Father-Daughter Travel

When I look back at my life’s activities and experiences, I have no doubt that yesterday; Sunday, June 5, 2004 will be remembered as one of the greatest I’ve had.

Growing up, I was fortunate to have many 1:1 travel experiences with my father. Not only did it bring me closer, but it empowered me as a self-reliant individual and gave me a thirst for knowledge and experience.

A few weeks ago, I received an invitation to what was essentially the 3rd birthday party of our godson, Nadiv Lev Rose, whose parents are very dear friends of mine and who will be moving to St. Louis later this summer from Long Island. I hadn’t seen them in a long time and realized that a trip to the Midwest was not imminent. The game plan involved a day trip up and back to Long Island for the festivities and then to parlay that event into a rendezvous with some college/high-school friends whom I had not seen in a while.

Initially, I was going to drive, but then the idea hit me that with Sunday being a day when Tamar works and I’m responsible for Calanit, I would bring her along. That necessitated a flight from BWI to Long Island (I seriously contemplated 6 hours in the car each way, but came to my senses…eventually).

Calanit and I woke at 5.30am and were at the airport by 7am. We rented a car with a car seat for her and were in Old Westbury by 9:50am. Then, Roslyn Heights at 12.30pm, Great Neck at 2:40pm and Locust Valley at 4.30 and back to the airport by 6pm. The weather was beautiful, 90 degrees, and Calanit was AMAZING.

At each stop, she was more engaging and entertaining than the previous one. She was a tremendous trooper, behaved quite well on the plane, didn’t mind having her diaper changed in strange places like a car, the men’s bathroom, or other people’s homes. She was even great when sitting in her stroller while I was standing at the urinal!

What a traveler this kid was. At the birthday party, she played with kids and balloons (ate like a champ also). At one house, for one minute she had a fit because her bathing suit was too tight and she didn’t want to go in the pool, but other than that, played ball with two boys, played peek-a-boo with an expectant father, and engaged with a 7 month old infant. And she did all of this with two 20 minute naps.

I couldn’t believe my good fortune. We played and laughed with each other while in the car as I explained why some of the names on Long Island had native American origins and the economics as they related to New York City.

I was thrilled to show her the importance and value that I place on maintaining relationships with people who have influenced you and been a good friend to you over the course of your life.

All day, it was as if my heart was expanding in love for my daughter. I was so proud to continue what I consider to be an Epstein family tradition of father-child travel.

Our planning and execution were flawless (well one minor one, but who’s counting?)

We got to the airport at 6pm for our 7.40 flight…only to be told that it was delayed until 9! Then 10:30!
“Ugh, what am I going to do to keep her entertained for 3 hours?”

Well, Calanit was up to the task. She ran around the terminal, found 2 friends and chased them in an out of the railings and chairs. She was laughing and playing the whole time.

Finally, at 11pm, we got on the flight to Baltimore and 25 minutes later, with a few whimpers, she crashed hard on the seat, out cold. I jostled her briefly into her stroller, then into the car, and then into the crib (12.45am), but she wasn’t bothered.

Initially, I was thinking that my luck had to turn, but then I realized that this experience was good for her. I had explained earlier in the day that travel can be made easier by good planning and we demonstrated that.

Then, there is the part of travel (as in life) that is outside of your control. The weather in Chicago (the origin of our plane) falls in that category and sometimes you just have to deal. I thought that as an initiation to travel, it was an added bonus that she saw that not everything always goes as planned.

It didn’t faze her at all.

I just felt so fortunate to have taken this time to take my daughter on a trip where we really “lived” and made the most of the day, a Carpe Diem type of day; where she met some friends of mine and made friends of her own, and where the two of us had a chance to bond.

Hopefully, this is the first of many.