Stupid story on CNN

[Teddy Roosevelt]

http://www.cnn.com/2010/TRAVEL/05/26/parents.plane.behavior/index.html?hpt=C2

I've heard that people without kids often give terrible advice on parenting, but this is above and beyond. Yes, let's do a background check of people's parenting skills before letting them on the plane. That is perfectly reasonable and has the added bonus of not affecting me, a single adult with no children, whatsoever. Brilliant. Here's a newsflash: they paid for their ticket just the same as you. And you paid for your ticket to the airbus because you wanted to convenience (and these days cheaper than gas) ofarriving halfway across the country in 2 hours, rather than drive for 8. If you can't put up with crying for just 2 measly hours, then it's a good thing you don't have children, because they do that, and for much longer. Anyways, you only have to listen to the kid for 2 hours, rather than 18 years, so who are you to complain? This is an accepted risk of public transportation; deal with it or buy yourself your own private plane and learn to fly it. Honestly, who are you to judge other people's parenting skills, anyways? You aren't a parent yourself, obviously, or you wouldn't have spent so long writing this self-righteous article. It's their kid and they get to raise it their way; you cant bar them from public transportation because they don't discipline the way YOU would discipline. God.

 

[Blue Apple Herps]

Well I think the article has a point. It seems these days parents don't parent, at least seems like more of them don't. They do let their kids run wild and act unruly and either are ignorant to it, turn a blind eye, or encourage it. It can be a problem especially when flying. The issue isn't kids crying, the issue is bad parenting that fosters that behavior.

Now, some kids will just have a temper tantrum and scream for two hours, regardless of what the parent does. So long as the parent is doing something, I can sympathize.

However, like the author, I can't stand it when kids on a plane are acting crazy and the parent doesn't do anything. I have turned around on more than one occasion when flying to tell a child to stop kicking my seat when it became obvious the parent wasn't going to do anything. One parent was asleep while their youngster was going crazy, another parent told me "Don't tell my child what to do!" I politely told her that I wouldn't have to say anything if her child wasn't kicking my seat.

Yes a crying or unruly child may fly with you. But the parents do have a responsibility to parent and be mindful of other passengers. Just because you paid for a ticket doesn't mean you get a free pass to stop parenting for 3 hours. Flying is a privilege, not a right.

 

[Hypancistrus]

Yes a crying or unruly child may fly with you. But the parents do have a responsibility to parent and be mindful of other passengers. Just because you paid for a ticket doesn't mean you get a free pass to stop parenting for 3 hours. Flying is a privilege, not a right.

Exactly. The discussion of the crying baby was just something that got this person thinking about kids on planes, and he then goes on to mention children who are just poorly behaved in general. Let's be honest... the kid who is purposefully kicking the seat in front of them probably is the same kid who rams you with a cart at the Walmart while their oblivious parents look on.

Yes, children cry from time to time... but chronic misbehavior and lack of parenting efforts in that regard is quite obnoxious.

 

[Kali]

taking it a little too far maybe?

Banning them from flying? Too much?
But I do agree that parents at least have to try. A child can scream or be wild for many reasons. On a plain maybe it's scared, or doesn't feel well, or is just uncomfortable, or... In these cases it's imo nessecary to interact with the child to understand what's going wrong and maybe console it.
But not trying I cannot understand. Yes, everybody has a choice about how they raise their child. But I never understood the people that choose to leave good manners out of their parenting packet.

 

[ceduke]

Well I think the article has a point. It seems these days parents don't parent, at least seems like more of them don't. They do let their kids run wild and act unruly and either are ignorant to it, turn a blind eye, or encourage it. It can be a problem especially when flying. The issue isn't kids crying, the issue is bad parenting that fosters that behavior.

Now, some kids will just have a temper tantrum and scream for two hours, regardless of what the parent does. So long as the parent is doing something, I can sympathize.

However, like the author, I can't stand it when kids on a plane are acting crazy and the parent doesn't do anything. I have turned around on more than one occasion when flying to tell a child to stop kicking my seat when it became obvious the parent wasn't going to do anything. One parent was asleep while their youngster was going crazy, another parent told me "Don't tell my child what to do!" I politely told her that I wouldn't have to say anything if her child wasn't kicking my seat.

Yes a crying or unruly child may fly with you. But the parents do have a responsibility to parent and be mindful of other passengers. Just because you paid for a ticket doesn't mean you get a free pass to stop parenting for 3 hours. Flying is a privilege, not a right.

Will you marry me?

 

[ceduke]

I would pay double the ticket price for a childfree flight without hesitating.

 

[starsevol]

I have no kids, so my view on this is most likely wrong, but here goes....
I think a parents one and only JOB is to take the screaming, pooping, peeing lump of clay they are given, and form it into a good citizen.

