Children on aircraft - a parents perspective
Jan 14, 2014, 8:08 am
#1
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Children on aircraft - a parents perspective
If this has been posted before mods please remove.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/shanel...usaolp00000009
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/shanel...usaolp00000009
Jan 14, 2014, 8:49 am
#2
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If this has been posted before mods please remove.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/shanel...usaolp00000009
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/shanel...usaolp00000009
Jan 14, 2014, 9:06 am
#3
Join Date: Mar 2007
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That would definitely top my list of the worst flights ever were I that unfortunate passenger. Good for "daddy" for not going ballistic and committing seppuku with a plastic spork in the lav.
Jan 14, 2014, 9:16 am
#4
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Nice story. I've never understood why people can't just calm down and realize that kids will be kids like this guy did.
Jan 14, 2014, 9:25 am
#5
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It's a lovely story.
However...this guy was willing (and in the right frame of mind) to play 'daddy' to a child who wasn't able or willing to sit quietly.
Parents can't (and shouldn't assume) that every adult is in the same frame of mind/situation.
He could have been stressed out and on his way to the hospital bed side of a loved one and in no mood to engage with anyone, adult or child, charming or nuisance.
If an adult chooses not to engage with a child, parents should be thoughtful and open-minded enough to realize that there may be more going on than and not assume that the adult is a child-hating monster.
However...this guy was willing (and in the right frame of mind) to play 'daddy' to a child who wasn't able or willing to sit quietly.
Parents can't (and shouldn't assume) that every adult is in the same frame of mind/situation.
He could have been stressed out and on his way to the hospital bed side of a loved one and in no mood to engage with anyone, adult or child, charming or nuisance.
If an adult chooses not to engage with a child, parents should be thoughtful and open-minded enough to realize that there may be more going on than and not assume that the adult is a child-hating monster.
Jan 14, 2014, 9:38 am
#6
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It's a lovely story.
However...this guy was willing (and in the right frame of mind) to play 'daddy' to a child who wasn't able or willing to sit quietly.
Parents can't (and shouldn't assume) that every adult is in the same frame of mind/situation.
He could have been stressed out and on his way to the hospital bed side of a loved one and in no mood to engage with anyone, adult or child, charming or nuisance.
If an adult chooses not to engage with a child, parents should be thoughtful and open-minded enough to realize that there may be more going on than and not assume that the adult is a child-hating monster.
However...this guy was willing (and in the right frame of mind) to play 'daddy' to a child who wasn't able or willing to sit quietly.
Parents can't (and shouldn't assume) that every adult is in the same frame of mind/situation.
He could have been stressed out and on his way to the hospital bed side of a loved one and in no mood to engage with anyone, adult or child, charming or nuisance.
If an adult chooses not to engage with a child, parents should be thoughtful and open-minded enough to realize that there may be more going on than and not assume that the adult is a child-hating monster.
Jan 14, 2014, 9:56 am
#7
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 3,784
Personally, I like exactly zero interaction with my seatmates, and I have a very, very low tolerance for children, so this would have driven me over the edge. Granted, I would have immediately tried to be reseated to maintain my sanity, which is hard enough in Y as it is.
Jan 14, 2014, 10:32 am
#8
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I get the impression that mom was perfectly capable of handling her child... she was just grateful for the small kindness shown by a stranger. Many people may not be capable of doing what that man did, but I'll remember that story next time I'm seated by a small child.
I've walked in both sets of shoes.
Jan 14, 2014, 10:34 am
#9
Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 524
That guy is a saint and should be given a medal. Really nice guy, it sounds like.
That said, as a parent it is on you to deal with your kid and minimize inconvenience to others. If you choose not to do your part, you should not be taken aback when people give you dirty looks.
It's kind of like smoking. You chose to start. But other people should not suffer because you have an addiction so try to do it in non-public spaces. Take responsibility for your own behavior (including choosing to have children and take them traveling).
That said, as a parent it is on you to deal with your kid and minimize inconvenience to others. If you choose not to do your part, you should not be taken aback when people give you dirty looks.
It's kind of like smoking. You chose to start. But other people should not suffer because you have an addiction so try to do it in non-public spaces. Take responsibility for your own behavior (including choosing to have children and take them traveling).
Jan 14, 2014, 11:14 am
#10
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Yes, exactly, having children is totally analogous to smoking.
Wait...what?
Wait...what?
Jan 14, 2014, 11:21 am
#11
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Just to clarify for a couple of people who have posted: The 3 year old girl has autism. Now maybe its just me but I feel I could be kinder to people by remembering some people may have disabilities which are not apparent.
Jan 14, 2014, 12:05 pm
#12
Join Date: Mar 2007
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How is that relevant? Having a small child, mentally challenged or not, badgering you for the entire flight would be annoying for most folks, and utterly intolerable for others.
Jan 14, 2014, 12:29 pm
#13
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I have travelled with children. The kindness of strangers is appreciated, but I don't take a stranger who chooses not to interact personally. It doesn't matter whether that stranger chooses not to interact with me or with the child(ren) I'm travelling with. I have no idea what is going on in his/her life or why he/she chooses not to engage, but I respect his/her choice to do so.
I've walked in both sets of shoes.
I've walked in both sets of shoes.
I think some people are reading way too much into her article... it's not like she is slamming people who opt not to engage with her child. It's strange that an account of a kind gesture is taken as an opportunity by some to spout off about how much they dislike children. Maybe we're getting a little too self-obsessed and misanthropic as a society?
Jan 14, 2014, 12:48 pm
#14
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bodes well for my dotage