My family (including some aunts, an uncle, and a set of grandparents) recently traveled to a conference. There were a lot of speeches, speakers, video screens, loud music, advertisements, and thousands of people. Events like this scare me. They scare me for a number of reasons. I’m not really interested in being around a lot of people to begin with but when you add zero’s to the end of the number of people who will be there and then add advertisements, amplification, and no private spaces (including the bathrooms) it turns into what amounts to an uncomfortable situation (in my opinion). When you then add a baby to that list you immediately have a nervous Dad. I was nervous about the entire event. It was long, crowded, and nerve racking before we even got there. This certainly added to the mental stress of the day.
Luckily there were a number of things that made the situation much much better. For one thing, the family we had with us meant that our son (who is constantly wanting to move around) didn’t have a small number of hands and laps to transfer between. This multitude of friendly faces amongst the crowd of thousands certainly contributed to a more comfortable event. Our son was happy to leave the arms of someone he’d been spending too much time with and enter the fresh arms of an aunt, an uncle, or a grandparent. This was certainly helpful for Mom and Dad. All of those family members also serve as support in other ways. Mom and Dad could find their way to the restroom without a baby in hand. We could also quietly walk the almost abandoned hallways of the conference center during speeches and other sessions. Was the event successful? Sure. All the more so because of the support we received from family. Thanks to all of them!