Bobby Bones shared a recent experience that made him realize how much his perspective has changed since becoming a parent.
While flying to Florida for work, Bobby noticed a mother traveling with a baby who would not stop crying throughout the flight. While he would have felt bad for the mother in the past, this time he experienced a much deeper sense of empathy. He found himself wanting to reassure the mother that nobody on the plane was upset with her and that everyone understood she was doing her best. He felt bad because the mother did not want the baby to cry, the baby did not want to be crying, and nobody on the plane wanted the situation to be happening.
Although he put on headphones and turned up the volume to block out the noise, Bobby could not stop thinking about how stressful the experience must have been for the mother. He hoped she was not receiving judgmental looks from other passengers. On the return flight, Bobby found himself paying attention to another mother traveling with a newborn. Instead of being focused on the inconvenience of traveling with a baby, he wondered about the baby's sleep schedule and how flying might affect the infant's routine. He also considered how changes in air pressure could impact the baby's ears.
Bobby joked that the experience was evidence he was finally growing up. Amy agreed that becoming a parent can create a new level of empathy for situations involving children and families. The conversation reminded Bobby of a story Eddie had previously shared about flying with young children. Eddie once brought lollipops onto a flight and handed them out to nearby passengers before takeoff. The candy was intended as a lighthearted apology in advance in case his children became disruptive during the flight. Eddie said the gesture was his way of acknowledging that crying children can be frustrating for fellow passengers, even though parents often have little control over the situation. Bobby reiterated that he has never been angry about babies crying on airplanes, but becoming a father has made him much more aware of the stress parents experience in those moments.