EVERYTHING
FOR YOUR FAMILY
KID
QUIPS
“One night, my 3-year-old asked me if she could sleep in my bed. I told her no. She said, “That’s not fair! Why does Daddy get to sleep in your bed?” READ MORE
Single Parenthood
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My favorite movie of all time is “Planes, Trains & Automobiles” with Steve Martin and John Candy. I’ve seen this heartwarming comedy about a dozen times, and I could see it a dozen more. It’s about two out-of-town businessmen trying desperately to make it home for Thanksgiving after their flights are cancelled during a monster snowstorm. They attempt every mode of transportation available to reach their loved ones, only to meet with hilarious mishaps along the way. Every other Sunday, I’m reminded of this movie as I make the grueling, 60-mile (roundtrip) grudge-drive to fetch my kids from their dad’s house. Only, I’m not laughing. I mean, why did he have to move so far from his children? Couldn’t he have settled for a view of the 405 instead of the Pacific? I look around at passing cars and wonder how many other single parents, at that very moment, are making similar trips to retrieve their children from shared-custody situations. It’s like we’re all part of a court-ordered frequent-driver program. In fact, if radio advertisers were smart, they’d target our growing market in a special, Sunday-night drive-time category. Think of all the antacids they could sell. Like my favorite movie, our journeys usually end happily . . . we get to see our children again. But, honestly, what a hassle it all is. Total drive time, for me, takes about 2 1/2 hours. It could be worse, though. I heard it through the grapevine (pun intended) that one single mom has to drive from Huntington Beach to Bakersfield every other weekend to pick up her son. In a gas-guzzling SUV, no less. Yes, shared custody is sometimes a hardship on parents. But what about our kids? Let’s not even discuss the emotional toll. (That’s another column for another day.) In many cases, children are the ones racking up the frequent-traveler miles. I know one Orange County father whose young children ride Offtrak er, Amtrak all by themselves from San Diego every weekend to visit him. And this scenario is more common than you think. According to an MSNBC report, millions of children between the ages of 5 and 14 fly alone every year on major airlines. Most of these “unaccompanied minors (UMs)” are airborne due to shared custody arrangements. Kyle McCarthy, founder of the Family Travel Forum, calls UM travel “a necessary evil.” With the ongoing threat of terrorism in our wary skies, not to mention that airlines have been known to put children on the wrong planes (MSNBC reports a series of misplaced kids in 2001), I could never allow my babes to fly without being under my own wing, court order or not. One authority at a regional airport says it’s heartbreaking to watch these young, frightened children board the plane alone, crying the whole time because they’re scared to fly without mom or dad. On second thought, maybe that 60-mile drive isn’t so bad after all. Guess which movie Senior Writer Lynn Armitage plans to rent this weekend at Blockbuster? |
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