Babies And Midnight?

June 25, 2009

in Baby & Kid Stories

Can someone please explain to the countless morons out there who choose to have children and fly with them that “red-eye” flights have become flights for those who need to sleep while in the air and go to work the next morning?

Are you going to reimbursement me for the time I miss at work because of your kid?

On my way to Los Angeles from Philadelphia, I sat next to a mother with her screaming baby. She was terribly apologetic, but I made her feel at ease. It was a morning flight and the baby’s ears must have been really torturing the poor kid. So, I did what any responsible passenger would do…I grabbed three drinks, popped a few pills, and promptly passed out. Why would I be angry or subject the mother to scorn? No way.

However, on my flight home, I took the red-eye so I could sleep, then go right to work the next day. The flight was at 11 PM. When I saw a mother with her kid, I wondered why the kid was up and wide awake.

For the entire the flight, the kid screamed like a banshee. Relentless. The mother tried to apologize. I asked if she had ever thought about baby Benadryl. She gave me some shit about not believing in giving her kid drugs or something like that. To which I replied, “Are you going to tell my boss that I can’t come to work because I’ve been up for 12 hours? Are you going to pay me for the day of work I’m going to miss because I didn’t sleep?”

Fucking morons. Take morning and afternoon flights or drug your kids on trips that are over 2 hours.

Signed, RML

{ 46 comments… read them below or add one }

SAW June 9, 2009 at 7:15 pm

Well… isn't this Mr. Grumpy. Sounds like you've been up past your bedtime when you wrote up your little posting. Take some Prozac.

Just remember ONE important thing… you don't know why people do things, or may HAVE to do something. The red-eye flights are often much cheaper too – some people can't afford more crowded flights, and take the ones they can get cheap tickets for.

One thing I'm sick to death of, is people complaining about other people's "choices" (read, choices, not behavior) without taking the time to consider that a situation might not be choice, but forced upon them.

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SmashingLive June 9, 2009 at 8:59 pm

The airplane is not your bedroom and nobody should ever drug their children for your sake. Children's Benadryl is not for knocking children out. If you need to sleep on the plane in order to be alert for work the next day, there's something very wrong with your flight schedule.

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Luna August 10, 2015 at 8:32 pm

Look up the definition of a red-eye flight

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Hugh June 10, 2009 at 2:34 am

The plane is for ANYONE who needs to fly, not just you. Perhaps you should save up and buy your own jet. What a miserable person you must be, and so angry. You don't know their situation, and how dare you tell a mother to drug her baby. Shame on you.

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Kevin June 10, 2009 at 3:17 am

Wow, Reading those two comments makes me wonder what kind of people you guys are. First and Foremost, why on earth is the kid up at 11PM??? Unless someone is on their deathbed and this was the only possible flight out, there's no reason to have a child on that late of a flight. If you do, MAKE your kid sleep because it will make them, and everyone else happier in the end.

You guys think drugging the kid to get them to sleep on the flight is a bad idea or bad parenting, what is it to have the child up that late???

I've got an 11 month old that we took flying last month and the return trip landed at 1130PM. You better believe that we had our Baby Motrin ready incase he decided to get fussy. It shouldn't matter what time the flight is, CONTROL YOUR KID. He may not be the only one flying, but he has every right to a peaceful flight without a screaming child. Rememeber, you are flying in a Tin Can up there with no room to escape.

While his comments may have not been PC, at midnight I would've made the same comments…

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crella June 10, 2009 at 4:02 am

I bet the mother thought that if she took a flight at night, the baby would sleep. Unfortunately, babies don't react the way you think they will all the time. The trip to the airport and the hub-bub of going through security probably stimulated the child too much and it ended up awake. I'm sure the mother didn't plan it that way.

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SmashingLive June 10, 2009 at 7:14 am

"While his comments may have not been PC, at midnight I would've made the same comments…"

And, like this guy, it would have been your own fault for thinking of an airplane like a hotel room rather than a flying bus.

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Jeanie June 10, 2009 at 7:33 am

Maybe morons like you need not to fly.

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Aaron June 10, 2009 at 12:43 pm

Another reason for baby/toddler sections.

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blah June 10, 2009 at 12:51 pm

People with kids take the red eye with the hopes that their kid will sleep. I usually keep my kid awake and skip the nap for the day so he will sleep at night. I was next to a loser like this writer once who kept giving me dirty looks when my son was having a difficult time and told me to keep him at home. I replied, "oh so we should skip my dad's funeral then **shole." You don't know that parent's situation and most of my friends tend not to fly unless it's for family events.

