Pop goes the eardrum

It's so fun to feel grateful. We were on the plane about to land flying from Portland to Phoenix and Kelley, the nine year old started grabbing her ears and was crying in intense pain. We thought we had been so prepared and bought gum, but it was those tiny pieces of sugarless and it just wasn't helping a bit. A nice woman behind us reached her hand around my seat and offered a huge roll of bubble gum. I gratefully tore off a piece about three feet long and helped my screaming daughter stuff her mouth with the grape flavored strips. Instant relief. So you'd think we'd know better on our next flight a few days later to San Diego, right? Here we were again on the descent and the screaming started, and we only had given her that dumb little gum purchased from the overpriced giftshop hours before the flight. A few minutes of hearing her cries and again there's a hand around my aisle seat---this time a gentlemen was offering packets of gummy worms. Again...instant bliss. Her poor little ears---and ours---were spared again. Twice I was stupidly unprepared to help my daughter, and twice absolute strangers saved the day. Good grief--to think I'm the mom of six and this was my youngest, there really is no excuse. I'm so grateful to these kind people and will now always try to carry supplies for my kids and others on every plane ride. Isn't it great to witness the kindness of strangers? ! I can't wait to pass it on.