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This story cracked me up. I say GREAT for the airline and the flight attendants for AirTran. These parents let their 3 year old have a tantrum and not make her sit in her seat and buckle up so that the plane could taxi and take off. So after 15 minutes delay they made them get off. GOOD!!!!!!!!! The parents wanted more time to rationalize with their child to get her in her seat. Okay, the plane has already been delayed 15 minutes because of this. Any longer and they are going to lose their spot to taxi and then their spot to take off. The next plane coming in can not go to the gate as they are still holding it up. Whenever this plane does get to take off whenever it gets to the destination they could be held up if another plane has been able to get their gate. And the cycle will continue. They affected more people than the ones on the plane or their family. It is not like it was an unavoidable medical emergency that no one could predict. It was an out of control brat that has been able to push her parents around. If this is what she acts like at 3 I don't want to see this kid when they are a teenager. YIKES!!! I'm a parent and I know things happen but sometimes you have to do more than "talk" or "console her" when it is in an environment that effects many others. If they knew she might have done this they should have been "consoling" her BEFORE they boarded. I've traveled many times w/ my kids and they know better than to act up like this in public.
Eeek.
The mother said the toddler was "crying too much", but the airline employee said "she was climbing under the seat and hitting the parents and wouldn't get in her seat" . I'd love to hear from some of the other passengers on that flight.
I agree momof2, the time discuss appropriate behavior is ~before~ the event. Don't wait til things snowball.
This story cracked me up. I say GREAT for the airline and the flight attendants for AirTran. These parents let their 3 year old have a tantrum and not make her sit in her seat and buckle up so that the plane could taxi and take off. So after 15 minutes delay they made them get off. GOOD!!!!!!!!! The parents wanted more time to rationalize with their child to get her in her seat. Okay, the plane has already been delayed 15 minutes because of this. Any longer and they are going to lose their spot to taxi and then their spot to take off. The next plane coming in can not go to the gate as they are still holding it up. Whenever this plane does get to take off whenever it gets to the destination they could be held up if another plane has been able to get their gate. And the cycle will continue. They affected more people than the ones on the plane or their family. It is not like it was an unavoidable medical emergency that no one could predict. It was an out of control brat that has been able to push her parents around. If this is what she acts like at 3 I don't want to see this kid when they are a teenager. YIKES!!! I'm a parent and I know things happen but sometimes you have to do more than "talk" or "console her" when it is in an environment that effects many others. If they knew she might have done this they should have been "consoling" her BEFORE they boarded. I've traveled many times w/ my kids and they know better than to act up like this in public.
I totally agree. I saw the interview with the parents. Guess what the 3 year old girl is doing? Climbing all over the couch behind her mother and being a general nuissance. It's clearly how that little girl is being brought up and it's the parent's fault, not that little kid.
The airline was right to throw them off and although the family apparently refused free tickets from the airline afterward, I agree with momof3dfw that that 15 min. delay ends up costing everyone time and money and is intolerable if not an emergency situation.
When I flew to Detroit from Frankfurt, Germany in 2003, I had a child about that age SCREAMING< SCREAMING>SCREAMING throughout almost the entire flight. The parents sat there ignoring it and pretending everything was fine. No attempt to take control. If that had been me as a child, my dad would have brought out the pincher neck hold and asked me "Do you want something to cry about?" and that would have resolved the issue nicely for me, my parents, and the other 250 passengers suffering through my tantrum. I wanted to reach over and throw the whole family out the window at 40,000 ft. That the parents of badly behaved children inflict their poor parental skill results on the rest of us should not be tolerated by us. Why should we suffer lost connections, delays, and physical discomfort because they're rotten parents?
We should all share our stories of unpleasant flights that involve the most obnoxious kids that make out lives miserable!!
I've had two.One was sitting on the Charlotte runway waiting for clearance to fly to Atlanta. Atlanta was having major weather issues and because everyone was already seated on the plane, we could not leave.