Instead of being a crybaby take some grammar lessons.

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Anonymous June 10, 2009 at 1:22 pm

Hey Aaron, great idea, but maybe instead, there could be an A$$HOLE section. I think there are many more of them, than toddlers. Besides even in a toddler section, you will still hear crying in other sections. Like "blah" said, you don't know the situation of the people. I know when my kids were small we didn't do air travel unless it was necessary

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pg June 10, 2009 at 2:52 pm

I agree with you. That is absurd that the mother would not attempt to control her child. I to have traveled with my son on a plane. This is the son that has had countless ear surgeries. I ALWAYS gave him meds to sleep and kept him up as long as possible before the flight, I would much rather have him be fussy with me as opposed to have him screaming on a enclosed space. I CAN'T STAND SCREAMING KIDS ON A AIRPLANE!!!.

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Hugh June 11, 2009 at 1:40 am

pg…no where in the post does he say that the mother did not attempt to control her child. She was apologizing which meant she felt bad…had she been doing nothing, I doubt she would have apologized. Anyone with kids knows that sometimes things just don't work out, and they cry at inconvenient times. That child and mother has as much right to be on that plane as you or any other passenger. I woud hate being on a plane with a screaming kid, and believe me, I have had it happen numerous times. I also hate being next to smelly people, massively overweight people, people eating stinky food, people sneezing and coughing the whole trip,a nd a multitude of other issues, most of which have been discussed on this board…they are a fact of flying nowadays. Get over yourselves and shome some empathy to your fellow people. If you're stuck with that situation for a few hours, you can get angry and enraged and be miserable the whole time, or you can grit your teeth, take a deep breath, and realize there's nothing you can do, so you just accept it and make the best of a bad situation. The choice is yours.

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Winona June 11, 2009 at 6:26 am

RML, obviously you are not a parent and have never been around children enough to discover that they are much more than an annoyance in your precious schedule. The mother likely took the red-eye hoping the child would sleep on the flight (I have hoped that myself, with mixed results). There's only so much one can do to control their child – and drugging them is not always the best option. Sorry that everyone else on the plane couldn't adhere to your schedule. [/sarcasm]

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An June 11, 2009 at 11:33 pm

I have flown a zillion miles and have found that some parents plan ahead and cajole, entertain, and comfort their little ones to much success (QUIET). Others don't. I understand that some kids may be sick or whatever, but good grief!, please don't take your children on airplanes if you don't have to! Most of us are working stiffs who MUST fly when their company says so. We have enough grief. We don't need your child SCREAMING for HOURS on end while you do nothing!!!! And by the way, I DO NOT want your sticky, slobbery child touching me! If you are too cheap to buy your child a seat, and have opted for the "lap child" ticket (which, by the way, is EXTREMELY dangerous in the event of any accident, as the child will not be strapped in), DO NOT ignore your aisle mates and let the child poke and prod and stick its gooey appendages into other peoples' personal space (which is precious little on an airline). I DO NOT LIKE OR LOVE YOUR CHILD! GET IT AWAY FROM ME! And before you people who choose to breed declare me a heretic, I love my nephews. I like my best friends' children. I AM NOT RELATED TO YOU! GET YOUR CREEPY, DROOLING, SCHREACHING, ILL-BEHAVED SPAWN out of my expensively purchased 20-some inches. By the way, I would be more than happy to buy your kid a drink to shut him the hell up! Don't you give me any crap about hating kids! I just hate YOUR misbehaving, evil, screaming, obnoxious kid. By the way, I had to travel often as a small child. My mother expected us children to behave. SURPRISE!! WE DID!!!

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Julicans June 13, 2009 at 9:25 am

Aaron,

When you get bumped off a flight b/c there's no seats except the baby/toddler section and you are traveling childless, don't complain! I don't want to read your sad sack story here.

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An June 13, 2009 at 8:58 pm

Children should be AT HOME, unless it is an emergency. Good grief! What is the matter with you people!????! I DO NOT want to sit next to your slobbery, grubby, sticky, smelly child!!!!!! Just because you have functioning reproductive parts doesn't mean you should use them!!! Give me a BREAK! There should be a TEST you have to pass before you can bear a child! I have had to travel a MILLION miles in the air! The most awful, obnoxious, smelly, loud, irritating people I have ever had to sit next to were people with EVIL CHILDREN. KEEP THEM AT HOME! PS: Don't let your sticky, crappy, evil spawn TOUCH ME!!!! What is the matter with you?? ARE YOU IGNORANT? Keep your crappy, sticky children away from me!!!! JEEZZZZ!

