My son had some pretty epic temper tantrums during his toddler years.
The worst was when he was nearly 2 years old, and we were on a plane that was waiting in a queue on the runway for takeoff, and he was screaming and crying.
It was his first time on a plane, and no matter what I tried — his LeapFrog tablet, coloring books, singing to him — he wouldn’t settle down. After several minutes of this, a flight attendant informed me that if my son didn’t stop crying, the plane would return to the gate and we’d have to deplane.
Apparently, she had decided that our presence would be too disruptive for the other passengers. As my heart sank at the thought of being ejected, a woman sitting directly in front of me squeezed her hand between the seats, handed me a lollipop and said, “Give your son this, see if it helps.”
I did as she suggested, and to my amazement (and profound relief), my son was suddenly peaceful and happy. Just like that, the storm had passed.
