Southwest kicks mom, cranky kid off flight

[AKA_Monet]

Originally Posted by texas*princess

OMG I seriously detest people who can't control their own kids

LOL! Now that's funny!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Seriously, the airlines need to have planes with play areas during special times of the day and charge a gajillion dollars for these flights than putting them on biz class flights with travel pros.

When I went on flight, the 5 y/o pee'd in the seat behind me. Kids don't fear adults anymore. When I was little I was more fearful of the ass whoopin' I'd have gotten from my mom, than what any other adult would've given me, if she found out I acted ugly...

Anyhow, I'm amused by kids & I can get them to say things that have their parents laughing hysterically... Like, 33girl's post...

[KSUViolet06]

I once sat behind a kid on a direct flight to LAX (from Ohio).

He had to be at least 4 or 5 and he was having a complete meltdown, and would NOT stop KICKING MY SEAT.

I turned around and asked Mom to keep him from doing that.

She said "Oh, he's just cranky and hasn't had a nap yet" and just LET HIM keep doing it.

I was like WTF?

So I turned around and put my iPod ears back in hoping I could ignore him, but I just couldn't.

I pushed the button and mentioned it to the flight attendant. She tried to move me, but there weren't anymore seats, so she told me she'd speak to the woman about it.

The flight attendant asked her to keep her son from kicking the seat and she was FURIOUS. I heard her say that "My son has a RIGHT to be comfortable, we paid for this flight blah blah blah."

Sure, your kid has a right to be comfortable, but not while making ME uncomfortable. Sorry.

[dreamseeker]

^^ wtf? oh we would've been exchanging words.

[southbymidwest]

Ugh. I have been on flights where the kids, including toddlers, were well behaved, and ones where they were the devil's spawn. The difference was, no surprise, their parents. Good kids usually have parents who come prepared for the trip- books, favorite blanket, toys, stuffed animal, crackers, whatever... the idiot parents with the demon children usually come with nothing to keep the kids entertained or distracted, and do nothing to keep them from driving the passengers around them insane.

[cheerfulgreek]

Originally Posted by texas*princess

OMG I seriously detest people who can't control their own kids

I know! It's SO annoying. Especially when it happens in the movie theater. I went to see "This is it" this weekend, but I couldn't even enjoy it because some lady decided she wanted to bring her 2 year old with her. Why would anyone bring a 2 year old to a movie to disturb others? I mean she wouldn't even take him out of the theater, she just sat there while he screamed. I'm not trying to be a crab or anything, it's just that there's this thing called "common courtesy?"

[Benzgirl]

Originally Posted by KSUViolet06

The flight attendant asked her to keep her son from kicking the seat and she was FURIOUS. I heard her say that "My son has a RIGHT to be comfortable, we paid for this flight blah blah blah."

I would have told her to put the kid in a straight jacket and give him a dose of Bendryl.

I've been on this flight, and it's typically full of screaming kids and parents that behave badly. I do whatever it takes to avoid traveling on weekends.

I once had a kid on a jet plop himself down in the aisle at the time everyone was de-planing. I was in the seat next to him. When I reached up to grab my bag, he said, "don't hit me with your bag". I looked directly at his monther and said, "he has more of a chance of being stepped on by the rest of the cabin than me hitting him on the head with my bag". I think she was shocked that I said anything. She had no response and I booked for baggage claim.

What I really wanted to say was, "get your Effing kid off the floor".

[Jill1228]

Originally Posted by texas*princess

OMG I seriously detest people who can't control their own kids

yeah, what she said!

Originally Posted by AKA_Monet

Kids don't fear adults anymore. When I was little I was more fearful of the ass whoopin' I'd have gotten from my mom, than what any other adult would've given me, if she found out I acted ugly...

Thank you! My mom woulda whupped me right on the plane!

Originally Posted by KSUViolet06

I once sat behind a kid on a direct flight to LAX (from Ohio).

He had to be at least 4 or 5 and he was having a complete meltdown, and would NOT stop KICKING MY SEAT.

I turned around and asked Mom to keep him from doing that.

She said "Oh, he's just cranky and hasn't had a nap yet" and just LET HIM keep doing it.

I was like WTF?

So I turned around and put my iPod ears back in hoping I could ignore him, but I just couldn't.

I pushed the button and mentioned it to the flight attendant. She tried to move me, but there weren't anymore seats, so she told me she'd speak to the woman about it.

The flight attendant asked her to keep her son from kicking the seat and she was FURIOUS. I heard her say that "My son has a RIGHT to be comfortable, we paid for this flight blah blah blah."

Sure, your kid has a right to be comfortable, but not while making ME uncomfortable. Sorry.