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An June 13, 2009 at 9:22 pm

DO Not take babies on planes. ARE YOU STUPID? STOP IT! I am so sick of traveling on business and having to put up with screaming babies! What is the matter with you? Unless your relative has died suddenly, do NOT torture us! We HAVE to travel! WE DON"T WANT TO!!!! Please stop with the baby crying thing!!!! Stay home, or buy all of us business people DRINKS at your expense!

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An June 13, 2009 at 9:28 pm

If you cannot keep your children quiet and composed, then, by all means, DRUG THEM!!!! If you are stupid and cannot control your issue, then other people will have to take over and treat/beat your ignorant spawn.

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Julicans June 14, 2009 at 3:44 am

An,

Do thank God that your parents had you? Or do you wish that they never used their functioning reproductive parts? Maybe other people should have to taken over and treat/beat their ignorant spawn.

Air travel is not just for business people. If you don't want to sit near a child then get your our plane.

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Julicans June 14, 2009 at 3:44 am

An,

Do you thank God that your parents had you? Or do you wish that they never used their functioning reproductive parts? Maybe other people should have to taken over and treat/beat their ignorant spawn.

Air travel is not just for business people. If you don't want to sit near a child then get your our plane.

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Brandy June 14, 2009 at 5:00 am

I personally think that any parent who puts a baby or young child on an airplane, WITHOUT drugs, should be investigated for torture and abuse of a child. Nobody ever seems to think of what the actual child is going through. Adults understand the physical affects of being on an airplane. Your ears start to pop, the unnatural pressure on a body, we can handle that. Small children can't understand that.. and are terrified and in pain (from ears popping) by what is happening to them. So it's not the kids fault, it's the parents, for putting them through that unnecessary torture. And don't tell me it's not torture… because it's exactly that. You stupid parents do nothing to ease the suffering of your child. If you were in extreme distress.. do you honestly think your favorite book, video game, or (non-alcoholic) drink will calm you down? Of course not. So why on earth would you think it would help a baby?! I think they should have social services in airports just to make sure the child is drugged.. and if not, then charge the parents. What you do to your child is cruel an inhumane. Shame on you.

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GottaLoveIt June 14, 2009 at 7:07 am

Oh please. Being on a plane isn't some horrible experience, even for children. Stop being dramatic.

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GottaLoveIt June 14, 2009 at 4:59 pm

Oh wow. You're a pretty huge fucktard aren't you? Show me a study that says that kids suffer an unreasonable amount on airplanes. Or just sit there screaming your ignorance at anyone who will listen. Whatever blows your skirt up.

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Brandy June 14, 2009 at 6:25 pm

gottaloveit:
You are probably one of those stupid parents i’m talking about..so I’m not going to pretend that what you said is anything but that.. stupid. Your dumbass probably supports waterboarding too. Your an ingorant as, and the reason why people think it’s ok to bring undrugged kids on the plane in the first place. What you say has no merit… Oh did I mention.. YOU SUCK? Have fun torturing your kids… then when they blow up schools.. just blame it music or t.v… but we will all know what really caused it…YOU! DUMB ASS!

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Hugh June 15, 2009 at 1:55 am

Brandy…what drugs are you on??? Flying on a plane is NOT torture or abuse. Comparing it to such things diminishes real abuse of children. No kid is going to blow up a school because they flew on a plane. You need a good bitch slap full of reality.

Comparing flying with children to waterboarding and torture, what a dipshit!

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denise ketter June 17, 2009 at 7:37 am

first off to the person who says to drug them is ridiculas and if you dont like kids then dont fucking fly asshole and for the other person some kids are up till 11 unless you have kids i would shut the hell up fucking ignorant people.I have 2 kids and if you were to say that to me on the plane i would have slapped you across the face maybe you should walk or drive alone you prick because there not going to stop planes cuz theres kids on there for you

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Jeanie June 18, 2009 at 7:29 am

Brandy… please tell us that your tubes are tied or that you're otherwise sterile.

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GottaLoveIt June 18, 2009 at 7:39 am

Brandy, if you think that loud children are isolated to airplanes, you're even more stupid than I thought.

"but what to I know.. I'm just a "facktard". "

I'm glad we agree on something.

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CDP June 18, 2009 at 12:56 pm

I dont have kids (was a nanny for 2 years for 3 kids all under the age of 5) but I've dealt with enough screaming babies on and off flights to know that IF I ever had one, I wouldnt hesitate to drug 'em up for a plane ride. My parents knocked me out with Gravol for long car rides when I was a kid and I turned out just fine. For my sanity, the babies comfort and the sanity of all the other passengers, for gods sake just give 'em a little Benadryl/Gravol so the baby sleeps!!! It will not harm them.

