A few minutes later, the boy began crying softly. His father tried to comfort him, whispering reassurances about the flight, but the boy kept trembling. Without thinking, I removed my headphones and gently asked, “Is he feeling scared?” The father hesitated, then nodded. “First flight,” he said. “He gets overwhelmed really easily, especially with loud noises or anything intense on screen.” Suddenly, his earlier reaction made complete sense. He wasn’t trying to control what I watched—he was trying to protect his son from additional stress. I put the book down and told the boy about my first flight, how nervous I’d been, and how I learned that airplanes are designed to handle almost anything. To my surprise, he listened, wide-eyed, as if hearing the words helped loosen the fear inside him.
As the flight continued, the boy grew calmer. We talked about dinosaurs, planets, and what he hoped to see on their trip. His father slowly relaxed as well, the tension in his shoulders melting into relief. “Thank you,” he whispered at one point. “I didn’t mean to sound rude earlier. I just panic when he panics.” I nodded, understanding him completely. Parenting, I realized, often means making quick decisions in stressful moments, sometimes clumsily, but always from a place of love. I told him he had nothing to apologize for. The truth is, any of us might react the same way if we were caring for someone who needed extra support in a crowded, unfamiliar space. Continue reading…
