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Crying Baby

While waiting for my flight on a longish layover recently, a bawling toddler and her grandmother entered the scene. The child was about two years old and the grandma was wheelchair bound. At first blush this was no extraordinary scene or event. The grouchy baby in an airport unhappy for any number of reasons having a tantrum. It would run its course and there would be peace again. The two hours that I there turned out to be quite different that expected. The child did not stop crying - she cried like her heart was breaking and she went non-stop. 

As it turned out, the mother had to leave her in charge of grandma after dropping the two off at the airport. This was separation anxiety and then some. She was absolutely inconsolable. Many women tried to pacify and distract her, the airlines staff at the gate tried to help. Nothing would work. She baby was simply not in the here and now- nothing could make up for what she was missing. She refused to say a single word and no matter what you asked or offered, she shook her head to decline. I don't recall ever having seem a child cry this relentlessly for this long. 

We boarded the plane finally and at some point the baby must have fallen asleep exhausted from crying. Her screams rent the air the moment we landed. Everyone around felt for this child and tried to help however they thought they could but the grandmother remained cool and impassive all the way. Not a shred of concern or emotion. She was making casual conversation with passers by who wanted to know how they could help or asked why the child was crying so hard. Whatever the story of this family, I could not help fearing for this baby her piercing cries for help that did not bring forth any. What were outsiders meant to do if her mother deemed it right and proper to leave the baby with her grandma. What did we know of the reasons why she might have done that. 

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