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DSD June 22, 2009 at 7:08 am

Brandy, your ignorance is so astounding it amazing you don't drool on yourself.

1) "If you were in extreme distress.. do you honestly think your favorite book, video game, or (non-alcoholic) drink will calm you down? Of course not."

WRONG

Actually having your little one sip on a bottle WILL help calm them down. First its just sooting to babies and 2 IT WILL CLEAR THEIR EARS JUST LIKE IT WORKS ON YOUR EARS.

Also there are MANY studies that show that by distraction WILL help one cope with pain.

2)"I'm guessing you assholes would probably give your animals tranqs for the ride.. but not your own kids.. once again.. not very humane. you guys are duchebags for fighting me on this."

WRONG AGAIN DOUCH.

There isn't an airline in the US that will put a drugged animal on their plane.

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SamH June 24, 2009 at 11:49 am

Business travel is the bread and butter of the airline business, not the $59 round-trip family trash with three screaming brats and their idiot breeders. You leisure passengers are a pain in the ass and count for nothing. If you bring your screaming, loudmouthed hellions on the plane, you get every scowl or negative comment you earned.

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Laura Cardwell June 28, 2009 at 6:41 pm

God, I hate children in general, but I LOATHE children on planes. I always feel homicidal rage when they're screaming or loudly narrating everything that goes on.

However shit happens and someone with screaming spawn has every right to be on that plane, so I can fucking deal. I can't afford first class or business class seating so this is what I get. Better go find a better job!

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crella June 29, 2009 at 3:21 pm

"If you are stupid and cannot control your issue, then other people will have to take over and treat/beat your ignorant spawn."

Well we can certainly see by your posts what happens when one of those screamers grows up…or was it that your parents kept you confined to the house, as you're suggesting?

Brandy, you seem to need to be drugged before posting…

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nns July 1, 2009 at 11:17 am

I was fortunate enough to grow up with parents who appreciated the benefit of travel and new experiences to their children. As a twin (who by the way has mental/physical disabilities – travel horror stories for another time), my parents travelled with two young children.

Because of my sister's disabilities, we often took the red-eye flights because that would be when the airports were less busy and the aiport staff was often more accommodating. This was especially true immediately after 9-11 when airport security required that a heavily armed man held my sister while another checked her wheelchair (you want to see a screaming child…you haven't seen ANYTHING).

On planes, we knew what was expected of us. That being said, meltdowns were not unheard of. My parents however planned for such, and yes, that includes benedril.

I still love to travel, and do it often (whether it be by plane, bus or train) and have noticed two things.

1. Parents who allow their child's meltdowns to last through entire trips are unprepared, to say the least, and

2. There is nothing more frusterating, distracting, and alltogether unhelpful when dealing with meltdowns than impatient adults that feel that they are more qualified to deal with children's issues.

Keep your kids at home? Great concept, but some people feel that well-rounded children require education that includes more than just what they read in books (why see Mount Rushmore when you can read about it?).

My parents by the way, for those of you who will answer that my parents should have driven, chose to fly because 15 hour car rides in a wheelchair is close to unbearable.

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Peter Fulton Foss July 2, 2009 at 7:30 pm

I think I'd rather sit next to the baby than this passenger with his potty mouth.

No class.

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Elisa July 9, 2009 at 4:42 am

> "I personally think that any parent who puts a baby or young child on an airplane, WITHOUT drugs, should be investigated for torture and abuse of a child. Nobody ever seems to think of what the actual child is going through."

Well said. Next time anyone is stuck in a plane with a screaming kid, take a look at that kid more closely. You'll see a screwed up bright red snot-covered uber-upset child in serious distress.

There is no point saying planes aren't torture. To a terrified child, they are as scary as the boogieman, losing a favourite toy or not knowing where Mommy is.

Any parent who thinks they're doing the best for their child by taking them on a red-eye… I have news for you. Keeping your kid awake until the flight makes them CRANKY. And keeping them medication-free makes them unable to fix their crankiness with much-needed sleep.

Sleep deprivation is serious; enough of it can kill, and think how irritable YOU are when you've lost a night's sleep. Now add to that, the kid doesn't understand what's happening and the kid isn't able to fix the issue themselves. Overall, the purity option is cruel.

Look at the bigger picture. A gentle dose of a safe medicine is far kinder to your child than the experience which wears THEM out, YOU out, and your fellow passengers out.

