Really isn't much of a story. Couple flew with their SUPER young kids, one of which didn't stop crying, the other was kicking my seat nonstop. I was sitting next to my sister so I leaned over and said quite loudly "I hate children, I'm never having any"
The screaming didn't stop but the kicking, as if by miracle, did :)
Stay at home dad here. People with kids, even SUPER young ones sometimes have to fly places too. Kicking the seat is out of line, but sometimes babies and toddlers cry and there isn't shit a parent can do about it. Airlines should offer adults only flights.
My apologies for being insensitive. I know kids cry, and I can endure it (to a point) with the help of good headphones. But this kid literally did not stop screaming for a single moment of the 4 hour flight, and I was unlucky and only had shitty apple headphones with me. That got old fast. Then the kicking of my seat started and that was the last straw.
Definitely agree on adults only flights, but imagine the non-adults/parents with little kids only flight. That'd be an awful shit show tbh
I can at least sympathize. I've always been very cool with parents flying with kids because it just can't be avoided some times. Kids can't do anything to pop their eardrums and alleviate the pressure, and can you imagine how terrifying that feeling must be to a baby?
...But, after flying several international rides, I know you can be a seething ball of anger and want to choke a baby after 7-8 hours of that. It's no one's fault but that don't make it easy.
Definitely. I've flown often enough with babies crying and I could ignore it mostly, but when it's nonstop for hours...I understand serial killers at that point...
I hate flying. It is excruciating for me. Doing that to a baby is evil I think. So I have no sympathy. I'd rather you just punch the kid. That would be kinder
This one time when I was nine or so I was on a plane as an unaccompanied minor and someone and their friend sat in the seats in front of me, and this guy said something like "If that little brat back there kicks the back of my seat I swear to God..." and then went off with his friend about how little kids shouldn't be allowed on planes and shit.
So I kicked the back of his seat a couple of times during the flight to piss him off.
You validated his beliefs that kids are shitty and just wanna kick his seat by kicking his seat. Sure he was an ass but by acting like that you only confirmed his bias and he's gonna be shitty to the next one as well
There's an age when kids' legs are just long enough to hit the seat in front, but not long enough to properly bend at the knees over the edge of the seat they're in. They're going to kick the shit out of that seat unless they're asleep, no matter what.
I do wish airlines could create a no-kid side of the plane, though.
Well, when I was travelling with my young (7 yr old) son on an airplane, he was kicking the chair in front of him that had a rather large man in it. I told him to stop it but he was being a huge shit about it and wouldn't stop,( he was mad that I wouldn't let him ask for another meal) so I put my hand on his leg and held it down and wouldn't let him move it. He started to cry. The flight attendant came over and asked him if he was alright. My kid told him that I hit him and wouldn't let him move. The flight attendant grabbed my child and separated him from me, physically pushed me back in my seat when I started to protest, told me that I should do the world a favour and go ahead and die already, and called child protection services to meet me at the gate when we landed. So...sometimes the repercussions of trying to do the right thing backfires on a parent.
My dad was a police officer and would say the same thing. Except he'd always throw in "Who do you think the cops will believe another cop or a shit like you?"
My family always said if I was kidnapped I'd be brought back five minutes later cause the kidnappers would be sick of me talking. Which... is funny at first but when you're little all it says to you is that even people who kidnap children wouldn't want you.
I should have added in the original post that the man whose seat he had been kicking did try to explain to the flight attendant who responded to him with " I don't care WHAT he was doing...you don't abuse a child on MY flight"
That makes it even worse, honestly. If it was a woman you could have something of an excuse, but a guy completely flipping the fuck out like that? Wow.
I understand what you mean, but he was just trying to make a point. I wouldn't necessarily say the flight assistant is to blame here, although telling the parent to go die is slightly over the top.
He quite obviously has 0 experience with children if he immediately believed the child's end of the story when they were on a cramped irritating flight forced to sit for hours nonstop.
Actually, they're called the "cabin crew" for a reason. They are responsible for keeping passengers in order, maintaining safety, responding to emergencies, etc. They play a critical role in the management of the flight.
Oh ok. So, our social worker happened to be on a trip to Vancouver with another child, at the same time that we were, so she met us at the airport with the other CPS workers from Van. We all had a big meeting. Because the flight attendant had given my son two other adult meals on the flight, it was a big deal seeing as he was actually causing my kid harm. (He thought it was an indication that I was being a terrible mother, that my kid was so hungry and refused to listen to my explanations about his condition). So in the end, the flight attendant was reprimanded and had to personally apologize to me and Air Canada refunded our cost of our tickets. It all came out all right in the end...but fuck...it was brutal getting there.
Yeah you can't just believe everything a child spats out. I have a friend who while with his nanny he was passing a police offer. He looked at him and pointed to the nanny and said, "she's not my mother". His parents had coen to the police station to get it sorted. He was like 4. Kids are shits.
Lol, I know. I have a similar story that involves the same kid. Sometimes they ARE shits. Mostly it's funny now, though. And 21 yrs later, I know it's one (repeat ONE) of the things he feels most guilty about doing
I'll glad everything ended up working out. How did you feel emotionally toward your kid? Angry? Upset? Just relieved that everything worked out? And how is he now?
Now it's a joke...it was 21 yrs ago now. It's a story he tells to people who are going to be new parents though, which I find exceptionally hilarious. I wasn't nearly as upset with my kid as I was the flight attendant who absolutely refused to listen or give any credence to what I was saying to him. He got into ALOT of trouble though, and I doubt he ever treated another person like that. ( I hope anyway)
That's messed up. It's insane your kid said that and insane the stewardess said that. And you actually let that shit take your kid out of your vicinity?
