Making your way through a crowded airport filled with stressed-out holiday travelers is hectic enough. But doing it alone with four kids in tow, including a toddler with special needs? That’s not for the faint of heart. Just ask Adrian Wood, mom and writer behind the blog Tales of an Educated Debutante, who recently did just that — and lived to tell the tale.
The busy mom of four was boarding a flight out of Raleigh-Durham International Airport in North Carolina Tuesday when she encountered what she later described as “kindness at every turn,” thanks to the dedicated staff at American Airlines.
“Long lines and juggling bags and a special needs 3-year-old can make one feel a bit unnerved,” Woods tells Babble. “[My son] Amos had been sick a few days with croup and fever, so [traveling] felt a bit dicey, but too expensive to change tickets and it was my oldest son’s birthday, so we decided to grin and bare it!”
And judging by the open letter she later wrote on Facebook, titled, “Dear American Airlines … “ she’s sure glad she did.
It wound up being a stress-free trip — a virtual anomaly in the parenting world — and it all began with one simple yet meaningful gesture from an airline agent:
“I had decided to drop off our luggage outside, before parking, so as to avoid hauling it on and off the shuttle bus,” wrote Wood. “Your smiling agent waiting on the curb, seemingly just for me, whisked my bags away and encouraged me to wait in the warm car as he did all things necessary. Within minutes he returned to hand me my license and five boarding passes. Merry Christmas, he said. Kindness.”
But it didn’t end there.
“Once we finally made our way inside, kindness again,” continued Wood. “‘Please come this way, no need to wait in the long line. This one is for priority customers.’ Our precious Amos, still in his footy pajamas so often makes things tougher, but not with your airline. My older children were enchanted with this preferred treatment and so was I. Nothing seemed to be a problem. Today, I needed nothing to be a problem.”
It was at that moment that Wood and her kids were offered another unexpected surprise — one that totally made their holiday trip: An upgrade to first class.
“Smiling gate agents beckoned my motley crew to the front of the line, spattered with ketchup and [my youngest son] Amos, still in those footy pajamas with his right big toe peeking out now,” wrote Woods. “Early boarding meant plenty of time to get little people settled and comfortable.”
And once in their seats, the family was treated to all the high-level comforts a first-class traveler could expect:
“This new plane had individual screens with movies and games and we were all given head phones,” wrote Woods. “No need to pay, the gentle eyes spoke. Before I knew it, another jovial flight attendant had gotten ahold of my phone and was snapping pictures, a kind gesture recognized by a mother that is too often absent in the snapshot. Michele with her kind eyes and Frank with his necklace of blinking lights, reminded us that people really do care about families like my own.”
Most people would understandably revel in the excitement of a surprise upgrade — giddy over the allure of roomy seats, extra legroom, and special first-class treatment, all for free. But for Woods, the specialness of it all had less to do with the material and more to do with the kindness her family was shown; but especially the kindness Amos was shown.
And that was not lost on her other three kids, either.
“They think we’re important, Mom,” her 11-year-old said. “Amos is important.”
That right there seemed to sum it all up for this busy mama.
“Over the last year as we have watched our Amos fall further behind his peers, it has not been easy,” Wood tells Babble. “The world is not always friendly to families who aren’t quite like the others. I’ve found though that for every indiscretion, there are a dozen glimpses of what it means to love with a whole heart. The gifts of kindness that have rained down upon us have given my heart a glimpse of how very much our actions affect others and how easy it is to extend a smile, a hand for a picture, a cup of apple juice or a kind word. I like to think our family has been so gifted the knowledge of this and it is Amos that has been our guide.”
Since Wood first shared her story Tuesday afternoon, her post has earned over 2.1K likes and over 100 comments — and she says it’s absolutely warmed her heart.
“Over the last year,” says Woods, “I have documented unexpected stories of kindness [on my Facebook page], and though it seems like people really appreciate a happy story, this one took the cake!”
It sure did.