The Baby Whisperer
23 September 2010
I was coming back from Baltimore on Sunday and as usual it was a very full plane. Across the isle from me, in the middle seat no less, was a squirming toddler who was about 14 months old. So thinking an unhappy baby on a packed jet spells trouble for everyone in sight, I started winking at her and making faces. She replied in kind, mirrored me with everything I came up with. Then she got restless and squirmed down into the space for her father’s feet and wimpered, she gave this game three or four re-runs. So I asked her father if I might hold her for a minute and he let me. Well, she settled right down and we had quite a lot of fun for about ten minutes; that is until her father decided to go to the bathroom and she couldn’t bear to see him walk away like that. So I handed her back. The kid was really tired and badly needed a nap, and when they returned she settled herself into rest and took a nap.
When she awoke she looked over at me and I winked; she replied with a big wide toothless grin. Then she peeled herself away from her dad and made a fast reach for me even over the woman’s lap who was sitting next to him.
So, here I was doing my very best work, the one thing I am truly good at, settling down a child who just wanted to be happy.
The surrounding folks dubbed me “The Baby Whisperer”.....
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