Whenever I went out for holidays, I loved the sight of babies in cute vacay dresses, posing for the camera. The family playing with the kid on beaches was a treat for my eyes. So, when we had a baby, we decided that we will plan holidays once my son grows up a lil and gathers some more immunity. He was 1.5 years when we planned our first holidays. I packed half the house for him and trust me that it wasn’t exasperating at all. In fact, I enjoyed that adrenaline rush to pack it all for him. Check here on awesome tips to travel with toddler. My son enjoyed an hour long drive to the airport and the airport seemed to be one big amusement park for him. The baggage trolley was his roller coaster, the hand railing was the monkey climber, the escalator gave him butterflies in the stomach and finally after spending a couple of hours hopping on the airport, we boarded the flight.
The feeling of a perfect holiday with a toddler was just settling in, when my toddler started screaming. The airhostess was kind enough to drop by whenever he cried and to my surprise, he calmed down at the very sight of her. I was hopelessly muddled by my son’s act. “Has his men hormones started showing up? Why is my baby acting up to have a glimpse of this pretty air hostess? I am sure it’s just infatuation!!”. While I was still murmuring under my breath, my son again acted up and this time to sit in the lap of airhostess. No wonder, my boy and those airhostess had a gala time walking down the aisle, hands in hands with each other. I was sitting still, baffled at what was happening. A million wild thoughts crossed my mind in a flash, when my hubby shook me up and said – “He is just a baby!!” Yes, he read everything I was imagining, word by word. You know us moms, sometimes our brains just play up and nobody can rein in our thoughts. Just when my son came back to his seat in a jolly good mood, I could smell something weird. He had pooped and I felt like yelling at him – “Go ask your pretty airhostess to change your pants too!!” Anyways, changing diaper in that constrained space with the hyper active toddler kicking in air, was a nightmare. A nightmare I could never forget and hence I decided that we will holiday next when my son is fully potty trained.
A year down the line, we planned our holidays to Kerela. All through the way to airport, I was asking my son – “Tell me when you want to go the washroom.” I was an anxious mommy who was travelling with a diaper free kid for the first time and didn’t want any embarrassment to come my way. Finally when we boarded the flight and it was about to take off, I asked my son one last time just to hear a shout in return – “I will tell you when I wish to pee. I will flush too and wash my hands properly. Anything else??!!” The in-flight announcement paused for a second and those staring eyes made me sink in a puddle of embarrassment. This was definitely self-invited!
Nevertheless, I had imagined a comfortable trip with a 2.5yr old who was fully potty trained, ate everything that was served to him and understood what was being told to him. Little did I know that it doesn’t end there. The moment we checked into our room, my son wanted to change into his sherwani which he wore almost 6 months back. After cajoling him for an hour or so, he settled for a bloomer and vest. #FacePalm. I took just 5 minutes to get ready and my son took forever.
Holidaying with him is tougher than ever because now he categorically remembers his whole wardrobe and no matter how many bags of clothes I carry for him, he wants to wear that particular pair of jeans which is left behind. On the flight, he expresses his urge to colour the book which has been lying in mint condition in a forgotten corner of the drawer of his room for the last 60 days or more. He demands to sleep on his minion bedsheet and cuddle the spiderman cushion. He wants to take n-trips down the elevator at 2AM and play football in the hotel lobby. He wants to bathe with his red mug and not a hand shower. Sometimes, he wants to wear the raincoat in chilly winters and overcoat in summers. Worst of all, he gets adamant on taking the help desk girl in his car for the sightseeing and my mommy brain again smells something fishy!!
The list is endless. His desires are weird and the timing of those desires are weirder. Sometimes I feel like yelling at him and at other times I sit in awe for his idiosyncratic talent to craft such distinctive, funny and creative wishes every hour of the day. I love him and find his wishes so funny, creative and amazing….just not in the holidays!! I love him inside out, to the moon and back and honour his wishes every single time I can, but in the holidays… I just can’t. In the holidays the dog-tired mommy in me gives up and waits for the day she will get to heave a sigh of relief.
