u/col_buendia

I know we on this sub revel in stories about children ruining shit and okay sometimes it can come off kinda bitchy but seriously... parents, come on.

So there I was, excited to catch a buzz before my flight to Paris at my home airport. The lounge's elevator was broken and as I was waiting to scan my boarding pass to get in this dude was absolutely losing his shit at the cute gen z behind the counter because just how the hell is he going to get his giant fucking off-road capable stroller up the escalator??? I'm not sure whose eye roll was worse: mine or the young kid behind the counter.

Anyway, I get in, I'm sitting down with my 3rd martini and my Kindle and a few feet from me there's this couple with two kids, maybe like 3 and 5 years old? They're occupying a long table that, judging by all the outlets and assorted charging cables, is obviously meant for adults with laptops, but oh no no no, these people have decided it's their personal little play area. And these fucking kids are going bananas. Screaming, yelling, slapping... yes I know this is what kids do and we are all kids at some point but it didn't end there. Throwing yogurt at each other, spilling crayons and Legos and whatever the fuck else all over the table, the floor, their neighbors (me)... spilling milks and juices, shrieking, judging by the odors that eventually wafted over presumably shitting themselves... and the whole time the parents didn't seem to give a solitary fuck. The mom was kinda interjecting when she absolutely had to in order to wipe vomit and/or perform the Heimlich maneuver but the dad never once looked up from his phone. Judging by his demeanor, one can only assume he was texting his favorite onlyfans girl and/or a divorce attorney.

Anyway, they finally get up to leave as a person from the lounge's cleaning staff dutifully begins to clean the monumental disaster that's been left as the mom sweeps her hand over the destruction like some sort of medieval battlefield analyst and simply says "yeah, sorry. But, you know, we have kiddos!" She must have seen the look of utter disdain on my face because she looked right at me and says "one day you'll understand." Girl, bye.

A bit of a pro-tip although I imagine many people here are already familiar. My GF and I have been together a while now and have been on quite a few trips together. It's fairly obvious being CF lends itself to more freedom to travel in general if that's your thing, but even beyond that, we realized a further perk is not having to deal with school schedules which opens us up to travel in what is sometimes called "shoulder seasons," i.e. the transition period between a location's high and low season. For those unfamiliar, typically this means significantly lesser crowds, still-pleasant weather, no meaningful stoppage of services/amenities, and often dramatically lower prices. In the last couple of years we've been to France, Japan, Mexico, a couple of places in the Caribbean (either right before hurricane season or at the tail end of it), a couple of gorgeous US National Parks... all at times during spring or fall when kids are back in school, crowds at attractions die down, restaurants aren't packed, hotels aren't booked solid, etc. The tradeoff? Maybe a cloudy day there, a light rain here, and having to pack an extra light jacket or two in your luggage. Well worth it indeed!

GF and I are getting more serious and have begun commingling some of our finances. Philanthropy is a huge deal for her and together we're deciding what charities to donate to, both in the present and, as part of trusts we're creating or amending, upon our deaths. She is not originally from Chicago so the places she gives to on a recurring basis are not based here and tend to have more of an international scope (Medecins sans Frontieres, etc). I suggested we focus on more localized charities as well and I'm looking for recommendations from this community. Places we've given to in the past are the Greater Chicago Food Depository, Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, and Friends of the CACC. We are especially interested in expanding our giving to organizations that help women and children in need. Thank you in advance!