So what's it like to travel with a two year old?

Sometimes people ask us what it's like to travel with a baby. But to date, no one has ever asked me what it's like to travel with a two year old. Being two is that constant collision of curiosity and limitation which causes every kid Icarus to dither away precious moments writhing on the ground in confined anguish.

Which is exactly what my two year old was doing the other day on the flight home from Bangkok while waiting in line for the loo. That was until she discovered the one thing better than a tantrum--buttons. A few seconds of unadulterated joy later--plus one frantic phone call from the captain to the flight attendant nearby--the plane's emergency landing beacon was switched on and then back off. "It was just a kid," said the flight attendant to the pilot's relief.

Not just a kid. It was my kid.