My sister doesn't talk to me any more, over an issue exactly descrribed by the OP. It is amazing the number of perents who will not intervene when their children are directly interacting with others. I have a 5 month and a 12yr old. I will intervene whenever they directly interact with other, in an improper manner (seat kicking, getting in the way, making repetitive noises, etc). Unfortunately (not generalising, but making an observation), I have run into this more often in the US. I have no time or patience for parents who think that their children can do whatever they want and that the public should just suck it up.

Funny how the mother couldn't seem to control her own child, yet tried to control you.... ("Next time, if you have a problem, speak directly to me.").

WOW that's really sad ...

As for the story I posted, I talked to a FA about the situation. She then talked to the mother of the kid. I could overheard their conversation. The mom was on and on about how her son did not kick my seat. Then they started to bond and befriends. Maybe it's the motherhood. FA said sorry and asked if I wanted another drink.

It was no big deal. I just want to know what to do with annoying children next time I fly.

Bratty kid equally childish parent.

If that was the FA's response, ask for the purser or senior. If it was the purser or senior, ask for the pilot. It's one thing when some rude parent imposes on strangers. It's another altogether when cabin crew refuse to do their jobs.

What you did was absolutely fine. And as a mother myself, I believe that this kid's mom was an idiot.

I'm a mom with a 5 year old; you did great ^

yay
 

I love great moms who do the right thing. I can't stand the one who stand behind her children NO MATTER HOW BRATTY the kid is.

THANK YOU SO MUCH for all your responses.

My parents were old school. Had I been the child kicking the back of your seat, I wouldn't be alive today to read this thread.

You handled the situation very well.

Umm... wait until the FA gives you that drink, and hand it to the kid? :D

I think you did the right thing. It's as if the mother doesn't want Junior to have any bad feelings because the "mean lady" told him to stop hitting the seat. I think you also were smart to talk to the FA instead of going back and forth with the mother. I don't know if I'd escalate it to the purser myself unless the kid kept hitting my seat and wouldn't stop.

You did the right thing. She should have leveraged your comment the next time the child misbehaved. I find that my kids are often more afraid of upsetting someone other than their parents.

I have to recount a story of a crying child, when flying UAL from LAX to DEN last summer. I was in an aisle seat, and across and one row ahead of me, was a woman travelling with a girl who appeared to be 4 YO or so. They had closed the doors and we were awaiting clearance, and I kept hearing this electronic version of "Farmer in the Dell" - over and over about 5 seconds apart. Really obnoxious. I leaned forward to see what it was and the kid had a big blue plastic piggy bank with buttons on the side that, when they were pushed, played this song - which the child was doing repeatedly.

Other people around me were commenting on the noise as well, so when the FA came by, I asked her to ask the mother to put the pig in the overhead bin, since it was driing people batty. The FA did this and the mother complied, and the kid MELTED DOWN. Took off her seat belt, fell on the floor under the seats, kicking and screaming, howling at the top of her lungs. And this was a child who was old enough to understand what was going on, so it was just insane.

The mother then pulled the kid back up onto her seat and started whaling the he*l out of her kid with big roundhouse whacks. The kid cried for a couple of minutes more, the mom pulled a blanket up over her, and the rest of the flight was silent. The FAs weren't in the area so didn't see this going on.

Duirng the whole flight, I really thought that the woman had killed the kid, and that the dead body was under the blanket. I just couldn't believe that she had gone from being a screaming banshee to totally silent without there being something wrong. But at the end of the flight, the kid and mom got off and walked off of the plane.

I honestly feel that there are people who shouldn't fly. These were two of them.

"How to deal with a crying child"
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=884226

MEET

Best line to deal with the "could you switch seats with me" question?
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showt...=884069&page=2

Interesting comparison...but the responders on TravelBuzz appear to be nicer than those on the USAir forum.

(present poster excluded, of course) :D

It is interesting to me that as FT'ers we complain about every mistake the hotel/airline/car company can make when it happens TO us...but will almost never beleive it could be true when it is another traveler ...much easier to assume they didn't pre-plan????

You sound like a 23 year old going on 50.

exactly ^ if a simple nice request doesn't work, then you need to involve one of the f/a's

correct again but remember, no matter how p/o'd you get due to kid and mom, keep the same calm and nice manner if you involve a f/a

"my johnny is never a bad boy-how dare you say that about my johnny or me" ;)

for the child or the mother? ;) w.c. fields is rumored to have responded to the following question.....

how do like kids?
boiled