A "wow" post that I want to share: about airplanes, children, but most imporantly, respecting others

[Writer]

Not everyone will agree with this, but I think this poster made a HELL of a lot of good points - and from experience.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x1337888#1338660

[The Straight Story]

1. My wife has flown many times with our daughter

From 6 months old to 6 years old.

Her complaints - were other adults.

She kept our daughter happy, not crying, running about, etc. She did well - but there were assholes a plenty of the adult variety she has complained about :)

Adults SHOULD know better, kids - well they are just kids.

Ya want to see selfishness on planes/etc - look to the adults who want it all to be about them and their needs and wants, not taking into consideration what others (like moms with kids) are going through.

My wife has put up with shit for years - from breastfeeding our daughter on planes to people complaining about kids on flights (even though my daughter was good and drew pictures/slept).

And my daughter, now living here in California and not having to fly a few times a year, is glad she won't be flying much anymore.

There were really great experiences for em both as well I might add.

Overall though, adults have been more problems than kids.

And it was adults who took over planes on 9/11 and flew em into buildings :)

[Rosemary2205]

2. Bus vs plane

I used to fly several times a year prior to 2000 (pre wheelchair) -- I've flown several times since. I've also take Greyhound a few times with my husband. The difference was night and day.

On the plane I never once could say I had a pleasant experience on a plane and it just got worse post wheelchair. On the bus the driver treated my folding chair like it was the crown jewels, all but one passenger was very considerate to other people. -- and quite frankly I think that one passenger had some mental problems. -- Once in Knoxville I had to use the restroom and there was no family bathroom for hubby to help and one of the ladies on our bus overheard and walked up and offered to help.

I have to say, as my economic status declined post accident - I have learned poor people, overall, are MUCH MORE CONSIDERATE, than middle class and wealthy people.


Oh and yes that post over there is very good!!

[noamnety]

3. I thought the post was not relevent to the discussion

and either deliberately or through ignorance misrepresented what happened with the mom and child.

The OP is a long ramble about people breaking actual rules. Yes, if they are breaking a rule and won't stop, we expect the FA to deal with it. But the baby was not breaking any rules by saying Bye Bye Plane.

Then there's some stuff about how their baby flew a lot and never made a peep. That's great. Not every baby has an identical personality. While this baby was doing normal chattering - not running up and down the aisles or kicking chairs, as the OP subtly implies, other babies WILL be affected by air pressure in their ears, and they're going to scream. That's not a matter of being undisciplined, any more than a woman in child birth who screams is undisciplined. (Apologies to Tom Cruise)

There's a lot of rambling about how "the safety of your child is your responsibility" but the child wasn't endangering themselves or anyone else.

And then there's an attempt to imply they were asked to leave on behalf of the passengers, and I would like to know the basis of that.

From that post: "if the child was making everyone on that plane miserable..the flight crew has to think of the majority.."
From the news: "Penland said other passengers began speaking up on her behalf"

It sounds to me like the FA had the entire plane turned around and kicked off the child because a minority - which may have just been herself personally - were annoyed by the child.

Comparing that to regulations being broken or safety threats is absurd, and I find the disclaimer to be woefully inadequate - like tying 911 and Iraq together again and again and again, and then saying "we don't know 100% that they were responsible" and then continuing to tie them together in speeches.

If the person who posted that wanted to give general advice to parents about flying with children, that's great. But presenting that all as background leading up to implications about this situation that have no basis in news reports at all, from what I can see, is lame. I understand if she's a flight attendant, she might be biased toward believing the flight attendant on that plane is above reproach, but the news reports so far aren't giving us any reason to support that view.

I bet the whole planeload of people was MORE annoyed by the airline's 11 hour delay than by a talking child.

[Rosemary2205]

5. I took that post totally differently

I didn't see it as post against the mother in the OP, but just as a general comment on air travel. A tangent, if you will. And while one could argue a tangent is technically a thread hijack, I tend to enjoy them unless they are pissing contests or flamefests. Maybe that's just me.

[alphafemale]

4. Yes, it is very possible to get even very young children to behave, or at least be distracted...

Some people to seem to delight in their toddlers bad behavior, and dare anyone to say anything about it. They act as if such behavior SHOULDN'T be controlled. That it is somehow damaging to children to socialize them.

But if they can't stay two mental steps ahead of a two year old and manage their behavior...

If they let a two year old control every situation...

How do they possibly think they are going to manage a 14 yr old?

[Bunny]

6. Still flogging this?

[Guava Jelly]

7. It was a good rundown and in my eyes should end the debate

"I can not say if that flight crew did the right thing..none of us were on that aircraft..

we do not know exactly what happened..so to judge is silly!..on either side ..the mom or the flight attendant"

that sums it up for me

[cwydro]

8. Excellent post.

My sister and I grew up flying; my first flight was to Europe at 6 weeks old. We knew how to act on an airplane and what was expected of us. Of course, this was back in the day when parents actually DID set boundaries for their children.