Flying with young kids can often feel like an exercise in frustration.
Between keeping track of two squirmy little people, carrying all the bags, and waiting in long lines full of tired travelers, sometimes it feels like leaving the house just isn’t even worth it! Yet when we do make the effort to get out into the world, it’s amazing how many strangers are ready and willing to lend a helping hand when we need it most.
Facebook
Becca Kinsey of Dallas, Texas, was recently on the receiving end of such kindness, and now she’s hoping that sharing her experience will enable her to “pay it forward” to other stressed-out parents. Becca recently returned from a trip to Disney with her two sons, ages 2 and 5. As you can imagine, flying with two young ones turned out to be pretty stressful for one mom, but without even having to ask, the universe sent Becca some help.
Three strangers, all fellow mothers who no doubt recognized the look of sheer panic in Becca’s eyes, stepped up separately to lend a hand. The first offered Becca her place in the security line.
Flickr
“So I thought it was a good idea to fly by myself with a 2-yr-old and a 5-year-old,” Becca shared on Facebook. “We were standing in line in security, on the verge of tears because Wyatt was screaming and James was exhausted. Out of the blue, one mom stops the line for security and says ‘Here, jump in front of me! I know how it is!'”
Next came the mom who took over and helped Becca scan all of her belongings through the security machines.
Facebook
“Wyatt fell asleep and I was trying to carry everyone’s carry-on when another mom jumps out of her place in line and says ‘Hand me everything, I’ve got it.’ When I said thank you to both of them they said ‘Don’t you worry, we’re going to make sure you get on that flight.’ The second woman takes evvvverything and helps me get it through security and, on top of all that, she grabs all of it and walks us to the gate to make sure we get on the flight.”
As if these first two moms weren’t heaven-sent enough, there was one more mother onboard Becca’s flight who saw her struggling and did what she could to help.
“To top it all off, Wyatt starts to scream at take-off before he finally falls back to sleep. After about 45 min, this angel comes to the back and says ‘You look like you need a break’ and holds Wyatt for the rest of the flight AND walks him all the way to baggage claim, hands him to Blake, hugs me and says ‘Merry Christmas!!'”
Facebook
Becca was so inspired by her real-life “it takes a village” experience – and she wasn’t alone. Her story has since gone viral. As soon as she saw how popular the story became, Becca added a fundraising campaign for Kidd’s Kids to her post in an effort to pay it forward.
These actions might not seem like much, but look at the impact these small acts of consideration had on Becca and her family! It’s a wonderful reminder for all of us to look for ways to help others in our daily lives, and when we see one, jump in there and help make someone’s day just a little bit easier, better, or brighter!
Please share this story to spread the message even further.
Share your story & inspire the world.
If you have an uplifting story we would love to hear about it! Share it with us here.
Want to be happier in just 5 minutes a day? Sign up for Morning Smile and join over 455,000+ people who start each day with good news.