Dear Parents of Small Children in the Nadi Lounge...
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2010
Programs: NZ*GE
Posts: 184
Dear Parents of Small Children in the Nadi Lounge...
I get that your kids are tired and sunburnt and grotty, even though it's only midday, and that they have been running rampant around hotel swimming pools for the past week.
I get that you have as much right to the lounge as the rest of us, and that your children do, too. I also get that this is a holiday destination for most Kiwis, and a business trip for only a handful of us.
But seriously, is this really the place for the yelling, the screaming, the crawling on the floor, the whinging, the crying and the tantrums? And what are they learning about their respect for other people, consideration, and appropriate behaviour in different settings?
I know I'm going to sound like a grumpy old woman here, and maybe I am: but airline lounges for my kids, were a privilege, not a right, and a place that our children respected as such. I can't even count the number of hours I sat outside the door of the lounge with my feisty daughter, from her toddler years up. It wasn't fun for her, and it sure as hell wasn't fun for me. But they grew up in a world where we thought about other people and their needs in public spaces.
Oh, and before we start on the 'drunk adults are noisier and more disruptive than kids' argument, I don't see a single drunk or obnoxious person here. Just a bunch of weary, frustrated and pissed off people struggling to read, work, think or just relax.
Boarding now - thank God.
I get that you have as much right to the lounge as the rest of us, and that your children do, too. I also get that this is a holiday destination for most Kiwis, and a business trip for only a handful of us.
But seriously, is this really the place for the yelling, the screaming, the crawling on the floor, the whinging, the crying and the tantrums? And what are they learning about their respect for other people, consideration, and appropriate behaviour in different settings?
I know I'm going to sound like a grumpy old woman here, and maybe I am: but airline lounges for my kids, were a privilege, not a right, and a place that our children respected as such. I can't even count the number of hours I sat outside the door of the lounge with my feisty daughter, from her toddler years up. It wasn't fun for her, and it sure as hell wasn't fun for me. But they grew up in a world where we thought about other people and their needs in public spaces.
Oh, and before we start on the 'drunk adults are noisier and more disruptive than kids' argument, I don't see a single drunk or obnoxious person here. Just a bunch of weary, frustrated and pissed off people struggling to read, work, think or just relax.
Boarding now - thank God.
#2
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: New York, NY
Programs: AA Gold. UA Silver, Marriott Gold, Hilton Diamond, Hyatt (Lifetime Diamond downgraded to Explorist)
Posts: 6,776
How dare you talk about their special baby do no wrong child like that!!!! (100% sarcasm)
Everyone has a right to access but expected behavior is the same for all. Kids get a little leeway for some extra noise but beyond that it's up to the parents to keep them in line and teach them these things. That's how I grew up. I remember my parents sitting us down when we got out of line and removing us from restaurants if we wouldn't behave appropriately.
I have a 2 year old nephew and while he's mostly well behaved there have been times when I have had to call out my brother or SIL when the little guy gets cranky or just is acting like a brat. If they won't do anything I volunteer to take him outside or sit him in a corner to calm down to avoid disrupting my own experience or the others around. Parents are often burnt out or just tone deaf after all the house of screams they hear. I took my newphew to a museum once and I saw people's glances as they hoped he wouldn't misbehave but he was good after I told him that museums are for low voices and hands stay to themselves.
As for the drunks vs kids argument..I will approach either situation the same. I'll either talk to them (the parents for the kids) or use the lounge staff. I tend to approach the people first and use lounge staff as a second option as I find it better as a teachable moment.
Everyone has a right to access but expected behavior is the same for all. Kids get a little leeway for some extra noise but beyond that it's up to the parents to keep them in line and teach them these things. That's how I grew up. I remember my parents sitting us down when we got out of line and removing us from restaurants if we wouldn't behave appropriately.
I have a 2 year old nephew and while he's mostly well behaved there have been times when I have had to call out my brother or SIL when the little guy gets cranky or just is acting like a brat. If they won't do anything I volunteer to take him outside or sit him in a corner to calm down to avoid disrupting my own experience or the others around. Parents are often burnt out or just tone deaf after all the house of screams they hear. I took my newphew to a museum once and I saw people's glances as they hoped he wouldn't misbehave but he was good after I told him that museums are for low voices and hands stay to themselves.
As for the drunks vs kids argument..I will approach either situation the same. I'll either talk to them (the parents for the kids) or use the lounge staff. I tend to approach the people first and use lounge staff as a second option as I find it better as a teachable moment.
