Pathetic Parents

July 21, 2010

in Baby & Kid Stories

I used to fly weekly for my job, but now I only fly a few times a year for family visits and vacation, thank goodness! Several years ago I was flying from south Florida to Newark, NJ going home after visiting a friend. I had noticed a family with 2 small children in the boarding area in the Hollywood airport and had a sinking feeling that they would be my seatmates. I will confess that I am not much of a “kid” person, but I was used to flying with children and it didn’t bother me as long as the parents tried to keep them occupied.

The father and daughter (about 1 year old) sat in front of me, and the mother and son (about 3 or 4 years old) sat across the aisle from them. The second we took off, father and daughter fell asleep. The son, however, began to scream in that glass-shattering way that only small children can. He was screaming for his dad, who slept the entire flight. The mother did nothing to calm him, and finally passengers were asking her to wake up the dad to calm the kid which she refused to do.

Four hours later – after screaming the entire flight – dad finally woke up long enough to get the kid off the plane. He slammed him into a stroller in the boarding area, screaming at him to be quiet. A fellow passenger told the father and mother where they could stick it as soon as we all deplaned, and they proceeded to tell all of us to f-off as loudly as possible, in front of their children. This was their connecting flight – they had to go board another plane! I felt sorry for the next load of passengers.

{ 18 comments… read them below or add one }

paul July 21, 2010 at 7:15 pm

Where were the F/A's?

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Good King Herod July 22, 2010 at 1:43 am

I would have pulled out a Benadryl blow gun and quieted that kid.

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Bill July 22, 2010 at 2:09 am

I prefer the usage of a cattle prod.

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Fred July 22, 2010 at 2:10 am

🙂

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Josh July 22, 2010 at 4:41 am

Sometimes kids scream. It's almost unavoidable, but I think that the mother should have made some effort. I'm surprised she didn't. The kid must not have been that loud if both the father and the baby didn't wake up from the "screaming".

Also, you seem hypocritical in that you and other passengers tell the parents where they can stick it, and fault them by responding similarly.

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Edward Cullen July 22, 2010 at 5:51 am

Kids on planes, worse than snakes on planes!

– EC

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TeBigM July 22, 2010 at 10:21 am

Keanu Reeves said it best, you need a licence to drive a car but any butt reaming asshole can be a parent.

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Jim July 22, 2010 at 10:31 am

Remember a time, when people took pride in themselves, their jobs and their families?

They would be apologetic if their children made noise….children were meant to be "seen and not heard" by adults….as my Mom would say.

Parents were in tune with their children, and knew their children's temperaments and limitations. If they knew their children couldn't stand a long flight, a long movie, or sit still for a nice dinner, the parents would not bring the children, until old enough to act appropriately.

Parents would be too embarassed to ever subject other non-relatives to the tantrums of their children.

What has happened to us, that not only do parents bring noisy children on planes, they do not make them mind, and they make excuses for their bad behavior?

Until a child is old enough to be respectful of others and behave, they should not be on planes, evening movies, or nice restaurants. These are sacrifices that the parents should be willing to make, if they truly want to be parents. If they are not willing to make those sacrifices, they should not be parents.

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Dina July 22, 2010 at 12:14 pm

Now, now, I'm sure shitty parenting is one of those things that has been decried for generations, just like the decline of the youth and rising cost of food. 🙂

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ps July 22, 2010 at 2:02 pm

What happens when you live overseas or have to travel cross country? Maybe I've been lucky in my travels but loud little ones have been few and far between. I've had more problems with self important jerks over the years than screaming little boys and girls. My kids have always been fine over the years in their travels between the US Europe and Asia, and the looks from jerks like you expecting the worst when we boarded almost made we want to pay them to scream. Are these parents mentioned on this post bad news? Yes. Are you a preachy mope? Absolutely.

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poco July 24, 2010 at 9:42 pm

I agree 100%! How dare anyone point out that most children are ill-behaved little shits?! I certainly don't want to be reminded that my brood are unwelcome in polite society because they're loud, smelly and obnoxious. Everyone else should just suck it up and suffer for my convenience. Thanks for correcting the internet on this one, PS.

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ps July 26, 2010 at 2:33 pm

Tyranny of the minority. As American as apple pie. I'm sure the 'net can now rest easy.

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Jesse July 22, 2010 at 5:26 pm

Well said Jim! I agree 100% Now a days parents expect schools and daycare to raise their children. Your child is a reflection of you in a way. So do it right the first time. Common Courtesy is a thing of the past.

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ElegantErica July 23, 2010 at 5:48 am

Children's meals have over 2000 calories; we allow them to eat all of it and wonder a) why they are gaining too much weight and b) why they have such a sense of entitlement.

http://consumerist.com/2010/07/get-your-kid-enoug

This is one place where our passengers of size are coming from.

Children should be seen and not heard. I don't see much of any reason to take a small child out to a restaurant for dinner. 1) The portions are too large. 2) They need time to mature before they are allowed such a treat.

I have the same opinion in regards to airplane travel. If your child isn't old enough to behave during a flight then the child doesn't travel. You leave them with a friend, neighbor, or relative… or you don't leave. Children do not need to be taken on vacations with you unless they have shown the maturity to deserve it.

Today's society feels the need to coddle the children. That hard work and adversity is somehow detrimental to their development.

We should be ashamed of this. Bring back good manners and common curtesy!

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ps July 24, 2010 at 4:31 pm

Maybe learn how to spell first. Children seen and not heard? I enjoy the sound of children singing laughing and being themselves. I have been out to restaurants that you may never likely go to as the entree is not on a plastic and the wee ones were saints. I do extend my sympathies that when you venture from your trailer and go to your local Denny's there may be some little ones making noise.

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Josh July 23, 2010 at 10:43 am

That's the dumbest thing I've heard. Flying is necissary for transit from point A to point B. Because you and people like you don't want to be bothered by occasional crying shouldn't be a reason for kids to not fly. If you don't want to have to deal with children on planes, charter your own plane or fly first class. Stop complaining. There are full grown adults that I find much more annoying than children.

What a bunch of snobs.

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GlennR July 22, 2010 at 3:08 pm

Paul. If the parents won't cooperate, what do you expect the flight attendants to do? Shoot the kid with a tranquilizer dart?

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Laura July 26, 2010 at 8:08 pm

He must have taken a break from screaming somewhere in those 4 hours or he'd pass out.

I hear you on the glass shattering screaming though. I endured it at a pizza restaurant with a hangover last week and absolutely lost my beans. On a plane I probably would have cut my ears off with the inflight meal cutlery.

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