Parenting means preparing your offspring to thrive in the world, and proper socialization is key to this. A temper tantrum is one thing, but a 2 hour temper tantrum (unless the child has a developmental or health problem) shows a parent failing to properly socialize the offspring.

 

[Outcast]

I personally think that the whole problem with parents not raising their kids well, was when everyone became scared to death that if they spanked their little angels that Child Welfare Services would be called on them. Personally I plan on raising my kids the same way I was raised. Spanking when necessary is essential to instilling right and wrong in a child. Especially when they keep doing the wrong thing over and over.

 

[Daenerys]

Well I think the article has a point. It seems these days parents don't parent, at least seems like more of them don't. They do let their kids run wild and act unruly and either are ignorant to it, turn a blind eye, or encourage it. It can be a problem especially when flying. The issue isn't kids crying, the issue is bad parenting that fosters that behavior.

Now, some kids will just have a temper tantrum and scream for two hours, regardless of what the parent does. So long as the parent is doing something, I can sympathize.

However, like the author, I can't stand it when kids on a plane are acting crazy and the parent doesn't do anything. I have turned around on more than one occasion when flying to tell a child to stop kicking my seat when it became obvious the parent wasn't going to do anything. One parent was asleep while their youngster was going crazy, another parent told me "Don't tell my child what to do!" I politely told her that I wouldn't have to say anything if her child wasn't kicking my seat.

Yes a crying or unruly child may fly with you. But the parents do have a responsibility to parent and be mindful of other passengers. Just because you paid for a ticket doesn't mean you get a free pass to stop parenting for 3 hours. Flying is a privilege, not a right.

EXACTLY! I can't STAND parents who ignore screaming kids or other obviously bad behavior! I was at work the other day and this woman had a child who was sitting in the cart SCREAMING at the top of his lungs (not crying, literally just opening his mouth and screaming because he thought it was fun) and the mother was just ignoring him talking to her friend. She was there for a whole 30 minutes letting her kid scream and not once did she tell him to be quiet.

 

[Outcast]

Most parents believe that the child just wants attention and if they ignore them the child will shut up... Most of the time, they are wrong.

 

[ceduke]

I personally think that the whole problem with parents not raising their kids well, was when everyone became scared to death that if they spanked their little angels that Child Welfare Services would be called on them. Personally I plan on raising my kids the same way I was raised. Spanking when necessary is essential to instilling right and wrong in a child. Especially when they keep doing the wrong thing over and over.

Agreed. I earned a few spankings as a kid and you know...I didn't repeat those behaviors! I think I turned out OK too.

 

[susang]

WOW, I understand an small child may have problems with their ears and flying. The parents should pre-check with doc on what can be done if this problem occurs.
I guarantee if I sat screeming and yelling, kicking the seat in front of me running up and down isles it would not be tolerated.
Yes they may pay for their ticket but so do I and that doesn't mean a kid can scream and kick me.
I also agree a lack of parenting has become more prevalent, I won't even go into how obnoxious some children can be and they are in my family :headbang:.

 

[RobbiesCornField]

Teddy, methinks you haven't flown an awful lot. That SCREAMING and kicking of the seat for 2 hours is the LONGEST 2 hours... OF... YOUR... LIFE. Some of these "parents" on planes are already of the mind that they're on vacation, so anything their "wonderful" little monster does is no longer their responsibility.

I've been on flights where a woman (no husband... just the mother) had her 5 children with her. Each one of them were rude, obnoxious, and if they were under 4 (as 3 of them appeared to be), they did NOT stop crying while mom sat their with her earbuds in flipping through a Skymall. It was about that point that I (about 19 at the time with a mohawk) reached over, snatched the woman's earbuds, and refused to give them back to her until she got her kids under control. I was applauded by the whole plane, flight attendants included. And you know what the kicker was? She was ANNOYED that she had to keep her kids under control. If you can barely handle 1, why did you have so many? One of the stewardesses came up to me after the flight, and thanked me. Unfortunately, they weren't allowed to do anything about the situation except complain behind the curtain. Countless passengers shook my hand as we deboarded and thanked me for being the only one to have the courage to "take charge of the elephant in the Pringles can", as one of them put it.

A screaming child in an enclosed space can also be detrimental to MY hearing. Or yours. Or anyone else who happens to be aboard the plane. Enclosed space + high frequency high decibel screech + reverberations from enclosed space + pressurized cabin = a very stressful situation for your eardrums that has the potential to do permanent damage, if the screaming goes on for long enough.

However, IF the parent is doing EVERYTHING they can to keep their child under control, I have no issue with the screaming, and will even try and help the parent out if the situation or they permit. It's not the child I have the issue with - well, for the most part - it's the parent that couldn't care less about their child being a terror they have unleashed on society with no intentions of reigning in.

