Originally Posted by SOBE ER DOC

So I stayed out of this as long as possible but I just can't resist. I suppose I'm a horrible person for choosing not to have children and not to tolerate the behavior of children who are out of control but I make no apologies for my stance.

First Class is a premium travel experience. Explain to me how it is premium to have children running up and down the aisles like a bunch of wild animals, playing the "up-with-the-seat, down-with-the-seat" game and continuously kicking the back of MY seat while the parents either ignore it or drink themselves to the point that they could care less if the child goes out and plays on the wing.

I live by the philosophy that if you will not discipline your child and your child is disrupting my life (beyond what is reasonable)...I will discipline your child. Typically (as worked on me when I was a child), one stern look can go a long way. If not a stern look then a "you need to stop that...now" is effective. If not, the discussion is had with the parent that they can sit in my seat and be disrupted while I sit in theirs. There are many times I have disciplined a child on an aircraft, often to the horror of the parents and the delight of the other pax and the FAs. Almost universally, it has worked. Children will get away with as much as you let them...much like adults.

If others disagree with me that's fine but...having a child IS a responsibility and it is YOUR responsibility to control YOUR child. If you cannot do that then don't bring YOUR child out of the house. Further, just because you can afford first class does not mean that you deserve to sit in first class. It is intended to be a premium experience and NO ONE is entitled to a premium experience based on money alone. It is earned. Maybe too many people have forgotten that. Reality shows seem to prove that fact.

If your child can behave like a lady or gentleman then they have the right to sit in first class (and this is a major change from my earlier beliefs that first class should be adults only). If they cannot conduct themselves in an appropriate manner then they have no right on the plane at all.