Devon, relax.

We are speaking SPECIFICALLY about kids who purposely kick the backs of seats.

It happens. It is rude.

Why are you taking this so personal?

Actually, When I am on a flight and some little knot-headed is kicking my seat, I shoot a few nasty looks and then tell the child to please, please quit kicking my seat. I stand up, turn around, put my knees on my seat and address the child and mom/dad while hovering over them. I don't want to engage the child in a conversation about Dora or anything else. If I wanted to talk with small children, I would my own grandkids.Flying is difficult enough without having to engage in "small talk" with some stange child while the parents sit by with their noses stuck in a book! Wow, that felt good. Sharon

Well said, Sharon!!!!!!!

"Yes, kids will be kids, but parents have to be parents."

AMEN! There have been children in the lobby down the hall from my office who have been carrying on for 15-20 minutes at a time - loudly enough to bring people popping out of their offices to find out what the screaming was all about. We had one the other day who knocked over a sign and brochure stand. What was Mom doing? Why, she was busy on her cell phone.

GoTravel - I can't speak for Devon, but this topic always seems to get totally out of hand. We have two or three people here who readily admit (and apparently are proud) over purposely dropping a heavy object onto a child or threatening to strangle a child. I think that is appallable behavior directed to a child - OR to an adult.

OK, I'm going to continue to rant. I posted here after the London carry-on restrictions were put into effect that I couldn't imagine flying with my two boys overseas (as we are planning on next June) without being able to carry on any distractions, esp. a DVD player. I related how it worked magic at getting my youngest to sit still for a entire plane flight, even cross country. (And, it's a good thing to keep kids occupied so they don't bother other people, right?) Well, everyone started giving it to me about how horrible it was that my kids were so addicted to TV, and insinuated how I was a bad parent who let her kids watch way too much TV and that perhaps it is a failure as to how I am educating them. They should be more active, I was told. HUH??

My youngest has high-functioning autism. Fortunately, he does not have the rigididy or transition issues so common with this diagnosis, and we have traveled with him all over the country. (He flies about 2x/yr. The school psych has speculated that maybe he is doing as well as he is b/c we are always taking him everywhere and exposing him to everything and expecting him to be just like everyone else). We are a very active family who does not watch a lot of TV (except on airplanes). My youngest son rode a bike before he was 5, can ski an east coast black diamond, did a flip off the dive when he was 6 and rides a wave skateboard better than his older brother's friends. His older brother ran a 5k this summer. They are not TV addicted, but everyone felt free to tell me how terrible I was for letting my kids watch TV the whole plane ride.

Rant over. My point, LONG, I know, is that things are not always what people may seem by posts here. Except I do suspect that some people may be as mean as they come off here in real life.

karens, you must be a great mom. Your children are blessed to have you.

My 6'3 19 year old son continually kicked the seat of the person in front of him on the plane who had his seat fully reclined on a long trip. Can't say I blamed my son, I've felt like kicking, too, when this happens to me.

My solution business class or exit rows.

This thread was more fun when people didn't take everything so seriously. :(

I would never think to complain if I had my seat fully reclined (which I never do because it's not a comfortable position for me anyways).

karens, where is it mentioned on this site that anyone was proud to drop luggage on a kid's head? Some may be mean, but you are delusional.

I clearly stated that I yelled at my boss for his antics. As a mother of two, who are adults now, I would never condone physically or mentally harming a child.

P.S. My children are college graduates, married, and have very good jobs. So, I couldn't have been that bad a mother.

Christine

My son, now 25, was one of those annoying seat kickers.

One time, because we had to take a different flight and the family got split up, he had to sit separate from my daughter and I. When separated from Mom, I was told he was the perfect gentleman. I guess he was deprived of needling Mom for attention.

So, until he got past the seat kicking age, he was never seated next to me again. We would seat him far enough away to induce good behavior where Mom could keep half an eye on him, but never next to him.

By the way, he doesn't kick seats anymore.

I have turned around and told children (and their parents) off quite firmly about this. It works most of the time, but, of course, there are those parents who have no idea of what the word "discipline" is supposed to me. I have no solution for the totally inconsiderate.

handmaiden, I never accused you of being a bad mother. I read in your posts that Thin Gorgus dropped his luggage on some child's head and merely said "Whoops, it slipped". Then you said his mother was appalled at his behavior.

Perhaps "proud" was a strong word, but the way you told the story certainly did not make it seem like TG was terribly upset about what he did.

What am I being delusional about?

Gotravel, it's the mean-spiritedness of the comments here that make my head hurt. Let's face it, nobody is comfortable being stuck in a 3x2' space without an opportunity to move for hours at a time - not adults and especially not children. But the sardine-can conditions of airplane cabin seating are not caused by poor parenting. If it wasn't a kid kicking your seat you could pick a dozen other annoyances that would seem just as bad. It's always easiest to take our frustration out on the most vunerable person in sight, but that doesn't make it right.

Karens, I remember well when autism was blamed on bad mothering. At least we've gotten past that point in our society.

karen, I am only RELATING a story. The person I am telling the story about is not here, so how could you say he was proud of what he did?

I clearly stated: DO NOT do what Thingorjus did.

If Thingorjus reads this, I will be fired.

Christine

Wait a second -- you mean to tell me that Thingorjus was in coach?!!

OMG.

devon -- I think you're being a bit of an apologist for poorly behaved children and their parents.

It looks really tough to be a parent but I don't see why I have to share that burden on a plane.

Faux: "from my daughter and I" should be "from my daughter and me." From is a prepostion; therefore, you must use the objective case, not subjective.

Sorry, but I couldn't resist. :)

Fishee, I will let you in on a secret. Thingorjus is very cheap. If the company is paying for a plane ticket, he sits in FC. If he is paying for a plane ticket out of his own pocket, he will choose to sit out on the wing. :)

I will be looking for a new job tomorrow.

Christine

Thin Gorgous is NOT here and we're all the worse for it...LOVED his posts. Anyone who "knew" him, knew that frequently things he said were for the affect. He had his persona and stuck to it. Frankly I was tempted to say something like shoot them, or cut their little legs off...some such thing, but contained myself because, as we can see, there are some who take the comments and the thread very seriously. Also, if anyone has ever seen an episode of Super Nanny...well I rest my case. In case you think I'm being critical, I'm not. In general, I don't like kids much, I knew I would totally stink as a mother...I want them potty trained and eatin' with a fork when they come outta the womb...so consequently I didn't have any kids. I sometimes wish that others were as smart as I think I am.

handmaiden, I thought you and ThinGorgous were inseperable. Literally. Was I mistaken?