Our family recently spent some extra time in the airport.
About 7 hours extra to be exact.
Not the longest amount of time someone has spent in the airport, but it was challenging to say the least. And out of that experience, a list was born. I give you:
50 things you can do with kids during a flight delay
1. Panic
2. Watch other planes take off and land.
3. Grab an overpriced snack.
4. Color pictures with markers.
5. Allow a child to color himself with markers.
6. Create a tower with the markers.
7. Walk/run laps around the concourse.
8. Take the child to the bathroom.
9. Buy another overpriced snack/drink.
10. Take the child to the bathroom again.
11. Watch more planes take off and land.
12. Listen to your child ask if “that” plane is going to take you home. Cry a little – on the inside.
13. Walk some more.
14. Make friends with other families stuck in the airport.
15. Play hide and go seek behind the column in the concourse.
16. Tweet the airline.
17. Wait for the airline to respond.
18. Watch Netflix on the free WiFi.
19. Go to the bathroom.
20. Check the time.
21. Read a book. Like the whole thing. Russian novel length.
22. Charge all of your electronic devices.
23. Cry.
24. Start an epic rock/paper/scissors tournament with strangers. Winner gets an overpriced drink.
25. Read emails.
26. Get emails from airline telling you that you flight has been moved up.
27. Celebrate.
28. Get an email from airline stating that your flight has been moved back again.
29. Weep tears of sorrow set to the score of a melodramatic film.
30. Try to take a nap.
31. Have nap interrupted.
32. Play “Duck, duck, GOOSE” at and empty gate. By yourself.
33. Mentally rewrite Star Wars Episode I in your head. First change – no Jar Jar.
34. Recite all the numbers of Pi that you know. (3.1….repeating 4 Done.)
35. Try to name all 50 states within two minutes.
36. List all college teams with a singular noun mascot.
37. Take kids on another set of laps.
38. Try to recreate the Indy 500 in the airport concourse with strangers. Use markers to create numbers on your arm and draw sponsor logos. Winner gets overpriced beverage.
39. Try to get the kids to nap.
40. Give up on the idea of the kids napping and find something else to do.
41. Start a concourse lottery system.
42. Start a secret high five club, but only high four. Anyone who slaps five is not in the club.
43. Start writing an asinine list of 50 things to do while waiting for during a flight delay.
44. Randomly yell “Punch Bug” and slug a stranger in the shoulder. Oh, and run.
45. Moonwalk on the people mover belt while shouting “Wooooooooo” and “Cham’on.” At the end of the belt jump and land on your toes MJ style.
46. Find a passenger traveling with a dog and announce to everyone that the drug dog is here. See who runs for cover.
47. Approach adult children traveling with their parents and tell them, “No, Luke. I am your father!” And then walk away.
48. Try to find Waldo, or someone named Waldo.
49. Ask strangers “Who stole the cookie from the cookie jar?”
50. Grab the mic at one of the empty gates and start an acapella karaoke sing off. Tell the winner they are going to Hollywood.
51. (Bonus) Get on your plane and go home.
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