Article "Kids should not be taken on planes"

[Hvr]

I need to make a public apology. I am deeply sorry for travelling on planes with my children when they were babies and toddlers. I am ashamed. I am remorseful. I am scum. I thought when people ignored my kids they didn't hear, see, smell or feel the pressure to smile at my evil spawns of Satan who had clearly overdosed on coughhole pills.


When I plaintively looked at people for approval and they smiled back, I thought they thought my kids were cute, special even, and that we, the parents, were incredible cultural ambassadors and amazing parental commandos who should be commended, possibly publicly recognised for taking child-rearing to the level of an extreme sport as we displayed commitment to quality time and expanding their horizons.


Catherine Deveny

Seems to be written in a humorous vein, fortunately I can't remember a time when children were too bad.

 

[medhead]

Well SWMBO isn't trying to prove anything when she insists on bringing the kids. She just can't bear the thought of of us dying in a firey plane crush and leaving them as orphans. Better that they die with us and be spared the pain of losing their parents.

Of course they aren't bad when travelling because I give them a right proper thrashing if they look like getting out of line

 

[chrizzz14]

i wish all parents did as you do medhead!

" stop it" just doesn't cut in - yet parents love to say it over and over again!

it might seem cruel - but i miss the days of real discipline.

 

[medhead]

i wish all parents did as you do medhead!

" stop it" just doesn't cut in - yet parents love to say it over and over again!

it might seem cruel - but i miss the days of real discipline.

stop it works if backed up with limits and consequences.

our discipline doesn't involve physical action that was the point of the . But there is real discipline and we have very well behaved children.

 

[misstam]

Seems to be written in a humorous vein, fortunately I can't remember a time when children were too bad.

Ahh, i remember a time - a couple of weeks ago - where I had the enviable karma on an international flight to be sitting directly behind a screaming toddler, and also directly infront of a seat-kicking, projectile-vomiting child of the demon.

After many, many hours amidst screaming and hyperactivity, I managed to doze off.... and awoke with a start when a wet, cold object landed on my chest. Yes, a spat dummy from 'the screamer'.

I know... kids will be kids.. and I do feel for the young ones experiencing pain on take off and landing.... but it's some of the parents i have the real issue with.

On this particular flight, neither set of parents made any concerted effort to keep the noise level down or curb/apologise for random thrown objects.

I'm pretty sure if it were a rowdy bunch of drinkers keeping everyone awake during a night flight, the FA's would have a quiet word to them about being considerate of other guests.

However, it's a fairly touchy subject it seems, when it comes to asking parents to discipline their kids in public areas.

The thought (amongst other, probably illegal ponderings) came to me during the flight that there should be a separate section for parents/kids - sound and smell proofed.

 

[david870mdg]

mmmm
Not having children myself, I can say I would pay extra to fly on longhaul aircraft without the pleasure of the crying baby or nosiy little ones.
But, these are just facts of life. Not much one can do about it except maybe
Learn to put up with it. Unless there's an airline which is willing to smack all parents in the face and cause some kind of outrage, this ain't going to happen. :-|

 

[kamchatsky]

May be it is time airlines brings "adults only" flights?!

 

[SimonM]

May be it is time airlines brings "adults only" flights?!

AirAsia xx_?

 

[harvyk]

I've only ever had one bad flight with kids. It was basically a little s**t sitting behind me on a DJ flight from MEL - CBR, and the parent did nothing. Given I had just arrived back in the country after a flight from AKL - MEL which left at an OMG O'clock hour, plus about 3 hours sitting around at MEL I was not in the mood to put up with it and told both the kid off for kicking the seat, and the parent for not stopping the kid.

I think the parent got the message because I had the "if you don't look after your kid I will kill you and hide the body" look in my eye.

Apart from that I have never had any real problems with kids on planes (including my own, my daughter is actually a very good flyer)

 

[samh004]

I hate sitting down to find out the people across have a baby with them, but as long as they have their cough syrup with them, I don't have a problem, it works wonders.

 

[david870mdg]

AirAsia xx_?

HILLARIOUS
very clever!

 

[swissbignose]

Let me apologise, in advance, for those passengers who will be affected as I move my family (four kids under the age of 6) from Australia to the U.S..

It'll happen sometime in January.

 

[jakeseven7]

Let me apologise, in advance, for those passengers who will be affected as I move my family (four kids under the age of 6) from Australia to the U.S..

It'll happen sometime in January.

Thank you for being so considerate.

Flight number and day please when you have it

 

[bachman]

Hahaha tha was such a funny article. Not at all what I was expecting. I thought it was going to be a sarcastic rebuttal to someone who gave her a hard time for having kids on a plane... but for a former travelling mother to attack it on her own... some truth to it perhaps?

I've never had a problem with kids on planes any more than kids on buses, in supermarkets, in the park. Just expect the parents to have some discipline and control over their kids. If I end up beside a young one screaming and slobbering I just think luck of the draw and get through it.

Thought the article was really interesting when discussing why she took her infant children on all these trips. Moving a family or going to visit Grandma and Grandpa is one thing. But what do 2 year olds really get out of going to visit Vietnam? You could take them to a Vietnamese restaurant in your neighbourhood and the kid would hardly know the difference. For your sake as much as anyone elses, leave the kids at home with family and enjoy your trip as adults who don't have to be parents for a week!

 

[simongr]

Thank you for being so considerate.

Flight number and day please when you have it

QF31 Oct 21 in J...

 

[drron]

here's another take on kids on planes-
Parents who shouldn

Airlines already blacklist passengers for all sorts of reasons, from bad behavior to breaking their ticket rules.
Perhaps they should add inept parents to the list.

 

[munitalP]

A hermetically sealed container something similar to a large luggage container, with abundant oxygen, water, food, games and of course earplugs, with priority boarding for those with the noisiest children, stowed anywhere in the hold would be my solution to noisy children on planes.

Any child screaming its head off is an annoyance and at least 1 in 10 flights there are screaming kids - maybe I am less tolerant, but parents - I don't want to listen to your rug rat screaming - shut them up!!!

As for the seat kickers....

Mr!

:shock:

 

[markis10]

Maybe QF should introduce a "fear of flying"....."with children" course.

 

[hazel]

I was on a flight from Orlando to NY a few years ago. A small child was sitting next to me & the mother thought the best way of keeping him quiet was to feed him several bottles of milk/juice. About 1/2 hour from NY the child vomited the milk/juice all over me - delightful.

 

[markis10]

I was on a flight from Orlando to NY a few years ago. A small child was sitting next to me & the mother thought the best way of keeping him quiet was to feed him several bottles of milk/juice. About 1/2 hour from NY the child vomited the milk/juice all over me - delightful.

Feeding on takeoff and landing is a good idea to help with the pressure buildup, obviously overfeeding is not!