It may have been on the way home from India, maybe it was a
trip to California, all I remember for sure is that Papa, Mama, and Isaiah were
in an airplane. Our boy was unhappy and
loud, as small children often are while traveling. We did what we needed to do
to get through the trip and convince him to calm down. My wife processed the
experience publicly through Facebook, sharing something like:
“I hope I’m not a bad
parent giving my kid this much chocolate on the airplane”
The resounding response from our friends and family was
that, even for great parents, exceptions are permissible during airline travel.
It would be chaos, anarchy, and foolishness to live without
guidelines, standards, and even rules. We should all aspire to The Good.
Parents should not give children large amounts of chocolate.
On the other hand, all of these rules need to allow for
exceptions. Compassion, necessity, or wisdom will reveal times when the rule
must be suspended.
…Like on an airplane with a three year old.
