Flying with ADHD Child
One of my friends said she was going crazy when she had to fly to Japan with her four kids. They were seeing the father who had been working there for 5 years. She did not know what to do when some of her children suddenly got sick on the plane and became very cranky all the time. I just smiled and said, “I know what it is like. Mine was probably the same, erratic, except for the four-kid part.”
As a housewife whose husband has to work in a middle-east country, I travelled there at least twice a year. I wished to stay with him but he said I needed to stay with my old mother in Jakarta sometimes. She was alone, I am her only child. My father passed away long time ago.
I am not a frequent flyer. But marriage changed that status and I got used to it. We got a baby boy and he was the cutest creature we have ever had. And God decided he was one of those special children, from ADHD side, whom I had to take care of specially and lovingly anytime, anywhere.
He was born in Jakarta where we stay now. When he was 3 months old, I took him flying to Kuwait. It was a depressing first experience but I learnt a lot from it. He was restless, could not sleep well. Every time the announcer on the plane announced something or the light of any sign was on, he was up and cried. It happened many times and, of course, I could not tell anybody not to speak nor turn the sign on. They had to do it all.
The worst part was he did not like the baby crib. As a hyperactive baby he always needed more room and got cranky easily whenever the bed was too small for him. So, I put him on my lap and kept trying to put him to sleep. Whenever he fell asleep, I put him in the crib and ran to the bathroom as fast as I could. I used it and washed all his bottles there, too. When I got back to the seat, I quickly prepared the bottles. But if he was up when I got back, I put him on my lap again and cancelled the bottles. Luckily, for about two hours he fell in a deep sleep, I got some time trying to rest and have a little sleep. It was good enough for me.
Diaper changing time was not also happy moments for us. The small lavatory and not enough space for him to lie down always depressed him. I had to do it quickly and got out of there immediately before he made too much noise every time.
The whole 12 hours flight was tiring and depressing but my love stayed there to give him comfort in his first flight. I prayed to God to give me all patience and strength to stay tough for him. I felt He gave them all.
From then on, I took only the most important things in my carry-on. I put diapers, baby wipes, milk, some clothes, medicine, a small flask, and important papers in a backpack while passports, wallet, and some very small toys in a small sling bag. To carry him more easily I used the simplest and smallest trolley that ran fast. No more blanket, a lot of clothes, or two small packs of diapers like in the first flight. Too much worry is ‘much ado about nothing’, Shakespeare said. When we have anything very important handy, everything will be under control.
Our son is 6 years old now. He goes to school in Jakarta. We decided to put him in a kindergarten here. I never flew with him anymore since 2005, not even for short trips. Several times in a year, my husband comes to visit us. It is not easy for us to live apart but we must do it for some strong reasons.
As he grows up, our son traits improve and he is more listening. His restlessness is not that bad anymore, or I should just say he is more under control now. Things are much easier for me. Even though he does not communicate well yet, most of the time he can express what he wants with words. Whenever we go out, he understands more not to touch everything and to behave much better. I am confident with flying with him again if we have to. The world looks much brighter for all of us.