We sat there for 1 hour waiting in the heat, no air.I had this little 3ish old boy behind me,next to him was his 5ish sister and the aisle seat was his mother sitting there with her eyes closed for the longest time while he continued to kick my seat!His legs just kicking away.I kept turning around and trying to make eye contact with the mother and each time, she had her eyes closed,not paying attention to her obnoxious kid.Finally i could not take it.It was HOT,i am going to miss my connecting flight i am thinking, i am pissed so i felt like my face must have been LInda Blair of the Excorcist.I turn around, not caring that she is "sleeping" and say out loud, CAN YOU PLEASE HAVE YOUR CHILD STOP KICKING MY SEAT!!!! Oh boy, she gave me a look that could kill but hey, watch your kid next time!
Another one on a trip to Puerto Vallarta. This family of 4 had a little boy name "Finnegan" who got to sit in front of me.If Finnegan became bored, he was alowed to stand on his seat and stare at us,rub his dirty hands all over the window,cry,you name it he did it.
They departed the same day the following Sat. and saw them at the airport.
I was petrified we would have to endure Finnegan all over again but thank goodness we did not!
My parents would not have allowed for that sort of behavior, no way/no how. Kinda like MoMark...
I prep my daughter for any new experience and even those she probably should be used to already...kind reminders don't hurt children.
"You don't have to be scared, Mama is right here with you...there will be a funny/loud noise - this is what makes it, etc"...)
You never know what might set a kid off and I would sympathize with a terrified child, but that's when you have to make a decision to deal with it RIGHT THEN - either distract her or get her off the plane - don't ignore it.
Sounds like these folks had a brat attack on their hands and decided to let everyone else suffer along with them. Uncool.
I didn't hear that story (until now) but I agree too. It's the parents fault. My 3-year-old is very antsy and can only remain still, I believe, when she's asleep (no, she's not that bad). However, it is up to my husband and I to control her on how she uses her energy. Sometimes, yes, she's allowed to run around until she simply drops from exhaustion, other times, a line needs to be drawn. Unfortunately in society today a kid is automatically labeled ADD or ADHD and thrown on medication. When I was growing up, there was no medication for it, the solution was either you calmed down or got your a$$ beat. This leads to another topic we had going on here about "spanking" your children. Nine out of ten times, a spanking is not necessary. What I do most of the time is squat down in front of my daughter, take her by the arms and tell her to look at me. Once she's looking at me, she stops moving all over and can pay better attention. She then calms down and actually listens. Other times, depending on what it is that's been done (let the punishment fit the crime, etc.), she may be in a time out or get a spank on the bottom. There have been plenty of times where my husband and I were out and she acted up. Well, she got buckeled right into the stroller, or she was held without being allowed down. She cried, but if you don't play into the tears, they stop. In my house, we don't get to 3. I tell you once, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt that you didn't hear and I'll tell you twice. Then something's done about it. That kid should've been made to sit in her seat period. I can't stand parents who let their kids walk all over them. And yes, me too like MOMark, would've been disciplined by a neck pinching or similar form of "torture" LOL. My parents always threatened to "give us something to cry about" if we didn't stop...too funny.
Sad thing is, these are the kind of parents you'll see on Maury in 10 years saying "Maury, my daughter won't stop hitting me, please help me control her".
I'm so glad someone started this thread. I first heard the story yesterday but saw the in-home interview with the parents on CNN's website this morning. Those parents were going on and on about how embarassed and humiliated they were and that if this could happen to them it could happen to anyone. So what??? If they were unable to control that out-of-control child while still on the ground, what other behavior might she show while in flight? And on a larger scale, when did it become acceptable for the rights of the few to supercede those of the many? Those whiny parents thought it perfectly fine to hold 112 other passengers and crew hostage to their out-of-control child and expect everyone to wait for the situation to improve. I say kudos to AirTran and would hope that any and every other airline would do the same.
