Why Kids Go Ape-Sh*t at Airports!

And what we’re all doing wrong! PLUS an exclusive look at a children's book I've written! 🫣

Photo by Rocker Sta on Unsplash

Have you ever been sitting in an airport and a screaming child grabs your attention? Of-course you have, EVERYBODY has! It’s hard not to stare, as you quietly pray that they won’t be on your flight… or worse… sitting behind you!

I think we often don't adequately prepare children for the noise, the queues, the busy/crazy atmosphere, the huge corridors. ALL the walking and ALL the waiting!!

We just talk about the exciting holiday… The beach, the time together, the hotel, the pool, the parks, play areas and the ice-cream. No wonder they go ape-sh*t at the airport!!!!!! 🙈😂

I wrote that little intro above about a year ago and it’s been sitting in my “half written posts” file on my computer since then, occasionally looking at me like; “Hellooooo! I’m still here, waiting to be written you know!” 😉

Then one day near the end of August (2024), Beth Kempton put one of her lovely little summer poem prompts out on notes, which was simply ‘Holiday’. I immediately thought of this piece and went to write a poem about it.

Something I hadn’t thought to do before… Then something unexpected and awesome happened, it turned into a children’s book! 📚🎉

The Holiday Dream! 📖

After much deliberation I have decided to share just a small section of my “book” for now, as I’m sure you can appreciate, I’m still quite protective of it. Also, from what I’ve heard, publishers aren’t too keen on people sharing their whole manuscripts before the book is published (for obvious reasons). 😬

The Synopsis

Place: Fictional Town - England

Main Characters: 2 Kids and Mum

Story: The kids are excited… it’s finally time for their long-awaited holiday with mum. Busy packing and happily chatting about all things holiday, pools and ice-cream… the kids are eager to get on the plane, so their ‘holiday dream’ can begin! “Only one more sleep mum!”

Mum, also keen to arrive at their much-anticipated holiday destination, is busy packing too. However, there is something troubling her… Should she mention the airport chaos to the kids or just cross her fingers and hope for the best?

Quickly regretting booking the 5am flight, it’s time for everybody to get some much-needed sleep. What will tomorrow bring? Will mum decide to prepare the kids for the airport, or just “let it play out” – not wanting to dampen their cheer and excitement, as they talk so happily of their holiday?

Can mum hold it together through all the chaos, crowds and queues? How will the kids cope with this unexpected “nightmare” that precedes the exciting plane journey to their ‘holiday dream’? Would it have been better if they’d known what to expect? Can mum and the kids work together through their feelings and emotions and find a way through the big challenge that stands between them and their holiday?

See how their story pans out and what lessons there are to learn about managing expectations, acknowledging and talking about feelings and showing empathy and compassion. About staying calm and working together and maybe even learning a bit of compassion for mum too ❤️

Short Excerpt

The noise, the chaos and endless queues. People everywhere, this place is HUGE! Bright lights, sudden sounds making us wary. Big crowds, no space… this place is scary!

Why are we just standing here? How long will it be? I’m not quite sure, but I might need a wee. It’s so hot and busy, on that we agree. Oh wait, yup I do that wee!

“I’m tired!” “I’m bored!” “I’m hungry!” “My leeeeg huuuurts!” “Oh, be quiet and stop moaning!” mum accidentally blurts.

The tears burst forth and the tension grows. How long will it be? No one really knows. Where are the pools and endless ice-cream? This place is far from the holiday dream. It is in fact, if I may dare… an absolute nightmare!

Front & Back Cover

As a self-confessed Canva addict, I couldn’t resist having a go at creating a cover for the book. If I’m lucky enough to secure a publisher for this, they will of-course be working with their own illustrator for this. But it was fun to have a go and create something to help me visualise this as an actual book! 😄

So, there you have it! I hope you’ve enjoyed catching a little glimpse into my potential first children’s book. I’ll be busy putting a submissions letter together over the next few weeks and hope to secure an agent/publisher by the end of the year… Eeeeeek! Wish me luck! 🫣🍀🤓

Update (Jan 2026): I completely chickened out of submitting this book to agents/publishers and therefore have (obviously) not progressed any further with this particular project - as with a lot of things in my life that I start and NEVER FINISH!! 🤦🏽‍♀️😏🙄