Oh hell to the naw! I woulda been cussing that bitch out up and down that plane.
I was just talking to DH about this (he once had a kid who kicked his seat from Halifax, NS to Montreal). Had that been me on the flight, she woulda been laid out
DH applauded Southwest but would NOT have apologized to her NOR given her a voucher

[ComradesTrue]

Originally Posted by southbymidwest

Good kids usually have parents who come prepared for the trip- books, favorite blanket, toys, stuffed animal, crackers, whatever... the idiot parents with the demon children usually come with nothing to keep the kids entertained or distracted, and do nothing to keep them from driving the passengers around them insane.

I think this resonates with real life too. Parents who actualy *parent* typically have well behaved kids.

Parents who are too absorbed in their own lives to play, read, stimulate, hug, love, discipline, and instruct their children typically have poorly behaved kids. It is unfortunate that we often refer to the children as "bad kids" when the more accurate moniker would be the "children who were unfortunately born to terrible parents."

[ZTAngel]

I've experienced both. I had a guy and his two year next to me last month on a flight. I expected the worst but the toddler behaved the whole flight. Anytime he got antsy, his father would start reading to him or would give him apple juice. In a completely opposite situation, I was unlucky enough one time to get stuck on the tarmac for three hours with a toddler behind me who threw a temper tantrum. The parents did nothing to try to calm down their daughter (didn't even try) and the kid started kicking my seat violently. I turned around and gave the mom a look that basically pleaded with her to help me but she instead started yelling at me. Unbelievable. Words were exchanged and eventually the dad put a blanket over his daughter's head and basically smothered her into silence. Whatever works I guess...

I can imagine that it's very difficult to fly with a toddler. They get antsy and it's hard for them to sit quietly for long periods of time. I've found that the best parents are the most prepared parents. They anticipate that their child might act up and make appropriate accommodations. My sister and I had our first overseas flight to Tokyo from Chicago when I was 4 and she was 1.5 years. We sat in business class so I can only imagine the looks on everyone's faces when my parents brought their young children onto the section of a plane where people pay a lot of money for comfort. Did I mention this was a 13 hour flight?? My parents were prepared, though. Lots of books, snacks, juice, toys, etc. When my sister did act up, my mother brought her into the bathroom until she calmed down. People use to compliment my parents on how well we behaved. Nowadays, my parents would have access to iPods, portable DVD players, electronic games that we didn't have available in the mid-1980's. There is so much more today that parents can do to keep their kids occupied during a long flight. Unfortunately, many choose not to.

[Benzgirl]

Here is a toast to Portable DVD players. Maybe we can get the airlines to pass them out to kids and collect them upon landing.

[KSUViolet06]

Originally Posted by ZTAngel

I've found that the best parents are the most prepared parents. They anticipate that their child might act up and make appropriate accommodations. There is so much more today that parents can do to keep their kids occupied during a long flight. Unfortunately, many choose not to.

THIS.

Just as I've been on flights with kids who are complete hellions, I've been on flights with kids who were SO quiet that I didn't even notice them. I once saw a family of three kids whose parents came prepared with an ENTIRE carry-on full of DVDs, books, games, puzzles, snacks, etc. and I never heard a peep from any of them (and they sat right in front of me).

[UGAalum94]

I'm certainly not minimizing inconsiderate parents because I see plenty of that myself, but if you consider how little people seem to consider the presence of other people when they have loud conversations on their cell phones, etc, it's really no surprise that they regard other people as unimportant when it comes to how their kids act.

The last time I flew a few months ago, I was treated to the guy next to me's entire cellphone conversation about his broken toilet. I mean at a louder volume that my own conversation with my husband next to me. I'm sure he isn't going to magically transform into a considerate passenger when he has kids.

[AOEforme]

On a flight from Europe this summer, a couple who had just adopted two new children (about 18 months and 4 years old) from Russia had the seats behind and next to me.

I was super annoyed. Who wants kicking, screaming children next to you for 9 hours?

The parents were super prepared. Even though they had just gotten the kids, they came with blankets,toys, cartoons on a DVD player, and snacks for them. The kids were really well-behaved and only cried once or twice.

The dad was also really firm with them. All he had to do was say "No" in a strict voice and whatever whining or kicking they were doing stopped.

This reaffirms my belief that it's the parents, not the children. If you're prepared and you are willing to be firm with your kids, they'll behave 99% of the time.


The last flight I was on had two children behind me who meowed the entire 1.5 hour flight. Thank goodness for iPods because the mom did nothing...

[Munchkin03]

I've seen fights on planes resulting from someone asking their fellow passenger to shut their kid up (nicely, of course). Fun times!

For me, at least, it's not all screaming kids. I'm way more sympathetic to someone who did come prepared, but whose kid is screaming because their ears are popping or it's their first time flying and they're a little nervous.

[Benzgirl]

Just a though for someone who wants to start a business. DVD rentals at the airport. Drop them off when you arrive at your destination or buy it.