Travel with children

Have a little compassion: That screaming baby next to you on the plane could bemine

On a plane with crying kids; Don't worry, be happy
Flying with kids has taught road warrior John M. Mann a little patience
On the ground: John M. and JaneAnn Mann with sons, Harris, 3, and Wyatt, 1

As the summer ends, road warriors can breathe a sigh of relief as they can once again travel without airports and planes filled with an armada of children. Many of us who travel 100+ thousand miles yearly have died a million deaths when seated by a crying baby and roll our eyes when in line behind the “amateurs” and their children. The 10 minute zip to the front of the line for us frequent fliers literally comes to a stand still.

But what goes around comes around.

In the last three years, I have become a father to two sons and now regularly travel with my wife and children. I have become “one of them.” The following are a few of my humbling reflections:

No matter how well I plan, there is no expedient way to get through the security checkpoint or board a plane

Traveling alone on business, I am a well organized traveler. I pack so that I can remove shoes, keys, laptop, Blackberry, coat, and liquid items without stopping the security line. In 10 years, I have never set off a metal detector nor have I been manhandled with a metal detector wand.

Impossible to do with children.

Try removing three pairs of shoes, folding a stroller, removing liquids from purse, baby bag, carry-on, chasing down son #1 who is behind the security scanner, pulling out baby #2 who crawled under the security table, pushing along seven grey containers, remembering to remove the laptop and DVD player, forgetting that you had a full bottle in the baby bag, convincing TSA employee that the baby bottle is not filled with liquid explosives, again chasing down son #1 who just ran through the metal detector and is halfway down the terminal, collecting belongings that are log jamming the scanner, finding floor space to put belongings back together, tie four pairs of shoes, unfold stroller, strap kids in stroller, get things together and move the entourage toward the gate.

If you have 10 minutes to catch your flight and you are behind us, today is not your day. Boarding the plane is a similar ordeal with nearly as many steps and as complicated as mapping a genome.

I pride myself on packing lightly

I can do week-long international business trips with only a rolling carry-on and my laptop briefcase. Not so with two children in diapers. On a recent week-long family vacation this summer, I packed one pair of shorts, three shirts, and sandals. My wife packed lightly as well.

We checked two full size suitcases, two car seats and a baby stroller. See above for what we carried on the plane.

It is overwhelming the amount of stuff two small children require. I have no idea why they need so much stuff, but they do.

I am the A-hole with the kid who keeps kicking the back of your seat

Asking a three-year-old and one-year-old to sit quietly and still in their seats for four hours is like asking two cats to sit still while giving them a bath.

On a recent flight I got up to use the restroom and returning to my seat, I noticed the seat of the sleeping woman directly in front of my son bouncing like we were going through bad turbulence. Except we were in smooth air.

My son was pounding on his tray table like a snare drum. My wife could do nothing because our one-year-old was screaming and she was trying desperately to get him to sleep.

Luckily and miraculously, the woman slept through it.

What happened to him and what’s that smell?

When traveling solo, I know down to the minute when I need to wake up for an early flight and leave my house – one hour door-to-gate. On a recent 8 a.m. departure, we were up at 3:45 a.m. bathing kids, finishing packing, feeding kids, packing for a small army, oh and getting ready ourselves. I was a wreck by the time I made it to the terminal, bloodshot eyes, sweat soaked shirt – I look as though I am coming down from an all-night bender.

The second leg of the trip required an hour on a boat to get to our final destination. My son, not yet having his sea legs or the wherewithal to give notice that he’s feeling nauseous, threw up all over my shirt while sitting in my lap. The gasps and disgusted looks of the passengers around me were awful. I had an out-of-body experience watching a peaceful cruise on a pleasant day unfold into a nightmare.

But the rewards are great

Traveling with children is not all bad, and the fun they have experiencing a new place is well worth the effort.

Another upside is that I am a much more patient traveler. When I am traveling alone on business, I smile at the baby who is in line in front of me; I help my fellow family traveler by picking up a dropped toy or bottle. I often say, “I understand, I know what it’s like traveling with children.”