pixie, I also have a daughter with WAY TOO much energy. She can not sit still. She has flown numerous times and never been a problem. Even as toddlers my kids were not brats when flying or in these kinds of situations. This last summer w/ the current air travel policies and such and having to be at the airport so dadgum early we had about 2 hours to kill before our flight out one day. I left my husband and our bookworm daughter sitting at the gate and the youngest and I went for a walk. I'm antsy too and hate sitting for a long time. I knew we had a 3 hour flight ahead of us and that is if there are no delays. Her and I walked the ENTIRE length of the terminal twice (this was at D/FW and it is NOT small). Went to the bathroom, got something to drink (Sprite, no caffine for her ), went in the shops, etc. Kept her up and busy. I would not allow her to spend this time w/ the distractions that we had for the plane (personal DVD player, MP3, books, etc). Once my kids get on the plane if the oldest has a book she is already in it, probably had to make her close it to walk to board the plane, lol, she has her book out. The youngest more active child, she wants her DVD player ready to go once we take off. They know and they behave, othewise they will be in trouble.
I did not see the interview. Now I want to and then I hope these parents see themselves. Make them watch it. Hmm, maybe that supernanny can get involved w/ their family? LOL!!! These are the parents that want everyone to cave in so that their child does not get upset. Telling her "no" will "break her spirit" and such bs is probably the norm for them. The entire FAA can NOT wait on them to get their 3 year old "consoled" for a plane to take off. PERIOD! Wonder if any of the other passangers on that flight have come forward w/ their story? Wonder if anyone of them did miss a connection? Make the family pay them for it. The airline I think bent over too far and gave them too much even though they declined the free tickets.
pixie, I also have a daughter with WAY TOO much energy. She can not sit still. She has flown numerous times and never been a problem. Even as toddlers my kids were not brats when flying or in these kinds of situations. This last summer w/ the current air travel policies and such and having to be at the airport so dadgum early we had about 2 hours to kill before our flight out one day. I left my husband and our bookworm daughter sitting at the gate and the youngest and I went for a walk. I'm antsy too and hate sitting for a long time. I knew we had a 3 hour flight ahead of us and that is if there are no delays. Her and I walked the ENTIRE length of the terminal twice (this was at D/FW and it is NOT small). Went to the bathroom, got something to drink (Sprite, no caffine for her ), went in the shops, etc. Kept her up and busy. I would not allow her to spend this time w/ the distractions that we had for the plane (personal DVD player, MP3, books, etc). Once my kids get on the plane if the oldest has a book she is already in it, probably had to make her close it to walk to board the plane, lol, she has her book out. The youngest more active child, she wants her DVD player ready to go once we take off. They know and they behave, othewise they will be in trouble.
I did not see the interview. Now I want to and then I hope these parents see themselves. Make them watch it. Hmm, maybe that supernanny can get involved w/ their family? LOL!!! These are the parents that want everyone to cave in so that their child does not get upset. Telling her "no" will "break her spirit" and such bs is probably the norm for them. The entire FAA can NOT wait on them to get their 3 year old "consoled" for a plane to take off. PERIOD! Wonder if any of the other passangers on that flight have come forward w/ their story? Wonder if anyone of them did miss a connection? Make the family pay them for it. The airline I think bent over too far and gave them too much even though they declined the free tickets.
I agree with your methods...that's what we do with ours. My mom used to say that fresh air was always the trick and she's right. Granted, sometimes you can't actually go outside but you can put that theory to use like you did in the airport. If you keep them occupied and properly active, their bodies will rest appropriately (and yes, that would be the time to enjoy the DVD's....relaxation). I don't see how people cannot grasp this easy concept. No, it's not foolproof and doesn't work every single time, but again, it's a rather simple concept....
And as for what you said about the parents not wanting to break her spirit by saying no.....as my dad would say, life is full of disappointments, deal with it and move on (or as that new saying goes..build a bridge and get over it) and the word "no" that's what we call "tough love".
I was petrified we would have to endure Finnegan all over again but thank goodness we did not!
Sorry to make light of your misery....but something about a wicked little boy named "Finnegan" just cracks me up!!!
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