilant.
The plane was still at the gate - we would make it! We were almost too busy celebrating to hear the gate agent tell us that the door was already closed and we wouldn’t be making the plane at all.
Disbelief set in. But we’d made it before the plane left! That didn’t matter since our luggage couldn’t be moved in time and their policy was not to load passengers without their bags.
We were devastated. I stammered, “they even gave me new boarding passes!” and pushed the new papers towards her.
“Oh, they rebooked you on a different flight and added a layover in another city,” she said kindly. “What?” I yelled back. I was so busy catching my breath that I was operating at high volume.
“These boarding passes are for your new flights.
Didn’t they tell you that when they gave them to you?” It was all making sense now. There was nothing to do but wait and take the new flights.
Had we known this one key thing - the newly rebooked flights - , we could have saved ourselves the rushing and the anxiety. We could have regrouped right then and there and calmly come up with a new plan. But we didn’t have the critical information when we needed it most. As a result, things were harder than they needed to be.
Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? Parenting without key pieces of info feels just like this! When we don’t have those crucial pieces of data when our kids are struggling at home or school, we’re at a serious disadvantage. We can’t be our best, least-harried, most patient selves and neither can our kids if key details are missing. We may not be literally running, but it can be just as exhausting.
So how does this story relate to the experience of parenting without all of the information?
If this happens (let’s be honest, it will sometimes) in your parenting life - try asking yourself these questions:
What is the key piece of information I need right now?
For us in that airport, it would have been “hey, we rebooked you, no need to run”. Simple, but very impactful!
Who can give me that crucial information?
Gosh, I wish that airline employee had thought to tell us instead of just handing us some papers.
If I slow down to think, what questions can I ask?
What if we had asked a simple question before we sprinted off down the jetway? Would have changed everything.
Can you think of a time you missed a key piece of info? How would things have changed if you had the information? What did you learn that’s impacted how you seek to gather information now?
My final piece of advice (I hope to remember next time I’m anxiously rushing to make a connection) – look at what’s in your hand before you dash across any more airports.
