9/11 changed so much of our way of life that it is sometimes hard to remember how we used to live without fear or suspicion. Although we experience this heightened stress in our daily routine, we feel it most when we're traveling. Even the children are now trained to remove their shoes at the security checkpoint, and we no longer flinch as the cold floor hits our feet. It's the price we pay for the illusion of safety. Traveling with kids has always been a high maintenance, but it is now filled with a different kind of anxiety in addition to just managing kids.
On a recent flight home from Ohio, my kids got a glimpse of the old magic of travel. Our stewardess on our small commuter flight was unbelievably kind and attentive, doting on my three kids for the entire flight. She gave them oxygen masks and practice seat belts to amuse them. And then, after the plane landed, she gave them an unforgettable experience, something that I thought 9/11 had banished forever.
The plane was at a standstill on the tarmac, awaiting the ground crew to open our gate. She smiled at the kids and beckoned them into the cockpit to meet the pilots. They saw the buttons, the levers, and the men who make it all happen. And thanks to the kindness of this stewardess, my kids walked away from their flight with a little more magic, and a little less fear.
2 comments:
Did she give them wings?!
I miss those days.
It's hard to believe, but I haven't gotten on a plane since T was a baby. It just seems like too much work these days. I'd rather drive!
I wonder if the pilots also lament the changes that 9/11 have wrought on everyone. It must get pretty lonely inside that tiny space, especially on long flights.
I also wonder if we're going to see fewer kids aspire to being pilots because they rarely get that secret peek.
I'm so glad the kids got to see inside the cockpit. I remember seeing that as a kid and being awed by all the buttons.
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