Sunday, May 27, 2007

When is the Choice to Have Children Just Too Selfish?

I am pondering this very question, stomach growling, as I watch the family previously standing behind me move to the front of the security line at BWI. I am pretty sure that having a child so you can move ahead in a security line isn’t the right reason. But, there was only one security line to walk through, and I can’t help think about it. The very sweet couple behind the couple with the baby point to a sign that says “for parents with small children and people who need extra help.” The parents with the small child behind me avail themselves of the newly presented passage, while the happy people behind them rejoice in either the good citizenship award they are sure to receive, or because by removing said family they are under the false impression that they will move up in the line. False impression because as I stated before there was only one line so the family and all others who need extra help merely went to the front of our line. Did I mention that my stomach was growling – out loud? As I am wondering if this “constitutes extra help” I notice that there is a mad dash now of all the parents to get in the extra help line. Half the babies are sleeping, do parents really need to move to the front of the line when the baby is sleeping? I’m not trying to be hard hearted, but, airport security makes you take the baby out of the stroller and that extra help you have just taken advantage of has disadvantaged you and (and those behind you who are hungry and waiting in line) because your once sleeping baby is now awake and crying. I do decide that having a baby to get through security lines might not be so practical, but I am so hungry that delusion has set in and it suddenly doesn’t feel like such a bad idea, on top of that I am quite sure that my growling stomach is making much more noise than the sleeping baby.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

We decided on our last trip that there should actally be separate airports for people traveling with children..spoken like a true "non parent" :)