Before our trip to DC, I was telling friends that no matter how things went, I knew I would learn from it. I’d either learn what tips and tricks to make travel with kids easier for the future, or I’d come away with a feeling of “NEVER AGAIN!” Either way, it’d be a valuable lesson. The good news is I haven’t sworn off travel with kids for the rest of my life! I think there were several important takeaways from this trip, that ended up being less about travel and more about life in general. Here’s a little more about some of the main ones.
- Never underestimate the kindness of strangers.
I think to mentally prepare for our trip, I had imagined the potential worst case scenario. In talking through plans with my sister before we traveled, I told her I had to take a car seat for Gage to sit independently on the plane, even though I didn’t want to lug one more thing through the airport. I said “What if the flight crew insists Gage be in his own seat and he can’t sit without support and we didn’t have a car seat for him and he can’t sit in my lap and they have to ground the plane and the whole flight is delayed and it’s all my fault and every other passenger on the plane hates us???” I realize that sounds pretty extreme, and luckily we did not end up with a flight full of passengers hating us.
I really believe Gage brings out the best in people and even prompts extra acts of kindness from strangers. As I was struggling to break down Gage’s wheelchair to be gate checked, a gracious soul stopped to offer help and then carried his car seat all the way back to our row before returning to her seat in first class. (Side note – for special needs moms traveling with kids, one thing I learned is to always refer to Gage’s ride as a wheelchair and not a stroller. Multiple airline employees told me our stroller was too big to gate check before I explained it was a medical wheelchair.) Another stranger stopped to offer help as well and told me exactly where to leave the items for gate check. I was so grateful for the help and being on the receiving end of these random acts of kindness was a great way to start our trip.
- My plans are not always best.
Like I said, I was not thrilled about dragging a car seat all the way through the airport to our gate and having one more thing to get through security, in addition to 2 kids, a diaper bag, my own back pack, Gage’s medicine and a massive stroller, oh, excuse me, I mean wheelchair. But after talking to the airline about requirements for Gage’s age and his seated ticket, it seemed like my only option. Once we were on board the plane and Gage was settled in to his own seat, I was so grateful to have it. I imagined it being easier to just have him on my lap the whole time, but realize now how much harder that would have been. I needed hands free to grab snacks, drinks and Caleb from time to time when he tried to take off down the aisle. And we were lucky enough to have some extra accessories for our wheelchair that allowed the car seat to roll right along with the kiddos. This was my trial run of the stroller set up.
I sent the picture to my sister and said we might as well take one more kid since we had an empty seat.
- Be yourself and figure out what makes that easier.
Once we actually got to DC, my focus shifted to our reason for being there, which was to participate in Zero to Three’s Strolling Thunder event and share our experience as a means to advocate for changes to support families and young children. Personally, I felt it was important to be there with both my boys, not just Caleb who’s under 3. Having Gage there, and the 2 of them together, puts a face to families dealing with disability and the dynamics that come along with that. Zero to Three arranged for visits to the offices of each of our members of congress, which I felt completely under-qualified for and intimidated by. I really thought I’d be a nervous wreck, or I’d just start talking about my kids and cry in front of everyone. But having my kids with me at those meetings helped take the nerves away. When I was focused on just being a mom and talking about my family and our experience, it felt natural and easy, and got more so as the day went on. Gage and Caleb were so relaxed by the end of the day, they took a little nap during our last meeting. 
I guess what I’m getting at is that when I focused on my kids and felt like myself in the role of mom, I was less worried about how I sounded or the way I looked or what I was wearing.
- It’s always good to be home.
We adored our time in DC. Being in our nation’s capital was an awesome experience and we soaked up every bit of adventure we could, whether it was marveling at the architecture and monuments, learning bits of history from an amazing tour guide from Tipton who’s a DC transplant, checking out Smithsonian museums, or just taking a break and dipping our toes in a fountain. As much as we did, I felt like there was still so much to see and do and I look forward to a chance to hopefully return someday with Evan too! But I felt the same way I feel about every trip I’ve taken. At the end of it, I was ready to be home. I think that’s a good sign that I’m in the right place. There’s no place like home!
