Rock

For all those who have wrote messages on a variety of topics/posts telling people to keep their baby or child at home and let the rest have a good vacation I have one thing to say to you. YOU ARE A HUGE PATHETIC SOFT AND WEAK AS JELLO WIMP! Does a little baby bother you? Get out the kleenex and wipe those tears, we don't want to see your eyes all red. Boohoohoo. Would you like your bottle full of milk or juice?

holly

I agree. I fly quite a bit for work and vacation, and the fussy kids don't bother me - they're just kids. However, there is a breed of parent that has made some flights less than pleasant - the ones who need to constantly talk about what there kids are doing, reprimand them etc. <BR>I was recently on a flight with 2 kids, about 2 and 4, and their mom. The kids were very well behaved - and quiet. However, their mom felt the need to make out loud (very loud) observations about every move they made. I was 5 rows on front of her and could hear every gratuitous comment she made, while the kids barely made a sound. I would have gladly held both kids in my lap for the entire flight if it meant not having to listen to her.

Buyer

Gee... this troll smells about as nice as a full diaper!

notamused

Erm ... I've encountered a wide range of so-called "children" in my travels. A child being a child doesn't bother me - and that covers everything from baby crying throughout a 20-minute rough landing on aeroplane (although I must admit I wonder how the parents justify putting the child through this) to an older child being vocally impatient during a delay or bored on a long journey. However, children who simply misbehave (e.g., kicking the back of the seat in front of them consistently through a transatlantic flight, spending inordinate amounts of time repeating obscenities or stupid cliches loudly for their own half-witted amusement, hanging over the backs of their seats dripping stain-producing fluids on other people's belongings, etc.) should be immediately and automatically barred from any further travel until they reach the age of 18, and ditto for the parents. There's nothing "wimpy" about this POV - what's wimpy is parents who don't teach their children manners and can't control their children's behaviour. If you're that pathetic, then yeah, I have to say - stay home.

Jack

Everytime my wife and I get on a flight with our two small children we get lots of fearful looks. After the flight is over almost everyone has a huge smile on their face and compliments us on how well behaved our kids were. I think if you are having problems with kids you should stand up and say something, but not whine and make snickity remarks like the little child you are bothered by.

Jell-O Wimp

Rock, you must not have read as many of these child posts as I have. The child is rarely the issue. THE PROBLEM IS THE PARENTS!! <BR> <BR>The over-indulgent, isn't-Junior-cute, I'm-taking-my-screaming-toddler-to-the-Louvre, let's-run-through-the-cathedral, mommy-and-daddy-need-an-expensive-dinner parents are where the teeth start grinding. <BR> <BR>

Leanne

I Agree that parents are usually the problem concerning an erratic child, but do you have to yell so much? <BR> <BR>As far as the child screaming or yelling on a plane. Take notice it usually happens at take off or landing. This is because nature is telling the child to equalize the pressure in their ears. As adults we can yawn plug our noses etc... <BR>Try explaining that to an infant. <BR> <BR>Rock, please try to be a little more pleasant in your comments. You will find more people will rally towards your idea if your not so abrasive.

Ned

JELL-0 WIMP is 1000% correct. It's the parents, stupid! I have enough problem with parents letting their little brats control them in the grocery store, much less on a 9 hour flight. <BR> <BR>Somehow, many parents seem to think they have the ONLY children in the world, and is is necessary for everyone within screaming distance to know all about it. <BR> <BR>Look at the child related posts on this, and other forums. Has anyone seen a parent say anything but how "well behaved" and "mature" their children are? The parents are probably the only people that thinks so! <BR> <BR>Ned

Kudos

Rock: Kudos. I get sick of the adult crybabies whining about children. Let's face it, air travel is public transportation. There will always be people we don't care for on the flights. Whining about them (whether they are 2 or 52) is an exercise in futility. However, focusing criticism on the children seems downright cowardly (of course I say this as I post anonomously!).

ban everybody

Singling out children for self-righteous opprobrium is ridiculous: of COURSE children should be banned from all public places; just don't stop there. <BR> <BR>What about all those creepy OLD people? They walk really slow and hold up everybody in the airport. Or even worse they get to ride in a wheelchair just because they're old and doddery, and they take up all kinds of room in the waiting lounge and then are rewarded by being allowed to get on the plane first. And they either talk really loud because they're partially deaf or they can't hear anything that's said to them. And they look so bad with their wrinkly skin, I really don't like to see them. And what the hell are they doing going to Europe anyway? They're probably just gonna die soon, so it's all wasted on them; they'd be better people if they just left all that traveling money to their inheritors and stayed home cleaning their dentures. <BR> <BR>Of course teenagers should be banned too because, well, it goes without saying: they're just obnoxious looking most of the time. They usually have a miasma of hormones around them that is practically tangible, and don't even get me started on how most of them dress and the ridiculous music they listen to. <BR> <BR>And actually twenty-somethings are not all that great to have around either. They're either looking for a mate or acting sappy about whoever they just found and prattling endlessly about wedding plans, etc. ad nauseum at the top of their lungs. Or worse they're actually ON their honeymoon and the sugar high one gets from being around them could induce diabetes in the healthiest of on-lookers. Many of the unattractive aspects of teenagers linger well into people's twenties. <BR> <BR>And thirty and forty-somethings should be banned too because they are the ones most likely to be drunk and disorderly or fight with their spouses publicly and act like total know-it-alls and are just generally a pain in the butt. Plus they are getting middle-aged spread and don't look that great any more either. <BR> <BR>Now 50-year-olds are usually OK. I know because I am one, and believe me, if everybody who wasn't my age were banned from all public places I would enjoy travel much more. I don't travel to experience things, including people (some of whom, gasp, may be DIFFERENT than me, including at a different stage of life). I travel to see those cute little European stage sets where nobody is actually living their life (which may include the insane possession, of, shudder, children), but instead they are all going about their scripted routines in MY stage-play. I AM THE DIRECTOR!!!! Please act accordingly.

