For Better or For Worse by Lynn Johnston for March 18, 2021

Earlier this week, my older brother and younger nephew — while sister-in-law and older nephew stayed home — came to visit in Clark County, Washington all the way from New Jersey (was nephew’s first plane ride in general).

I feel so sorry — for the other passengers.

I flew to Tampa and back for a choir event back in high school. Slept the whole way, both ways.

And here is how Elly learns April can walk, when she puts her down in the airport expecting she is going to stay in one place. You would think someone in the family would have told her.

If you purchased some earplugs before you boarded the plane, that would help a lot.;D

Traveling with a baby is hard. Baby cries about the strange environment and all the strangers and new sounds. Very confusing for them. Then being forced to sit in a small space where they could not look at anything but the back of the seats and a small window. Some parents slip a little cold syrup to relax them or make them sleepy, hopeful they would sleep the entire flight. That was the practice of the older generations but because of modern doctors and the internet, parents are now discouraged to do that so there are a lot of crying babies on planes.

Of course… Patterfoobs are those annoying, inconsiderate posterior-orifices who think nothing of bringing a screaming brat onto an airplane..

And people wonder why I haven’t flown since 1998.

Look! No masks! Life before COVID19. Makes me nostalgic.

Yeah, sorry but I hate the baby already. I know that’s profiling and unfair, but sometimes “profiling” is simply prediction based on experience.

And THAT was 20 years ago!

I flew to Germany from NY when my son was 20 months old, he was a little angel. I flew back with our daughter then 13 months. I walked the aisles almost the entire flight as it was the only way to comfort her. She also did not like car rides. She screamed the entire ride home from the hospital when she was born. She did sleep the entire hour we were on the ground in Gander, Newfoundland.

Todays parents think that their children have a right to be everywhere at anytime day or night. I guess they never heard of babysitters.

or longer…..

It woulda been WAY too long a car ride…

Wow Helly, see what happens when you break your word? If John was with you like you promised Mike, you wouldn’t be dealing with this ALONE!

Hopefully April is so fussy right now because she’s ready for a nap and she’ll crash and sleep the whole flight.

Spoiler!!!!

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It will all turn out, after all, because of a very kindly fellow passenger…

I read an article that nice, polite people never travel with infants or small children, they use their own cars or stay home.

That’s how long flights usually last.

Bravest person I ever knew was a mother who took her three children (all under 4 years old) by herself from California to her mother’s in Singapore. All are still living and sane!

My first flight, I was similar to April. About the same age, mom gave me a bottle for take-off. A few sucks and I was out like a light. Of course I woke-up near cruising altitude, crying with discomfort and it took the entire flight to get me to take the bottle. As soon as the pressure equalized I fell asleep again and by the time we landed I was crying over the discomfort in my ears again. Fortunately my grandmother had the patience to give my mom a break until I calmed down enough to take the bottle. And before the return flight, a pediatrician told my mom that it was okay to wake me to keep me sucking on the bottle during climb and descent when flying.