A single mother,, Ava, becomes desperate for some quiet time when her infant begins to fuss on the journey. A seemingly good-hearted man offers to assist, but when she sees what he’s giving her child, her relief quickly turns to terror!
Though I had heard horror stories about traveling with a baby, nothing had prepared me for what happened when I boarded the plane from New York to Los Angeles with my son, Shawn, who was 14 months old.
I promise you, it was an experience I will never forget.
Shawn cried and fussed from the minute we boarded the aircraft. You know, the kind of sobbing so loudly that it reverberates through the aircraft’s metal tube, turning heads everywhere.
As I juggled my carry-on and attempted to rock Shawn in my arms, I could feel the critical looks piercing my back.
“Come on, buddy, please calm down,” I urged, softly bouncing him.
I sounded tired and wobbly in my voice. This comes after weeks of not getting more than three hours of sleep in a row.
I sat down and held out Shawn’s teddy giraffe, which was his favorite toy. He knocked it out of my hand in an instant.
Leaning over to get the giraffe, I sighed. I was beginning to feel like I had taken a big risk by taking such a small child on a cross-country flight. However, what option did I have?
In case my mother’s condition worsened, my father had covered the cost of my travel so they could meet Shawn. This journey held great significance.
There was a noticeable sense of anxiousness in the cabin even before we took off. A few seats in front of us, I noticed an elderly woman turn and mumble something to her husband, who rolled his eyes.
Fantastic, exactly what I needed—more people believing that I was a bad mother.