YAY! Leaving today!! Scared to fly!!! Help!!

[poohbearfan1]

Okay everyone, I am so excited! We leave tonight for Manchester, NH and our flight leaves at 7:45 tomorrow morning. Has anyone else flown Sothwest? Its my first time. I am very claustrophobic and usually take meds when I fly. However, since I have my 5yoDS with us I do not want to be drugged up and so am very nervous about the flight. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated@!!!!!I am so worried that my flight will be the one that something bad happens on!!! I hope not!
Anyway, I have tried to convince my DH to bring his laptop for entertainment but he refuses. He doesn't want 1 more thing to carry and thinks we have too much all ready!!! I know this would help me and DS but oh well. I have all my Tink gifts and am giving my DS his first when this afternoon when he returns from Preschool--a disney windsuit he can wear for the flight! (And thanks to all those who suggested having him sleep in the outfit he will wear! Never would have thought of that, and he is really tough to get up in the morning!
I will be sure to let everyone know how the trip went and give resturant reviews when I return! DISNEY HERE WE COME!!!

 

[siestakeys04]

Have a great time. I have never flown before so i cant help with that but just play with your child and talk about how much fun you guys are going to have!!!

 

[java]

Have a GREAT TIME!! I am also scared to fly and now with kids I can't do my old get drunk trick. So I do try to get myself occupied with my children. Just getting them into their seats- finding toys. Talking about the trip. Looking at the magazine in the seat(I always read that during take off to try to get my mind off it. And if your DH is helpful with your son, maybe you could even wear an IPOD during takeoff so you don't need to hear the noise. All those clanks are what freak me out. I have a friend that told me once to count to x and then if your plane hasn't taken off there is a problem. Funny thing is now I can't remember what x was and I am sure he made it up. But it worked because as we are taxiing down the runway I am busy with 1, 2, 3, 4..... and the next thing you know we are up. Good luck and Have a safe flight!

 

[mom2minniemouse]

It'll be okay!

I was so nervous our last flight (in 2004) that I bruised the heck out of DH's hand. I refused to let DD (5 then) to know I was scared on HER first flight, so I smiled like a Cheshire Cat and gripped DH's hand like no tomorrow. LOL! Luckily, she fell asleep within minutes of takeoff, so I could concentrate on trying to not scare myself. LOL!

I had flown on five other trips prior to this, but this was my first since 9/11. I have a minor panic disorder as well but didn't know it at the time, so I was a mess. LOL! Just remember to concentrate on your breathing and at least try to relax. If DH doesn't want to bring the laptop, bring a book or something to help keep your mind off of it. Maybe you could even bring one of your child's favorite books and read it several times to them. (If DH complains, tell him the next time he better bring the laptop! LOL!) Heck, bring a deck of cards and play solitaire if you have to. Or maybe teach DS some easy card games.

Good luck, and ENJOY YOUR VACATION!

Cathy

 

[Mickey'snewestfan]

First of all, you'll be fine and you'll love Southwest! We almost always fly them and have never had a bad experience. In fact we just flew up to Manchester on them last month to meet my brother for a few days of skiing.

Second of all, this may seem like a weird suggestion but you might want to think about sitting separately from DS and DH. My dad had a similar phobia to you growing up. We were a foreign service family so we often took long trips (America to Australia kinds of flights). My dad always sat in a separate section of the plane because he didn't want us to "catch" his fear. It worked. None of his children are afraid to fly in the slightest.

If you do fly separately, just tell DS you want him to have Daddy all to himself, and that you are going to read your book. Bring an IPOD or CD player if you have one and immerse yourself in a Disney guidebook. I bet if you spend your flight daydreaming about Mickey it will feel like just a minute! And remember, flying is soo much safer than driving!

 

[Vickie46]

don't forget you can always ask for pillow or a blanket.. they have always had them when we fly.

 

[poohbearfan1]

Thank you all sooooo much for your encouragement. I am planning on using a cd player (sorry, not at all tech savvy so do not have the ipod thing yet!!) and reading a book. I usually read an entire novel on each leg!! I start the minute I sit down and don't stop until we land!! I , too bruise my DH hand!LOL! I am in hopes that the mom in me will kick into overdrive and I'll be so focused on DS and making Tink's gift bag that I will not even notice the fear creeping up. Wish me luck and I'll let you all know how it goes!