#3
Join Date: Apr 2016
Posts: 777
There hasn't actually been a time when I have struck this in any of the domestic NZ lounges. Perhaps parents are more inclined to keep their children in check there? I am surprised that the lounge attendant didn't do anything, though I suppose that would be the exception also. I can see the Stuff articles already...
#4
Join Date: Dec 2014
Programs: NZ*Elite *G, QF*G, SPG*Platinum, Accor*Platinum, Hilton*Gold
Posts: 1,006
Sadly the NZ lounge is often populated with ostentatious parents, parading their children around. The true test is when one turns left and they turn right when boarding
#5
Suspended
Join Date: Dec 2016
Posts: 75
There hasn't actually been a time when I have struck this in any of the domestic NZ lounges. Perhaps parents are more inclined to keep their children in check there? I am surprised that the lounge attendant didn't do anything, though I suppose that would be the exception also. I can see the Stuff articles already...
#6
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Belgrade, Serbia
Programs: Etihad Guest
Posts: 1,549
I get that your kids are tired and sunburnt and grotty, even though it's only midday, and that they have been running rampant around hotel swimming pools for the past week.
But seriously, is this really the place for the yelling, the screaming, the crawling on the floor, the whinging, the crying and the tantrums? And what are they learning about their respect for other people, consideration, and appropriate behaviour in different settings?
Boarding now - thank God.
But seriously, is this really the place for the yelling, the screaming, the crawling on the floor, the whinging, the crying and the tantrums? And what are they learning about their respect for other people, consideration, and appropriate behaviour in different settings?
Boarding now - thank God.
Those kids have no chance if their parents are behaving like that.
#7
Join Date: Apr 2016
Posts: 777
Simply drawing a comparison between the travellers. Maybe we can then infer that maybe the parents travelling domestically keep their kids more in check than the ones going to the islands? Who knows.
#8
Suspended
Join Date: Dec 2016
Posts: 75
Of course - I'd forgotten that parents travelling with kids domestically never travel to the islands, and parents travelling to the islands never travel domestically. Hence the different behaviours. Well spotted.
#10
Join Date: Feb 2010
Programs: UA 1K, KF Gold, Marriott Titanium
Posts: 80
I also totally agree with good manners from both parents and their offspring.
#11
Join Date: Aug 2012
Programs: NZ*G
Posts: 93
#13
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: on the path to perdition
Programs: Delta, United
Posts: 4,777
#14
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2010
Programs: NZ*GE
Posts: 184
The lounge manager is the most gorgeous, gracious human being, and utterly service oriented, but from a cultural perspective I can't see her challenging a Kiwi family. That's as baldly as I can put it.
It's part of what made me so angry: that this family was obliviously putting her in this very uncomfortable position where clearly 99.9% of the lounge was really unhappy about it, but I really don't think she was able to address it. Even if she had wanted to.
also, the lounge was not full of holidaying families. Out of, say, 20 pax, mostly travelling on their own, their were 2 families. The overriding mood of the lounge was quiet and calm. It wasn't like it was the middle of the school hols & the families were the majority
Last edited by Flygirlnz; Feb 6, 2017 at 9:55 pm Reason: Edited to add
#15
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Orlando
Programs: AA Exec Plat, HH Lifetime Diamond, Hyatt Diamond, Marrriott Silver, SPG, National Exec Elite
Posts: 187
I'm not in Nadi or NZ although have been to both. Try flying out of MCO every week with screaming kids going to and from Disneyworld. The AA MCO lounge will be re-opening soon after a 12 year hiatus. (At least the Red Carpet Club by United had a separate Kid's room, as does the AA lounge in DFW).
But even in connecting cities such as Charlotte, Philly, PHX, and LAX, you can always be guaranteed to have your quiet time interrupted by screaming 'well-behaved' children (as these parents would say). I sympathize with the OP; if I wanted to hear kids screaming I would sit in the gate area! The kids don't pay to subject others to their screaming; maybe one of the parents pays and gets the other family members in to let others enjoy the misery.
But even in connecting cities such as Charlotte, Philly, PHX, and LAX, you can always be guaranteed to have your quiet time interrupted by screaming 'well-behaved' children (as these parents would say). I sympathize with the OP; if I wanted to hear kids screaming I would sit in the gate area! The kids don't pay to subject others to their screaming; maybe one of the parents pays and gets the other family members in to let others enjoy the misery.