New York City Spring Break Trip

Any parent knows that traveling with kids is never easy. We always find ourselves with a million back up plans, “just in case” supplies, and “what if” worries. Even with all this prepping, life is ultimately out of our control and things can still happen that have the potential to ruin a wonderful trip. It’s at these times, after you’ve exhausted all your backup plans and have no idea what the next step is, that having kids actually makes life easier. They remind you to see everything, even the unexpected bumps in the road, as an adventure.

Our trip home from New York took us thirty-six hours and, the entire time, our boys didn’t complain. Not once. We boarded our plane for almost four hours without taking off before the airline announced that we’d have to deplane and figure out another flight. Our flight was canceled while we were already on it and my boys stayed positive the entire time. Albert and I split up responsibilities, with him in charge of rebooking our flights and finding our luggage and me in charge of making sure we were fed and had a place to sleep. However, the most important role of all was the one Ben and AJ played.

I wanted to take this moment to brag about my kids because they handled the whole situation remarkably. They saw people yelling from all sides: at service workers, at airport staff, at each other. And they never lost it, and, in large part due to Ben and AJ, Albert and I held it together, too. We figured out our flight home. We had to fly into San Francisco rather than going straight home, but we made the best of the unexpected detour. We made it back to LA safely, and my boys were ready to take whatever our trip home threw at us.

I think, had it not been for Ben and AJ’s ability to see everything as an adventure, the whole trip would’ve registered as a bust for me in my memory. But, thanks to my amazing, sweet, endlessly positive little rascals, I am able to feel gratitude for every part of the trip, even the thirty-six hours it took to get home. When remembering the trip, I don’t think of how tired or stressed out we were. I think of my boys being all smiles throughout Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Midtown. I think of them taking their first subway ride and being determined to hail their first taxi. I think of how kind my cousin (Ann) was to watch the boys for an evening so Albert and I could have one night for just the two of us in the city. I think of how my boys were so excited when their dad pointed out a location where the Avengers fought.

Every experience is made brighter with my boys. Even though we teach our kids everything, they still find a way to teach us lessons right back. Ben and AJ taught me the strength in positivity and seeing everything as an adventure. In fact, when we finally got home, they turned to me and asked, “Where are we going next?”

Written by Head Rascal (Ngoc Nguyen Lay), mother of two rascals, ages 7 and 10. Photos from mom’s iPhone and taken from our @hellorascalkids Instagram.