Susanne Remic is a primary school teacher, freelance writer and parenting blogger. She writes at Ghostwritermummy and Maternity Matters and in between all of that she regularly wins mummy of the year awards for running around after her two children, aged six and 19 months. This is her pregnancy blog: an online diary of her third pregnancy as she strives to overcome two difficult births, one angel child and one awkward toddler. Join Susanne as she shares every step of her journey from bump to baby!
Hurricanes and Hormones (part two)
By Susanne Remic on 08 Sep 2011
The story so far: we’re stuck in Atlanta, thanks to Hurricane Irene and the travel agent who thought that we could magically transport ourselves from one end of the world’s largest airport to the other with two small children. Oh, yes. The children.
I am so proud of my children. As we stood in line for over two hours, these small people gave us smiles, giggles and chatter. They lifted our spirits and reminded us that this was an adventure. Only children can give you the sense that ‘an extra day or two of holiday’ is an appropriate way to re-invent what was actually fast becoming a nightmare.
We were put on standby for the following day and sent on our way to a ropey hotel on the outskirts of the airport. We had no clothes, approximately 12 baby wipes and no food. Meal vouchers had been reluctantly handed over (‘You missed your flight. We don’t have to give you anything...’) but only for my husband and I so our poor children went to bed that night half full on chicken nuggets and fries. But they went to bed. The little angels rested their heads on unfamiliar, lumpy pillows and slept like only children can.
My husband and I spent the night awake, each of us privately rehearsing what we would like to say to the Delta rep who had very rudely told us that having two children and a pregnant passenger did not change the fact that we were stranded, possibly for up to two weeks.
To cut a long story short, the next day we returned to the airport and made the following discoveries:
- There were 14 other stranded passengers ahead of us on that evening’s flight and 20 the following evening.
- Atlantausually relied on storms at this time of the year for people missing their flights, meaning the whole ‘being on standby’ business doesn’t always mean that you are grounded. They are in the middle of a drought.
- There were no available hotels in the area due to the volume of stranded passengers and our room from the previous night had already been allocated.
- There were no flights to any UK airport until Saturday.
- Those remaining flights were business class and would cost us an extra $6,000
- A lovely lady and her co-worker decided that, having not raised our voices or become upset, we were worthy of helping. Three hours later, the supervisor had booked us on to a business class flight leaving that afternoon. At no charge.
Throughout the whole of ‘Atlanta-gate’ my children laughed, smiled and played. I fell in love with them all over again. Despite the ugliness of being stranded in a foreign country, so far from home and from people who actually seemed to give two hoots about us, these extensions of ourselves reminded us how fantastic it is to be a parent. How much children give to you and how precious their gifts are!
Each kick that I feel (and they are kicks now, not wind!) reminds me that we’re not done yet. We have even more room for love, happiness and excitement. We have so many more adventures to look forward to and so many more experiences to shape our futures. I just hope that Hurricane Irene and all the others stay well away.
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