How a Group of Strangers Banded Together to Help a Struggling Mom at the Airport

Flying with young children can be especially nerve-racking. Putting kids into a new situation where they're surrounded by tons of strangers can undeniably lead to some epic-level meltdowns. When Beth Bornstein Dunnington was flying from Los Angeles earlier this month and witnessed one of those meltdowns, however, instead of just standing by and watching the tantrum, she and a team of women banded together to support one of their own.

"A toddler who looked to be eighteen or so months old was having a total meltdown, running between the seats, kicking and screaming, then lying on the ground, refusing to board the plane," she began in a Facebook post. "His young mom, who was clearly pregnant and traveling alone with her son, became completely overwhelmed... she couldn't pick him up because he was so upset, he kept running away from her, then lying down on the ground, kicking and screaming again."

The mother, clearly overwhelmed and frustrated, sat on the floor and began crying herself. But this heartbreaking scene was short-lived, thanks to a team of strangers. Six or seven women, Bornstein Dunnington described, sat and encircled the mother and little boy. "I sang 'The Itsy Bitsy Spider' to the little boy, one woman had an orange that she peeled, one woman had a little toy in her bag that she let the toddler play with, another woman gave the mom a bottle of water," she wrote. Some women helped to get the child his own water cup, and slowly, through compassion and patience, the team of amazing women were able to comfort both the child and his mother.

Once the mother managed to get the child on the plane, all of the women silently returned to their individual seats. "It occurred to me that a circle of women with a mission can save the world," Bornstein Dunnington said.