I’m sitting at the Spokane airport, waiting for my flight to Portland. I’ve just wrapped up speaking at a conference, and for once, I’m traveling without kids. It’s a rare thing for me these days—no diaper bags, no snacks stuffed in every pocket, no little hands tugging at me. I’m actually just… sitting.

But across from me, I notice a couple. And for the last several minutes, I’ve been quietly watching them—admiring them, actually.

They have two small children, maybe twins. One of the kids is crying in that full-body, heartbroken toddler way. The mother is cradling the child, swaying gently, whispering comfort. The other child suddenly needs a diaper change, and without a beat of hesitation, the father steps in, laying the little one down and getting to work. Before that, I’d seen both kids wander off toward the airport restaurant. The mother darted after them, while the father was busy wrestling the stroller into submission.

They look a little frazzled—because of course they do. Their flight is boarding soon, and if you’ve ever traveled with small kids, you know that time becomes an unpredictable enemy.

But here’s the thing—they are handling it.

No raised voices. No sighs of defeat. Just two parents moving in sync, swapping duties, filling in each other’s gaps. The unspoken teamwork of people who love their kids and refuse to tap out, even when the situation is chaos.

As a father of three, I’ve been where they are. I’ve felt the sweaty, sinking sensation of managing a toddler meltdown in public while strangers look on. I’ve known the silent fear that everyone is judging you. I’ve worried, in those moments, that maybe I’m failing as a parent.

But watching them, I want to tell them the thing I wish someone had told me back then: You are not failing. You are doing it. And you are doing it well.

Taking small children to the airport is one of the hardest parenting challenges. It’s unpredictable. It’s exhausting. It can feel like you’re always one spilled juice box away from total collapse. And yet, these two are pushing through it together.

Parenting doesn’t always look pretty. Sometimes it looks like chasing toddlers through a terminal, changing diapers on the floor by the gate, calming tears while boarding announcements echo overhead. But the truth is—if you are there, if you are caring for your kids, you are doing exactly what you should.

So to the parents kicking ass at the airport today: I hope your flight was smooth and meltdown-free. I hope you get a few moments to breathe. And I hope you know—really know—that you are doing an amazing job.

From one parent to another: I see you. And you’ve got this.