I can often also spot, when traveling with my family, those who have been where I am; they are empathetic and forgiving of the inconvenience and tolerant of the screaming baby and his disheveled father.

John M. Mann is associate director of The Alexander Group. This posting orginally appeared on the company's website.

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Now hear this

New Texas museum shines spotlight on Tejano music history

Totally Tejano Hall of Fame and Museum, San Antonio, tejano music

Photo by Edmond Ortiz

Roger Hernandez serves as board president of the Totally Tejano Hall of Fame and Museum.

For a city that proudly calls itself the capital of Tejano music, San Antonio has long been missing a permanent place to honor the genre’s pioneers and preserve its history. That gap officially closed In December with the opening of the Totally Tejano Hall of Fame and Museum at 1414 Fredericksburg Rd.

The music couldn’t have found a better steward than its founder and board president. Roger Hernandez has had his finger on the pulse of Tejano music for decades. His company, En Caliente Productions, has provided a platform for countless performing artists and songwriters in Tejano, conjunto, and regional Mexican music since 1982.

Hernandez says his wife, who ran a shop at Market Square years ago, would often get questions from visitors about the location of a physical Tejano music museum, a thing that simply did not exist. In 2022, he banded together with friends, family, and other local Tejano music supporters to make the nonprofit Hall of Fame a reality.

“I decided I've been in the music scene for over 40 years, it's time to do a museum,” Hernandez recalls.

Hernandez says a brick-and-mortar Tejano music museum has long been needed to remember musical acts and other individuals who grew the genre across Texas and northern Mexico, especially those who are aging. Recently, the community lost famed Tejano music producer Manny Guerra and Abraham Quintanilla, the renowned Tejano singer/songwriter and father of the late superstar Selena Quintanilla-Perez. Both deaths occurred roughly one week after the Totally Tejano museum opened to the public.

“They're all dying. They're all getting older, and we need to acknowledge all these people,” Hernandez says.

The Totally Tejano Museum — named after Hernandez’s Totally Tejano Television Roku streaming — has 5,000 square feet of space packed with plaques, photos, promotional posters, musical instruments, and other memorabilia honoring the pioneers and stars of the beloved genre. Mannequins wear stage outfits from icons like Laura Canales and Flaco Jimenez, and a wall of photos remembers late greats. Totally Tejano Television plays legendary performances on a loop, bringing the exhibits to life.

The newly opened Totally Tejano Hall of Fame and Museum includes a growing collection of memorabilia. Photo by Edmond Ortiz

Hernandez says the museum will soon welcome permanent and rotating exhibits, including traveling shows, a Hall of Fame section, and an area paying homage to Chicano music crossovers, such as the late Johnny Rodriguez, the South Texas singer-songwriter who blended country with Tex-Mex music. Plans call for the organization to hold its inaugural Hall of Fame induction in February 2026.

Eventually, a 2,000 square feet back room will be converted into additional display space and host industry gatherings, community symposiums, and record and video release parties. The museum also plans to add a gift and record shop and a music learning room where visitors can listen to early Tejano music and browse archival photos. Hernandez is already talking with local school districts about educational field trips.

Much like Tejano itself, the museum is a grassroots production. Hernandez and fellow board members have used their own money to rent, renovate, develop, and maintain the museum space. The board also leads the selection of the Hall of Fame honorees and curates the exhibits.

Hernandez has been heartened by the museum’s reception, both from media outlets and music fans around Texas and beyond.

“We had a radio station come in this morning from Houston to interview us,” he says. “People have come in from Lubbock, Texas. We have had people from Midland, Texas. We have another person who emailed us who’s coming in from New York. People are learning all about us.”

That includes many of the musicians who helped shape the genre. Johnny Hernandez, Sunny Ozuna, Elida Reyna, and Danny Martinez from Danny and The Tejanos are among the luminaries who have already graced the halls.

The Totally Tejano Hall of Fame and Museum is now open 10 am-6 pm, Tuesday-Sunday, and closed Monday. Admission is free, but donations are encouraged. Fans can call 210-314-1310 for more information.

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