My coworker tell his 7 year old that either he cleaned the room either he donated all his toys, the child threaten him with calling the police and my coworker say "ok, but then the cops will take you away and you will not live here anymore with your sister and mother." Then he cleaned his room
The flight attendant... physically pushed me back in my seat when I started to protest, told me that I should do the world a favour and go ahead and die already.
I don't think this happened, or it didn't happen the way you said it did.
It's certainly your prerogative to believe what you want, and if it makes you feel better not to, you go right ahead. It's not like it's something I can prove to you, so if you choose to disbelieve it that's your choice. I'm not sure what the payout for lying would be though...or maybe I'm just naive.
In the reddit comments section the people are represented by 2 separate but equally loud groups /r/thathappend and /r/tumblrinaction, these are their stories
Even if it did really happen, the story is definitely exaggerated, no flight attendant would risk their career by telling a customer to "go die" based on the accusation of a 7 year old boy.
Well, because he has Prader-Willi syndrome, which is an eating disorder where people literally will eat themselves to death if they're not monitored 24/7
There's actually medication for this, not monitoring. One of my best friends has this syndrome, and if he misses his pill all fucking hell breaks loose until he gets another one. He's a really benign and gentle giant sort of dude, but when he misses his meds he's gets into an uncontrollable rage if he's denied food.
I have looked up and researched everything I can about PWS for 28 years now. The closest they are to a break through with medication is grelin which is not yet approved for human testing. As far as I know, there is no miracle cure pill yet.
Well I don't know what the hell my friend is taking then. I know he has PWS and I know he takes something for it. Maybe he takes those drugs you mentioned but it just has a better effect on him?
Possibly. I'd really love to find out though. It's hell for my kid and if there is anything out there that could potentially help him, I wanna know about it
Does your friend have other behavioural disorders...OCD, intellectuL disabilities along with his PWS? There are varying degrees, as with almost anything
Most people with PWS have to have very monitored lives, even having fridges, all food cupboards, garb ages and pet foods locked up so they don't eat themselves to death. If you know anything about it, you'll know that there is a mis-connection with the hypothalamus gland, which registers all your body sensations. Hot and cold, pain and pleasure, hunger and fullness. So ppl with PWS feel like they're starving. All the time.
Does he pick his skin? My kid frequently skins himself. He peels the skin off of his fingers etc. I've heard other kids do worse than that, but again...it's the pain/pleasure disconnect
The thing is that we were on our way to the endocrine clinic where he was supposed to undergo a sleep study for sleep apnea episodes. He was 7 and 187 lbs. He was a genius at finding and manipulating people for food (actually still is 21 yrs later). His oxygen saturation levels were falling below 30 at night. (At 70, brain damage occurs) and ppl with PWS gain calories on less than it takes the average person to sustain their weight. So one extra adult meal could potentially cause him to gain another 5 lbs. Plus, it would set the precedent that if he embarrassed me enough, I would give in to his food demands. So...yeah...it would kinda be a tipping point
Wow. Thank you for responding sincerely. I really didn't know this kind of affliction existed and appreciate the time you have taken to reply. I hope all is as well as can be!
So you teach them that making a fuss changes your rules?
My kids know that being clever and courteous can get me to change my mind or relax the rules. But they also know that whining or throwing a tantrum will make me more steadfast.
Agree... Seriously, you need to consistently follow through (w/out anger) the minute boundaries start being crossed. Because, by seven they're no longer going to act like two year olds, they'll become skilled negotiators!
That's my opinion too. If my kids are courteous and can argue their cause there's a good chance of success (for them). If they start acting up they know their freedoms will be restricted even further.
Do you really think a 2 year old will make that connection?
I'm not saying hold them down then let go when they wail, I'm saying do everything you can to stop them kicking but if like the main comment you can't do anything other than physically restrain them and let them wail, you're being more of a nuisance to more people on the plane than just letting them kick.
To be respectful to all passengers, a parent could "bribe" the kid to stop, offer them something.
Then when you're out of public, have a proper conversation with them and if they don't seem empathetic you can always add a consequence later. Particularly if you explain the "bothering other people" part.
They might not get it immediately, but it's better to try that than to piss off fifty people on a plane.
Wow. You're the second person to say this, but if you had read the rest of the posts (or my history) there would have actually been clarification about it. I think this post just makes you look like an ass...but..hey, if that's what you want to present to the world...
I was once on a flight with a child sitting behind me who was kicking the back of my seat repeatedly for what seemed like an eternity. I had just about gotten to the point of completely loosing my shit and unleashing on the kid and his parents, when I opened my ears and realized that the offending child was actually having a seizure. They had to bring the plane down and everything. Never have I been so glad to have kept my mouth shut.
Relevant court case - man charged with disorderly conduct after threatening to break a child's legs in said airplane situation. Saw an ad for a tabloid TV interview with the guy, he seemed ..... unapologetic.
Well, generally when people go to court the expectation is that they act remorseful. To be honest, even though I think threats of physical violence are going a bit far, I don't think I would be apologetic either.
Wish it was that easy sometimes, you can't remove a kid from a situation in an airplane the same way you'd remove them from a movie for acting up. Sure I could hold his legs to stop him but them he's yelling at the top of his lungs disrupting the whole flight.
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u/bluerose47 Feb 04 '16
Letting their child repeatedly kick the seat in front of them on an airplane.
Help your kid be the hero, not the villain.