Save The Airport Dash For The Movies

This happened several years ago while I was traveling for business.

I am making a connection at a very busy airport when I spot a toddler running full-tilt, with no chaser in sight. As he is about to run past me, I bend down and scoop him up, knowing that someone is trying to chase him down.

Within seconds, a frightened looking young lady with an infant in arms, tears streaming down her face is making her way towards me. The relief on her face is palpable when she sees me holding her young son.

She tells me she had been trying to change the infant’s diaper when her son took off running. She instantly regretted not buckling him in his stroller before attending to the baby’s needs.

She said she felt like a terrible mother because he got away. I told her that kids are inventive and surprising, that even the most attentive parents have something like this happen, and told her about an incident with my own son many years before.

I offer to watch him while she finishes the diaper change, and then walk her to her gate before heading off to my own.

I had a smile and a story to share with my family when I got home that night and a good memory to help when I feel discouraged.