We made it home..probably blacklisted from ever flying again

[loria]

Oh, i have so BEEN there--11 month old, just learning to cruise ALL she wants to do is walk (after being very nice and sitting for 20 minutes waiting for take off)
we leave the gate--and are on the tarmac (in phoenix) and there is a storm in chicago so on the tarmac for 3 hours!--No, they can't take us back to the gate--no my (by now screaming) child cannot get up since the plane is on the runway--
the very unsympathetic steward basically told me to put a sock in it--finally i went to a female flight attendant and said 'you will have a full on mutiny if I can't let this child wander' and back tot he galley i went. happy child--happy plane....
and that is just the beginning.........

[aroobagirl]

All parents have their battle wounds. We travelled with a toddler right after they implemented no fluids through security. After security there was nothing to buy since the rule was so new. When we got on the plane and the drink cart started making its way down the aisle, I politely asked the flight attendant if she would fill my daughter's tippy cup with water so we could keep her quiet. The flight attendant snapped at me that we would have to wait. I was pretty mad that she was so short sighted! I requested her name from another attendant so that I could write a letter to the airline. They refused to give it to me! Then the snarky woman offered us a bottle of water as we de-planed! So, those travelling without kids, try to cut us some slack. Trust us, we are more miserable about the situation than you know.

[PSUWethr]

Thanks for the sympathy...Her daddy told me "that's what you get for going to STJ without me!" I found a remedy for our situation next time....The Prozac Snack Pack! I told the stewardess they would sell alot more of those!!!

[philbetm]

Aroobagirl Why didn't you accept
that bottle of water...graciously thank her...
open it...do the little trip thing (while
squeezing the bottle in the middle) and
just SOAK HER A%@ GOOD!!!

Oh Lordy my evil side is coming out. But
people who act like she did just make me
boil.

You probably shouldn't take my advise!

Sherry

[chicagoans]

As a parent I am completely understanding of crying kids. And people who don't have kids should remember that hey, they were babies once too and everyone put up with THEM!

I do admit some impatience with parents of screaming kids who do nothing. I recently flew across the aisle from a woman with a cryer who did NOTHING to comfort him: no bottle, no walking with him, no crooning. Instead she just said loudly "STOP CRYING!" oh my - poor kid with a clueless mom.

Your responsibility is to your daughter and you did what you could for her, so you did what was right! You should feel good about that.

Oh - and the rest of the trip sounds great!

[dhanc1]

Sounds like my wife on the trip home

[2FarNorth]

From a father of 3 who travelled quite a bit both before and after we had kids ....

The reality of the situation of flying with kids is that people need to realize that a commercial flight is essentially a high-priced mode of public transportation. It is really no different than riding a train, bus or boat. Kids cry then and nobody gets upset or uses profanity directed at a mother and her young child... folks pretty much accept it as just part of the ride.

The high price you pay for a flight is essentially because air travel gets you to much cooler places (e.g. STJ) much faster than any train, bus or boat. It also costs a lot more money to get that aircraft off the ground and back down again safely. Contrary to popular belief (the passenger in first class in the original post) it does not entitle you to a perfectly quite ride surrounded by perfectly behaved children. OK OK … so the guy in first class paid a little more to get warm nuts, a hot towel and bit more legroom….but it’s a curtain they pull between the two cabins not a sound proof barrier.

Of course there is the expectation that all 250+ people on that flight respect the peace and quite of their fellow passengers. However the reality is that kids fly too. Why shouldn't they? Even the best behaved kids will cry, yell, act up, and get frustrated sitting in a 2'x3' space for several hours. They are kids... that’s what they do. Deal with it, have an extra painkiller or two before the flight, throw in the earplugs and show a little sympathy. Most parents with a screaming kid on a flight want him/her to stop way more than you do ... believe me.

All that being said ... next time try Benadryl ... everyone will be happier.

[rpplano]

Noise-cancelling headphones are a blessing for me. Combined with Kenny Chesney on the Ipod, What crying kid? If you can afford the 1st Class seat, you can afford some headphones. No whining from the front seats, please. IMHO.

[Rob7]

There are times when parents should leave their children at home. Disruption on an aircraft is inexcusable young or old. No reason to make a trip living hell for everyone.

[Terry]

IMHO...people that "let one slip" and fowl the already bad air that we are all breathing are far worse than any child crying!

[djmom]

There are times when parents should leave their children at home. Disruption on an aircraft is inexcusable young or old. No reason to make a trip living hell for everyone.

I find adults making my plane trips "living hell" much more often than children.

Body odor, perfumes, invasion of personal space, loud phone or personal conversations, farting, snoring, foul language, disgusting tee shirts, incessant and loud complaining for the sake of an audience, drunkeness.....carrying on bags that are too large...and THEY are capable of controlling their own behavior!

I will take a screaming kid with an apologetic parent over purposeful adult rudeness any day. Most of the time the kids are screaming it is because their ears hurt and they are in pain.

The planes are going to be pretty empty if all the annoying people stay home.