i don’t like to take my kids to restaurants. it’s way more work for me than it is a pleasurable experience. the kids don’t like to wait for their food. isabella doesn’t want to sit in the high chair. or wear a bib. they make a mess. they are loud. they don’t want to sit in their seats. and then i start to think about the people around me. other people don’t like other peoples’ kids.
i don’t like other peoples’ kids when i’m trying to eat. so…i rarely take mine out to eat. i also don’t like other peoples’ kids when i’m flying. but, NOT taking my kids on airplanes is NOT an option for me. with two sets of parents in two different states, in a different country, we spend a lot of time on airplanes. i don’t like it. not one bit. again, it’s more work than pleasure. and i’m constantly aware of the people around me. shaking their heads, thinking what a horrible parent i am. angry at me for subjecting innocent people to possibly loud and obnoxious kids.
i am sure many of you have been there. Kate Penland has been there. and there she was last month when she and her 19-month-old son Garren were flying from Atlanta to Oklahoma.
right before take-off, Garren began saying, "bye bye plane" over and over during the Continental flight attendant’s safety speech. after the speech was over, the attendant leaned over and said, "It’s not funny anymore. you need to shut your baby up!" and proceeded to tell Ms. Penland that she should give her son some baby benadryl. Kate was offended and refused to ‘drug’ her child to make the flight attendant happy.
before she and any of the other passengers knew it, the plane was turning around to remove Kate Penland and her son from the plane.
apparently, flight crews have the authority to remove any passenger who intereferes with the safety of the flight. what? a barely rowdy baby on a plane saying "bye bye"? a safety threat? seriously?
i have been on planes where at least one of my children cries from take-off to landing. i try everything in my power to calm the child down…singing, talking, snacks, drinks, bottles, pacifiers. but sometimes, nothing works. i can’t even imagine being kicked off a plane for something like this. they are children! children can be loud and noisy. children don’t understand the concept of flying – of being trapped in an enclosed space for an extended period of time where they need to be quiet and happy.
i understand that people without kids will likely view this a little differently. when i see a crying baby on an aiplane…sure, i may be a little annoyed but i’m more annoyed for the mom. the poor parent who is probably sweating and tired and cranky because she can’t get her child to calm down.
but seriously, if you see there are kids on the plane, you put your freakin earphones on and tune the baby out. you don’t kick them off the plane.
what do you think about all of this?
EEeeeeK I cannot believe that Katy person below! Her comment is SO much more self-centred than any person taking a baby/toddler on a plane to see his/her GRANDPARENTS. Wow!!!!! that’s GOT to be a joke. Because it was HILARIOUS!
I cannot believe they turned the plane around for that. REALLY sad. I hope she gets compensated really well by the airline. And, they do have speakers that block ALL sound out! People like Katy should look into those when on a plane.
EEeeeeK I cannot believe that Katy person below! Her comment is SO much more self-centred than any person taking a baby/toddler on a plane to see his/her GRANDPARENTS. Wow!!!!! that’s GOT to be a joke. Because it was HILARIOUS!
I cannot believe they turned the plane around for that. REALLY sad. I hope she gets compensated really well by the airline. And, they do have speakers that block ALL sound out! People like Katy should look into those when on a plane.
I will be first in line to rant and rave about obnoxious kids and parents in places like restaurants, movies, etc. But in a world where people have to move for jobs, etc. having Gramma and Grampa down the street is now the exception rather than the rule.
So for all concerned, children flying and the small percentage who scream or cry or whtever, are a necessary “evil”. When you choose to fly, you are making a choice to take a reasonably priced form of PUBLIC transportation in order to get to your destination relatively quickly. And with that, you need to accept the other 200 people on the plane. I have been less annoyed by children than I was by a guy who leaned so far over into my seat space that I had to scrunch up against the window.
People flying with children are not being selfish…and driving is certainly not an option for everyone. If my parents live in New York and I live in Florida and we want to go there for a week when the kids are out of school, that means four days of that week are spent driving (you DON’T drive straight through like you did going to Spring Break during college when you have kids with you).
My kids have always been great flyers…flying as far as Alaska and Hawaii from the east coast beginning at age 6. And they have flown shorter flights since they were infants. I remember being seated on one flight toward the front and the dirtiest looks I got were from elderly people walking past us to their seats further back. I remember thinking, “Surely some of these people have grandchildren who come to visit them and wait with delight at the gate of the airport. How do they think they get there?”
So, let them fly…brats, angels, all of them…and if YOU can’t handle it, then YOU drive or charter your own plane. Now, if you want to debate OPK (other people’s kids) at a fine restaurant when I am paying big bucks for a sitter and dinner…that’s a different thing all together.
Wow, Katy you must not have any kids. Cause if you did I think you’d understand that it’s no picnic for parents to fly with their kids. For most of us we’d rather not.
