Barb was tagged three times on my Facebook post, and I received a direct message from her daughter-in-law contesting that she was the best Grandma and would be perfect for the job!
I had posted to the Golden Community Facebook page with an odd request: Someone should hold one of my infant twins on their lap for a round-trip flight between Golden and Regina.
I was planning to take my three kids, a 3-year-old toddler and twin 8-month-old infants, to meet up with my husband during a work trip in his hometown of Regina. Not only do we miss him dearly when he travels, but with extended family in Regina, it was an opportunity for my twins to meet their paternal grandparents and aunts.
Since my husband would be there for work already, I was left with a conundrum: I could not fly solo with my children. An adult can only be responsible for one infant under two onboard a flight.
So I did what most people do in our small town of Golden, BC—post my predicament to the Golden Community Facebook page! This is a community page for small-town living, and odd requests and questions always pop up on the feed. It is where we find out when the next live music event or yoga class will be held, inquire about feeding pets while owners are on vacation, and get shots in the dark, like if anyone has a random IKEA connection piece.
“Free round trip flight to Regina! The catch – hold my child”.
Barb’s friends, family, and co-workers alerted her to the post. She was already planning a trip to Regina to visit her daughter and grandkids, who were about to move into a new house. She came over to meet my children, and all the travel plans fell wonderfully into place. In anticipation of our exciting airplane trip, my toddler would announce, “We are going on an airplane with Barb!”
She was perfect for the job, incredibly helpful, sensible, and funny. While I drove the minivan 3 hours to the airport, she passed out snacks, bottles and toys and changed the TV channels. When the toddler discovered a squeaky toy, she cleverly tucked it away and told him we didn’t want to use up all the air. Both travel directions were incredibly smooth, with minimal tears onboard the aircraft.
Both of our families were delighted to have us in Regina. We parted ways for the week and met up again for the return. It was an enjoyable win-win situation for everyone and our families. I am forever grateful for that trip with Barb. We are now Facebook friends invited to her backyard this summer to play with her grandchildren.
Barb is curious if I need any help on any flights to Mexico or the Bahamas next year.
