Flying Like Buzz

The latest 'misadventure' at our house has been more or less centered around the fact that my hubby is gone to AT. Not an uncommon event in an Army household, but my two year old has been making that connection over the last few months that Daddy goes other places when he's not home, like work. Add in the fact that he is a Daddy's boy and this can prove to be a little tricky. Last year, it was only hard for me when my husband left for his two weeks, because Aidan didn't know any better. This year was an entirely different story.

An unusual treat for us was that we have actually got to take him to the airport, which normally we are forced to drop him off at the Unit's Drill Hall at the crack of dawn and hang out with him for hours before they load up on the charter bus. So, it was really nice that he was on Advance party and we had to get him to the airport. It meant more time with him and we had a more private goodbye, if you can call being at the airport private. Still, it was nice.

I wasn't sure though how our son was going to handle it and I was a little worried. He is known to throw temper tantrums when my husband leaves to go to another room when we're at other peoples' houses. I wasn't altogether sure what he was going to understand about daddy going away for two weeks. We'd been telling him for the week prior that Daddy was going to go work for the Army for awhile (since time is irrelevant to him at this point) and that we'd be taking him to the airport. Aidan didn't really say much and so I really couldn't say what he was making connections to & what he wasn't.

So, 'D-day' arrived and we got up early to make the couple hour drive to the big airport. I kept telling Aidan that we were taking Daddy to the airport to fly on the airplane. He was pretty quiet, so I still wasn't too sure about what was going in his little mind. Our daughter is too little still for it to matter at all to her. Makes it easier for me.

We got to the airport and my hubby got his boarding pass, we then moved to sit on a row of seats down by the escalators. Since they traveling in civies rather than uniforms, we couldn't get guest passes to get us through security we had to make our goodbyes outside. I was having a hard time, but I was doing well at keeping it together for everybody's sake. I knew that if I started to cry than my husband would cry and so would both of my kids. I couldn't deal with that, not in the middle of the airport. I'd done my fair share of crying in the airport and I wasn't planing on it that day.

We sat together, holding hands and talking. My husband still had some time before he needed to get going through security. My son didn't want my husband to let him go, so when my husband needed to use the bathroom, he had a little tag-a-long. I had the feeling that it was going to be difficult getting my son to let him go.

Finally it was time and we made our way up the escalators, toward security. We all got kisses and hugs. My sweet husband, handed me Aidan and that's when the hysterics started. My son did not want Daddy to go and it took everything I had to keep him in my arms, not running after Daddy. Hearing him cry, I was on the verge of tears. I couldn't stand to hear him so upset to see Daddy leaving and so instead of seeing Christopher off the rest of the way like I would normally have done, I turned around and walked out of the airport.

As we walked I told my son, that Daddy was going to work for the Army and that he was getting on an airplane. Aidan loves airplanes and even more than airplanes he loves Buzz Lightyear. I told him that Daddy was going to fly on the airplane. So, my sweet little boy piped up in his little voice and said, "Daddy, fly like Buzz?" He then promptly stuck out his arms and proceeded to fly like Buzz.

Every day I tell him that Daddy is at work for the Army and remind him that Daddy got on the airplane & flew. He will then say in his little voice, "Daddy work. Daddy work. Daddy fly. Daddy fly like Buzz." Its no longer a question of is Daddy flying like Buzz, its a stated fact that Daddy is flying like Buzz.

So here is the latest 'Misadventure' of this Army Momma.