If you are that upset about having to deal with a few hours with an “chatty or unruly” child then maybe you should be the one to charter a private plane for some peace and quiet. Times have changed! Anybody and everybody is flying, especially during certain times of the year…..like summer, holidays, Christmas break and Spring Break. It’s inevitable and it’s not going to go away. Flying is not a luxury anymore….it’s transportation like driving a car.
Being a flight attendant I can tell you that I am more put off by the out-of-control ADULTS that get onboard an airplane than an out-of-control child. They after all ARE actual children. The disrespect and childish behaviour that adults exhibit onboard an aircraft is probably what drove the flight attendant in this scenario to do something like this. After being treated like a less-than-human personal slave by ADULTS time and time again wears us down to the point of snapping. Again, I am in NO way condoning the actions of this flight attendant but on the other hand being in the biz, I can understand how it can get to this point. You wouldn’t believe the stories I could tell like that of businessmen literally throwing fits because they had to have the chicken instead of the steak ( we are boarded w/ exactly the amount of meals so not everyone is going to get their first choice….such is life!). It is so appalling. People leave their manners at the door.
Instead of having such an attitude, practice kindness and graciousness. Give parents the benefit of the doubt that we are doing our darndest to keep our children under wraps. Help us out….smile, play peek-a-boo or do as others have suggested, put your iPod on and turn the volume up. Yes, there are the minority of parents who do nothing and think their kids tantrums are cute, but that’s NOT the majority. We are doing our best and if that’s not good enough, take your own advice and get a chartered flight. You’ll get the service, attention, peace & quiet you obviously need.
Mommy and Junior were on with Diane Sawyer, and Junior had to be taken off the set for turning into a whining, screaming brat.
Of courses we all know this is a once in a lifetime occurence, with Mommy trying to calm him (btw, she’s a total feeb. The kid, who looks like he’s three instead of 19 months, could tackle her in a New York minute.)
If the way the kid was on TV is anything at all like he was on that plane, I wouldn’t have turned the plane around. I would’ve opened the door and shoved both of them out.
I can see reasons for taking a kid on a plane: the kid has a brain tumor and need surgery in a hospital across the country. But is there ever a reason, aside from mommy and daddy want to go visiting or on vacation, and they don’t want to drive? So now they’ll torture an entire plane of unsuspecting adults who all paid for their seats into being locked into a barreling aluminum echo chamber with a squalling brat.
Do any of these parents have any clue what torture it is to be stuck near a screaming brat? Or one who kicks the seat? Or crawls all over the place because his guardian is a wimp and has no control over her offspring?
Can’t control the kid? DON’T take him on an airplane – or better yet, charter the ENTIRE plane so he can run all over the place and hopefully bwake his widdle nose.
Or better yet, break YOURS – cause you’re a stupid cow who can’t control her own spawn as toddlers. Maybe the courts will be able to do it for you when he hits 16.
P.S. Yes, I hate your spoiled, fat, loathesome brats. But I really hate YOU a billion times more for turning them into self-centered pigs – just like mommy.
I just can’t believe this ever happened. I understand, like other people said, that it may have been annoying, but deal. I have had a lot of annoying instances on airplanes, many worse than that.
I really feel for the mom. I have a nineteen month old autistic son that I have to fly with once in awhile. He is easily upset in overstimulating situations and has been known to have a high pitch scream during flights. I try to schedule flights around nap time and bring many distractions but there is only so much a mother can do. I would have flipped if a flight attendant asked me to exit the plane because of that. And I would never “drug” my child to make him quiet.
I hope Continental Airlines terminates the attendant and makes a mend with the family. If nothing is done, I will never fly with them again.
I just heard about this today on the radio and couldn’t believe it. A toddler saying bye bye plane repeatedly on a plane gets you booted off? Unbelievable let me bring my 4 and 3 year old that will make any flight attendant think twice. BTW was that the flight attendant from the stop smoking commericials j/k.
I think it is absolutely ridiculous. I can understand it’s annoying, a child screaming on a plane. I can understand how it wouldn’t be the funnest thing in the world, to have to sit through a flight with a screaming infant or a wily toddler. But, like you said, they’re KIDS. We’ve all been kids once. Cut kids a break, and cut their parents a break. Because I’m going to hedge a guess that the vast majority of parents with kids who are freaking out on a flight *aren’t* having a good time.
You know, in the grand scheme of things, is one kid crying on a plane going to ruin another’s life? No. Is one kid saying “bye bye” to the plane as it taxis down the tarmac going to cause the world to explode? No. Is it something that, 100 years down the road, people will remember? Probably not.
There are so many other things going on in the world right now that people can freak out over. This is not one of them.
I’m like you — more inclined to feel bad for the mother of a crying child, because we’ve all been in that position, if not on a plane then in some other public setting.