 

[requin]

Oh man, flying out of Maine is miserable enough without a screaming child soundtrack. Those planes are TINY!

That said, at least the mom was trying. I agree with Robbie that it really makes a difference when you see that the parent is actually making an effort to control the behavior of their child. It still grates on me, but at least I know they're not just turning the other cheek. It's one thing when parents are doing their best to comfort a fussy baby; it's another thing when the kid behind you kicks your seat for hours and hours and his parents completely ignore you (or talk back to you) when you ask him to stop. I couldn't agree more with the sentiment that flying is NOT a right.

I think this is just one of the many consequences of the current societal trends of overprotecting/sheltering children and trying to be their friend instead of parenting them and setting boundaries. My parents would never have tolerated that kind of behavior from my brother and me regardless of whether we were on a plane or in the grocery store. It never fails to amaze (and terrify) me when I see people out in public who obviously don't care at all about setting expectations for their childrens' behavior.

 

[susang]

I got kicked from Dallas to Palm Springs one time after repeated efforts to get the Mom to stop she had child trade seats. While this may sound great he traded with his sister sitting next to me, so then he kicked the person in front of me. Well that was a very nice gentleman until he started yelling at me about controlling my kid.
I don't think children should be banned from flights but their parents should, unless they are willing to accept responsibity for them.

 

[DaGiant]

The last time I was on an airplane (20+ yrs ago)
I was wearing white pants and the kid next to me
dumped his salad with french dressing in my lap!
His Mom just smiled and said "oops".. I wanted to
string 'em both up.

My company has an under control or gone policy,
if a kid is out of hand, noise, running, etc.
the parent is politely asked to control the child.
If it continues, Both the Parent and child are
removed at the next staffed stop.

 

[danielle]

I fly frequently between here and Miami to visit my parents with two children...alone,lol I would beat my kids for kicking a passengers seat and never allow them to run up the aisles- they click on their seat belts and remain seated period unless potty time calls that is. We bring coloring books, the DS's, and puzzles which keep them occupied, but crying...I remember those days. Poor behavior is one thing and airlines do have rules about passenger behavior which a flight attendant will do something about, however babies cry duh! I have been the mom who's child cried for 2 hours and believe me the parent above and beyond everyone else is far more annoyed and wishes they would just fall asleep- it's beyond their control A parent can't make their child stop crying if they could do you really think you would ever hear a baby cry?

I yell at parents when their kids repeatedly kid my seat- I even kicked one back when my son was a few months old and the seat hit him continuously as these 10-12 year old boys sat in front of us banging them back into us. We were moved to first class,lol I also recently had an older 65-70 year old couple who kissed, snuggled, and pretty much made out with my two kids sitting right there. At one point the woman put her legs across her husband with her nasty bare feet right in my lap as they kissed. I lost it and screamed get your feet off of me and save the foreplay for your hotel room do you not see two young children sitting here? They looked absolutely offended and had their seats moved, but when they left the couple behind me started cracking up- they were placing bets to see when I would lose it. She was pregnant and said she would have said something immediately. I try to remember we are all people in a small space for a short period of time. We all paid to be here and we all SHOULD try to be on our best behavior for the trip. I ignore most things most of the time because flights are temporary. Babies cry, some people are loud, others won't stop talking to you, some people just have to lay their seats down, and some people smell bad- it's temporary. Kicking sure...crying get a life

 

[GothPixel]

I personally think that the whole problem with parents not raising their kids well, was when everyone became scared to death that if they spanked their little angels that Child Welfare Services would be called on them. Personally I plan on raising my kids the same way I was raised. Spanking when necessary is essential to instilling right and wrong in a child. Especially when they keep doing the wrong thing over and over.

I used to believe that spankings and other physical punishment was the only thing that would really work. Then I saw a friend of mine actually using interaction and conversation with a child to correct behavior. It was almost magical to watch.

But, I don't think everyone has the skill to do it that way. And it really does need to be done.

 

[Outcast]

I used to believe that spankings and other physical punishment was the only thing that would really work. Then I saw a friend of mine actually using interaction and conversation with a child to correct behavior. It was almost magical to watch.

But, I don't think everyone has the skill to do it that way. And it really does need to be done.

No amount of talking ever worked on me. it was the physical punishment that instilled in me that what I had done was wrong and I did not need to do it again for fear of being hurt again. And believe me when I say, my spankings were not love taps either. There were days where it hurt to sit down, I hope I never have to spank my child that hard, but I will not be so ignorant as to believe that my children are going to be perfect angels.

 

[RobbiesCornField]

I will not be so ignorant as to believe that my children are going to be perfect angels.

If this were facebook, I would like this. However, this is CS, and I'm out of reps for the day.