Rock

I like laughing not whining. That was a pretty funny message from the 50's person.

ban everybody

Thanks, Rock. I obviously liked your post too.

fiftyalso

Ban Everybody: That's a classic, beautifully written and a lot of laughs.

Thirty something

Heck why stop with that lets just ban the whiners. Ban everybody very creative and amusing indeed.

xxx

And when the kid craps his pants and pukes all over the place and stinks the whole plane up. Then what do you do?

BUZZ

I am a photographer so believe me when I say I've SEEN kids, some quite nice and some not, just like their adult counterparts. I will also agree that often the real problem is parents, at LEAST half of the time. <BR> <BR>By the by, I get along famously with children because I don't condescend to them, nor do I believe in coddling them, either. <BR> <BR>Having said that, I am really quite surprised that one airline or another hasn't come up with a plan, especially for coach, where couples with children under an arbitrary age, perhaps 6 and below, are not seated in their own section, perhaps either the extreme front or the extreme rear of the cabin. <BR> <BR>Once, traveling back to the States from London, a couple in front of us had a child about 2 years old that screamed constantly. I don't mean cried, I mean screamed. At first it was because the child was frightened or uncomfortable, but after an hour the screams were seemingly emotionless, as though it was just something to do to occupy the time. <BR> <BR>The father would hold the child until she was nearly asleep, just as she'd quiet down he'd pass her to mom. Repeat performance, rock and coo till the child was almost out and then pass her back to dad. Seriously, this must have happend at least 15 times! <BR> <BR>For the first time ever I asked to be moved but had to settle for earplugs that made a miserable 9 hour flight even more uncomfortable. <BR> <BR>Churches, libraries and many other public facilities have specific areas, be it a "cry room" or whatever. I understand that airlines would be hard pressed to provide a seperate room for couples with infants and small children but it occurs to me that a specific seating area is not too much to ask. <BR> <BR>Surely someone will respond that this is somehow discriminatory, but I'm not sure that many parents wouldn't welcome the opportunity to sit in an area where, should their children "act up,", it would not be such a burden to everyone on board.

Miss

<BR>Here are some things that have actually happened on trips while I was working , or while flying as a full-fare passenger: (each has happened more than once.) <BR>l. parents tried to hand me a dirty diaper while I was serving food. <BR>2. parents placed dirty diapers or vomit bags on the galley counters and food carts while being served. <BR>3. parents changed diapers in the seat next to them in front of other passengers. <BR>4. parents left dirty diapers under seat. <BR>5. parents yelled at flight attendants because we ran out of milk, and they hadn't brought anything along for their baby. <BR>6. ditto for baby food. <BR>7. upon taxi-take off, parents fully strapped in but let a one year old jump up and down, and put on the aisle floor. I ran up to them, grabbed the kid and said that they had to hold the child for take-off also, father replied nastily "well, YOU try holding him down!" I never made it back to my jumpseat for takeoff. <BR>8. unaccompanied children, old enough to know better, throwing their cherry tomatoes at other passengers. <BR>9. children constantly kicking the back of the seat in front of them, and parents never saying anything. <BR>l0. children constantly screaming or having temper tantrums and parents never even trying to do anything. <BR>ll. children allowed to play with loud toys while other pax tried to sleep or read. <BR> <BR>The list goes on and on - and this is just while on the airplane!

Thyra

Honestly Rock... I have absolutely NO problem with well behaved children on a flight! None whatsoever.. even made friends with a well travelled 7 year old from the UK on our first trip over, nice, gregarious, well behaved child sitting in front of us... made the trip go faster. <BR>Now the 6 year old who kicked the back of my chair for an hour before I politely asked the parents TWICE! To make him stop is another story... seriously it's not the child... had those parents demonstrated reasonable responsibility for their child's behavior I would have not minded in the least. Frankly from your hostility.... I wonder that you are not a troll. <BR>Do you think it's wrong to complain about drunk people who are disrespectful of other passengers? It all comes down to being inconsiderate, no matter HOW old you are? Infant, senior etc. I take exception to it regardless.

Baby

<BR>As a baby, I couldn't agree more with the idea that there ought to be separate seating areas on planes for us. In fact, I would feel a lot safer if there were actually separate planes. Let's examine the track record of both babies and adults… <BR> <BR>BABIES have been known to: <BR> <BR>1) cry and have tantrums <BR> <BR>2) get sick <BR> <BR>3) have smelly diapers <BR> <BR>4) kick the seats <BR> <BR> <BR>ADULTS have been known to: <BR> <BR>1) swear and have tantrums <BR> <BR>2) get drunk and then get sick <BR> <BR>3) have smelly BO <BR> <BR>4) have sex in the seats <BR> <BR>5) have fist fights <BR> <BR>6) exhibit air rage and force the plane to turn around <BR> <BR>7) hijack planes <BR> <BR>8) take guns and bombs on planes <BR> <BR>9) kill people <BR> <BR> <BR>Geez, I hate to discriminate against all you adults, but you have to admit your track record looks pretty bad. Some of you may protest that all the babies you fly with are always commenting on what well-behaved adults you are, and that you personally do not get drunk, have sex, or take bombs on planes, but I say your status as adults makes you suspect nevertheless. Boarding denied. <BR>

holly

Baby - <BR> <BR>One of the funniest posts I've seen lately!