As for this incident, I think the flight attendant over-reacted. I mean, really, most people continue talking during those safety spiels.
WOW, I just can’t get over the fact they turned the plane around to kick her off. I agree that flying with kids (and eating in restaurants) is hard. But like Ali, our travels are a necessary evil, if we don’t travel, the grandparents don’t get to see their grandkids – even worse, we have to travel to the UK to visit one set of grandparents.
I can handle long car rides with my kids, because at least it is only me they are driving crazy, but plane rides are another thing. It truly is sad that non-parents can make an already difficult job of juggling children on a plane, that much more difficult. The sad thing is that unless they become parents themselves, there is no way of opening their eyes. I hope Continental’s customer service lines are being flooded with feedback on this one.
As a mum, my first instinct is to blame the flight attendant. I have flown back and forth (including two 7 1/2 hour flights) with my girl – all while she was under three. I guess I’m fortunate that I’ve had great experiences and the flight staff have been wonderful. However, I think the media portrayal of this story is missing something. How did the mother react to the request? Was she abusive or did she honestly try to work with the staff? How many times was the request made to try to calm her child? Was she completely ignoring the fact that her child was possibly upsetting those who were trying to listen to the speech? How distruptive was her child being? I hate to be devil’s advocate on this one, but there are mums out there who do believe their children can do no wrong… and it’s a bad scene all around when they’re set loose in public.
Of course, I’m apt to believe that there are people out there who are just plain nasty… and this flight attendant sounds like she fits the bill!
Kerry, i’m so glad you left this comment. it’s good for me to take a moment and realize that yes, flight attendants really are overworked and are probably exhausted on flights. but, you’re right…there’s still no excuse for what she did….
I’m a flight attendant for another major US airline and I can’t imagine ever treating a mom and baby like this! In fact I try everything within my means to make them comfortable. We ARE overworked, underpayed and flying with little rest most of the time but this still is totally uncalled for. It’s flight attendant’s like this that are going to ruin it for everyone else when abusing this “power” to kick people off. I’ve been flying for 10 years now and I’ve never had to do this. Come close but not. And it was an alcohol-related situation. A mom and baby are harmless and I agree if you’ve tried everything to calm them down and nothing is working you’ve done you’re best and that’s all you can do. It’s a different age now. Flying is a means to get somewhere not a privelege anymore and people foget that when they get on an airplane. Their expectations are still high. I could go on and on about the way we are treated now adays but you know that comes with the job! If you don’t like it get a new job! I’ve been off for a nice super long maternity/medical leave and I’m seriously considering not going back. It’s rough out there and if I’m not doing a good job then I don’t want to be there.
I’m not a parent, but I do understand that sometimes kids will be, well, kids. Sure, listening to a crying baby is annoying, but it mostly makes me feel for the mom because you know she’s trying to make the crying stop and it’s even more frustrating for her than it is for the rest of us. Because, let’s face it — the mom doesn’t have the option to just put in her earphones and ignore the noise.
I take my kid out to eat all the time, so far he is well behaved and charming but I am sure it will change. Seriously though, kicking a chatty baby – who likely learned a new word for the plane ride, off of an airplane? Dumbasses thats all I have to say, I agree with the whole drunk with power theory.
wow so now toddlers aren’t allowed to entertain themselves on airplanes.that flight attendant was clearly in the wrong making them leave the plane.
Completely ridiculous! I absolutely hate taking my girls on airplanes as well because you just never know how they are going to act. But with my parents and my in-laws in 2 different states we do not have the option either. I am with you, yes it can be annoying, but I am too busy feeling bad for the tired mom who is trying to quiet her children down. Our last flight both of my girls were acting up on and off and the woman in front of us kept ranting and raving loudly how she was going to need a drink after getting off the flight and how dare people even think of bringing children on an airplane. Seriously?!
hey SciFi – drunk with power is EXACTLY right.
I can’t believe they figured out the newest sleeper cells are infants! 😉
But seriously, sometimes I think airline (and airport) employees have gone drunk with power.
I am in shock right now!!! I CANNOT believe this mother & babe were kicked off the flight. That is absurd & I will NEVER fly Continental. I don’t travel a lot because I don’t need to, so why subject myself to that – lol – same reason you don’t take kids to restaurant.
Funny I do subject myself to the restaurant nightmare almost weekly because I love dining out & I’m always hoping this will be the night my boys behave perfectly. I know…dreaming. It’s o.k, we’ll keep trying & I only go to family friendly places.
Wow, that is unbelievable!! I have always liked Continental (they are one of the last major airlines in the US to still feed you & play movies), but I’m rethinking that right now. It is so stressful flying with a child, and it sounds like this woman just had to endure an extended layover of 11 hrs in the airport. Everyone is allowed a “down-day”, but to take it out on a mother & her child is just inexcusable.