There’s a good chance my husband and the teen will be stark, raving mad before July rolls around. It’s no secret I’m a bit obsessive. I like things laid out, from A to Z, in detail. I don’t like surprises or detours and I never, ever just “roll with it”.
The surprise is the short kid. His obsession with preparing himself for the trip to Anaheim for the RWA National Conference in July puts even me to shame. Every day he comes up with an issue that absolutely ties him into knots.
Saturday: Fear he won’t be able to take a certain treasured possession. (Made better by my solemn vow that, even if I have to wear the same damn clothes all week until I’m a rumpled and smelly mess, there will be room in the luggage for treasured possession.)
Sunday: Sudden, paralyzing fear he will forget said treasured possession when we check out of the hotel. (Made better by my solemn vow I’ll set an alarm on my phone reminding me to doublecheck for it.)
Monday: Fear the airport folks will touch his “personal areas”. (Made better by dad demonstrating a pat-down, assurance it’s over before you know it, and the solemn vow any touching is done in front of dad.)
This morning: What if the flight attendants have a meltdown and nobody will let him have a drink? (Probably triggered by the news story about that attendant that flipped out, combined with the fact the short kid dehydrates quickly so we always have a water bottle, but can’t take one on the plane.) (Made better by my solemn vow we’ll go in the plane’s bathroom and drink out of the damn sink if we have to.)
There are a LOT of days between now and July 21st. I might need to start writing down these solemn vows.
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Shannon, you can buy a water bottle after you get thru security from one of the shops and take it on the plane. You just can’t bring one from home. Hope this helps ease SK’s mind.
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Oh, thanks! That’s very good to know because, while I didn’t freak out like he did, I was concerned about that.
And it’s a far better solution than my kid lapping water out of a nasty bathroom sink like a dog.
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Shannon, I have a 10 yr old daughter who gets really anxious about stuff like this as well. Sometimes with a trip coming up we’ll start a notebook and write down concerns and how we’ll address them. Sometimes she just needs to read it to put herself at ease.
You are being a great mom by addressing all his fears and not blowing him off! When my kiddo was littler, we made her little storybooks that showed what would happen each day. Now we just talk through it. The details she worries about still surprises me!
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Having a notebook is a great idea. I’m sure he’ll keep some of these fears in his head, even after we’ve covered them, so having something to reassure himself with would be good.
I definitely try to talk through things. He’s a lot like me and I know how horrible it is when people deal with my concerns by saying “Don’t worry about it. Just go with it”. I can’t!
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Shannon, I just went through 2 airports here on the West Coast and they didn’t do any pat downs. Doesn’t mean that they won’t, but not all are doing them. In Arizona they have the scanner picture thing that you have to walk in and raise your arms up but that is it. Most are just like the metal detectors you walk through. Plus they had posted a rule that if you are 12 and under you don’t have to take your shoes off. But all airports have different rules which is frustrating.
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Oh poor kid. Oh and you can tell him that you’ll buy and over priced bottle of water after you go through security and they let you take that on the plane.
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My aunt is like you. Once she gets something in her head about the way it has to be, that’s the way it has to be. Full stop. And if there are CHANGES?! She flips the frack out.
I’m more a go with the flow kind of person. I know there are only so many things I can control while traveling, and try not to let myself get too nuts. The flip side of that, though, is those things I CAN control? I REALLY REALLY obsess. I’m taking a trip in June and I’ve been planning what books I’ll read, knitting projects I’ll take, and clothes I’ll wear since January. I have a whole tab of possible project/yarn combos in my Ravelry Queue. Last month I wondered if it was too early to get the suitcase out.
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Shannon, nothing is worse than hearing “don’t worry about it.” I have been clinically diagnosed with OCD so I know what you speak of! When people say that to me I want to say, “Oh, it’s just that easy?! I’ve been torturing myself for 20 years over fears and I never thought to try to stop worrying about it!!” Sheesh, if it were that easy, I WOULDN’T BE WORRIED
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GAH! hit some button on the computer and I posted before I was done. Anyway, I always want to roll my eyes, b/c really, do the think I worry b/c I think it’s FUN?!
The notebook Carin talked about sounds like a great idea for SK.
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You can take any water bottle you like! As long as it’s empty when you go through security, you’re fine. You can fill it up at a drinking fountain, a soda fountain at a restaurant (with water) or a bathroom sink. the airlines don’t care at all! You can also pack favorite food from home. There are lots of great travel checklists online, including plenty that allow customization. Perhaps letting him take charge of that, along with the promise of a reminder alarm will help allay fears?
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I’m so glad other people travel and can tell me things. I had no idea there was access to water after the security checkpoint. It’s such a relief to know I don’t have to worry about keeping the short one hydrated.
But this morning, over breakfast, my husband told the Short Kid that, if he’s still sitting on an airplane toilet when it flushes, he’ll get sucked out of the plane.
His expression was priceless! (Fortunately he’s very familiar with his father’s twisted sense of humor and doesn’t believe him.)