A few nights ago, I engaged in a humorous travel-related chat with our three-year-old son while tucking him in, which made me realize something important. Let me first recount what occurred, followed by a bit of context to show that I’m not completely out of touch (or at least I don’t mean to be)…
In this post:
The amusing exchange I had with our son
A few nights ago, as I was putting our three-year-old son, Miles, to bed, we typically read a couple of books, and then I “pretend” to doze off next to him until he falls asleep, after which I discreetly leave.
On this particular night, he was remarkably talkative, in an incredibly funny way, leading us to spend more time chatting than reading. He’s currently off from preschool for the holidays, so his routine isn’t as strict as usual, and honestly, I was really enjoying our back-and-forth.
We’re planning to take him skiing soon for the first time, and before trips, I always try to prepare him for what to expect so he can look forward to it and be ready. He’s at the stage where he understands things, so I find that consistently discussing travel beforehand is beneficial.
I was explaining how we’d be going skiing, and that it would entail a fairly long flight. For what it’s worth, up to this point, we had never had a specific conversation regarding airport lounges, first class, business class, etc. So, with that context, here’s how our dialogue went from there (and this is a direct transcript, as soon as he became funny, I started recording)…
Miles: “On the plane, are we going to sit in the big seats or the smaller seats?”
Me: “Oh… I’m not certain, we shall see.” (I haven’t fully committed to our flights, and now realizing he’s engaged, perhaps it should be the “smaller seats!”)
Miles: “Are they going to have food and snacks on the plane?”
Me: “Likely. Do you want to eat on the plane?”
Miles: “No… only in the lounge! Just in the lounge I can eat something!”
Me: “Haha… what are you hoping to eat in the lounge?”
Miles: “I need to check what they offer in the lounge. When I can see what they have in the lounge, then I can eat it!”
This exchange was just so funny to me, as there had been no conscious discussion before about different airplane seating, airport amenities, etc.
Miles is evidently quite the Admirals Club enthusiast; who knew?!
He’s at a stage where we need to be more intentional
It’s amusing how quickly time passes when you’re a parent. Our travel frequency with Miles has significantly increased over time.
When he was very little, we figured he wouldn’t get anything from travel, and he was more at ease, happier, and healthier at home. After all, we have a caring family willing to stay with him, and to me, simply taking him on planes and to hotels doesn’t do much to expand a one-year-old’s experiences (though I have immense respect for those who travel extensively with infants).
But it’s evident, especially in the last six months, that he’s starting to notice everything, as indicated by the inquiries he poses and the observations he makes.
It’s amusing, because when we traveled with Miles when he was about one year old, I didn’t feel the need to consider what cabin we were in or how he would perceive that, as I didn’t think he really noticed in any meaningful way (or at least wasn’t able to express it to us).
However, the above commentary genuinely highlights that he notices everything, which is the first time it has become so clear to me regarding travel. To clarify, I’m not splurging excessively when we fly first class with Miles. Generally, my strategy involves one of the following:
If it’s just me or Ford flying with Miles, we’ll usually book first class, as it’s convenient to have two seats together, without a nearby passenger.
If all three of us are traveling together, we often opt for extra legroom economy, and then we all sit next to each other, with Miles in the middle.
The reality is that most of our first-class flights are booked using Alaska Atmos Rewards points on American, so I’m typically spending a small amount for the additional comfort; it’s not like I’m recklessly spending a fortune on these flights.
While I don’t wish to adopt an “all economy” policy flying with him, I definitely don’t want our kids growing up thinking only first class is available. So now that I’ve accepted this, I’ll also make a point to fly.