How to Fit a Car Seat on a Camel by Sarah Franklin

Author:Sarah Franklin
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Seal Press
Published: 2013-01-16T16:00:00+00:00

Double Trouble on the High Seas

Elena Aitken

An audible gasp went up from the table as soon as the words came out of my mouth. Life-sustaining mugs of hot coffee sat unattended, mouths hung open, and the shrieks and squeals of twenty small children playing in the background became a distant buzz. As I looked around the table at the women in my playgroup—my friends, my peers—I viewed expression upon expression of disbelief and horror. I had just announced that my husband and I would be taking our eighteen-month-old twins on a two-week sailing vacation to Antigua.

Although the women in my playgroup—all, like me, mothers of twins—thought I had completely lost my mind, I eagerly anticipated our Caribbean vacation with my parents on their thirty-nine-foot Beneteau Cruiser. I was counting the days until I would be lounging in the hot sun, sipping piña coladas, watching my toddlers play happily in the sand nearby. While my girlfriends’ reactions had given me some reason to doubt my vacation fantasies, I pushed those doubts out of my mind and got on with the gargantuan task of packing for our adventure on the high seas.

Because there isn’t much room on a thirty-nine-foot sailboat, we were allowed to take only two duffel bags among the four of us. I packed more than that in my diaper bag when I went to the store! How was I supposed to fit enough clothes for two adults and two small children for two weeks into only two bags? Never mind the diapers, wipes, sunscreen, storybooks, dolls, trucks, swimsuits, and lotions that I would need. And that’s just a two-day supply. Never let it be said that kids travel lightly.

After arranging and rearranging, I somehow managed to streamline our possessions and squeeze them into two bulging bags, which we hauled through the airport while juggling two very sleepy children. A word to the wise: Even though children under two fly for free, you pay a very steep price for that free flight. Having a twenty-five-pound child bouncing on your already numb legs, which have been folded into an impossibly small space for a five-hour flight, is a new form of torture. Perhaps the only thing worse is the burning pain that emanates from your bladder when you are forced to “hold it” for two hours just as the bouncing child finally falls asleep on your numb legs. Spring for the extra ticket!

After a twenty-four-hour layover and another four-hour flight with our over-tired, bored children and no room to move, we finally reached our destination, the international airport, nestled between the pristine beaches on the island of Antigua. Exhausted, my husband and I thrust our children at their eagerly awaiting grandparents. If I didn’t need a vacation before, I sure needed one now! Bring on the piña coladas!

However, if I had thought I was going to be able to kick back and unwind with a cold drink right away, I was sadly mistaken. We still needed to transport our two wiggling

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