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the dominator July 23, 2009 at 7:40 am

i applaud the man who wrote this article. i hate kids. and to all you goody-goody's who get all preachy and say crap like shame on you and how dare you etc. stfu! i will tell you and your stupid little turd baby to zip it or i will quiet the little brat with my bare hands. i won't need drugs to do it- i will just choke the little bastard. that WILL quiet him down for sure!

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DJA July 28, 2009 at 11:11 am

Oh, charming, Brandy. Really, truly charming. I've ridden on planes most of my life, including as a baby/very young child. I did not have problems with the physical sensation of flying; actually, I looked forward to plane trips. Torture? I think not. Children will vary in their responses (particularly if they have inner ear issues), but it's not necessarily horrible.

Also, I can't remember for certain how I acted as a toddler, but past that age I did not act up on flights; I knew that it wasn't ok and my parents wouldn't put up with it. Maybe babies' reactions can't be helped, but kids aren't dumb animals, people. They're capable of learning what's socially acceptable if parents actually teach them.

And on the red-eye flight/sleepless kids issue: maybe parents should have their kids get extra sleep or take naps before traveling? No need for drugs that way, if they object, but also no need to make both sides miserable. And it's worth paying attention to whether one's kid experiences physical distress from flying (some do, some completely don't) or is just acting up. Actual distress? Try limiting flying as a travel option and do what you can to alleviate symptoms. Acting up? Teach that kid some manners, pronto.

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Anon July 30, 2009 at 12:53 pm

I loved to fly when I was really little. 😐 I also knew if I acted up, I was going to get a bottom spanking (1, for all you bottom-spanking-is-child-abuse people). lol

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Chickibee September 28, 2009 at 4:36 pm

So I know I'm a little bit late to the party, but I have to say that my first time on a plane was when I was 3 years old (I was an angel, btw). In general, I don't think that children who cannot conceptualize that a) the pressure changes are only temporary and b) how to pop their ears to stop the discomfort should go on a plane. I know there are emergency situations, and not everyone can afford/ trusts a sitter to stay with their kids when they have to go to, say, a funeral, and I accept this. I also accept the fact that there are pediatrician approved ways of keeping kids quiet when they get uncomfortable like that.

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germaine November 9, 2009 at 6:42 pm

Wow.there,s some seriously f##### up people on this site…..people Parents with children fly for many diff reasons. A well prepared parent even cannot have the answer to every thing.if your flight is shit some of it is your attitude….get over yourself. I am travelling with my 5 year old and 7 year old this Christmas on a 8 hour flight to England…..why? because my family despareately want to see them and we have to scope out properties and jobs and get them duel nationality before we leave US forever, now despite all the best planning in the world (AND i HAVE GOOD KIDS) i HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THIS FLIGHT WILL PRESENT. So I am going to fly to England with a song in my heart , meds entertainment , love humour and hope.and if my kids piss you off.THEN i,M SORRY..GET YOURSELF A F###CKN BUSINESS CLASS CAUSE i,M DOIN THE BEST ICAN, and for you info, some coutries only do red eye flights out of the country beleive me I know cause I,ve tried to find day flights and I cant, and for those of you that say dont go till there well behaved…..dude do you have any implicstion of what it is to have a child grow up in another country and your family cant see them….selfish F#ck if you dont try to unite families while you can, my mum have seen my son once.hes now 5 it is my duty as a loving daughter for them to reunite and connect before we move back for good, get over yourself your just mad cause at this particular point the world isnt evolving around you….Boo HOOOOOO

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Inka November 29, 2009 at 3:41 pm

I just love parents who are proud of drugging their children to control them. Talk about good parenting. And then they wonder when their kids end up as heroin addicts.

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An/Brandy are dumb March 8, 2013 at 7:28 pm

An,
you say you travel for business all the time… there is a place just for businesspeople, its called business class, i travel for business constantly too, and my company has never put me in coach. Perhaps you are simply not very good / skilled at business to warrant the additional cost..

my newborn child's grandparents are across the world, so he shouldn't get to see his grandparents because he might annoy a few people on the plane? get real, shoot me a dirty look when i'm with my kid and i'll show you how load a baby can scream.

and Brandy… is that your real name? if so what trailer park were you born in? Parents name you after their favorite drink?

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carrie preston April 3, 2016 at 3:24 pm

OMG, what kind of person writes this…talking bad about children, parents and parenting itself…you were a screaming child alsoIts not like people have to lock their children at homes until they grow up so they dont annoy anyone who doesnt have children. My god.

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Zombie April 7, 2016 at 9:09 am

Not everybody was a "screaming" child — some were well-behaved. But, usually that was because the parent were responsible adults.

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