Notes from Two and a Half Traveler's India Adventure

When I told the folks back home that we were vacationing in India with our almost 3 year-old, everyone wondered how we would handle 14-hour flight from Delhi. Ha! It turns out that was the easy part.

The real trouble begins when severely jet-lagged parents explain the critical importance of holding hands while visiting Delhi's hectic, early-morning wholesale flower market to an equally jet-lagged three year old. While most parents opt for a calm reasoned explanation about a busy market with lots of people, we found that toddlers with active imaginations seem to respond best to threats like you will be "smashed to bits by a car" or "gobbled up by an awful monster".

Threats are great but so are bribes. Here are a few of our favorites from our week in Delhi:

• If you sit in your seat on the plane with your seat belt fastened without crying you may have a single M&M. (Repeat until fasten seat belt sign is off.)
• If you let Mommy and Daddy finish their [tea, breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack] in peace we will take you to play at [insert name of Delhi's various parks here - I can assure you we know many now].
• You can only have a chocolate ice cream if you eat your french fries. (Yes, this does count as a nutritional low for us.)

Over the past few days we have wondered more than once why on earth do we do this to ourselves. It's crazy but we love it!

If the Internet-connection Gods are willing I will be sharing some of the high points over the next few days as we head in to our final week in Northern India!

Family Travel Tips