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I disagree. If the screaming baby is affecting your ability to concentrate and drive safely, then what do you suggest, pull the bus over and park till the baby stops crying?
The bus driver is responsible for the safe operation of the bus and the safety of all passengers.
Additionally, personal responsibility suggests, that MAYBE she shouldn't have placed the others around her in this situation. What was so important other than a Doctor's visit, (and even then I would try to have a ride to and from other than a bus, because a Doctor's visit could entail shots and exacerbate this situation), that she had to take the baby on a bus, and possibly run into this situation? Nobody she knows has a car? No one else could run the errand?
A choice was made to take the baby out, and ride a bus to and from. Knowing that babies cry, and that this situation could arise, then is probable that this whole situation could have been avoided by taking other measures. Getting a ride, etc etc.
So yes, I do place some responsibility for this on the mother, for making the decision to be on a bus with an infant, and if safety was affected because the driver had problems with a baby crying, then possibly the driver made the right decision.
So your position is that people with young children shouldn't use public transportation. Because, after all, when a mother boards the bus, she doesn't know if the baby is going to cry. Your argument is, because there is a chance, she should make other arrangements. When parents make vacation plans and they have young children, sorry, but you can't fly. Your children may pitch a tantrum. Your child may get sick. Your child may have a bladder accident. Your child may get whiny. No, no public transportation for you, your children could potentially disturb other people and that is verboten.
If you read the article you would see that this child was not a newborn. The first article states the kid was 21 months old. That is a toddler and toddlers can and should be disciplined. An infant or newborn is actually easy to calm (at least mine were because we have really easy going babies in my family). Usually you can talk to them or feed them or change them. Most of the time they just want you to pick them up. It is not the same with a 21 month old, nearly 2 year old child. They will cry and cry because they are tired or hungry or are just irritable. People should know their kids and know their kids schedule and not take them out without making sure their needs are met first.
I also know that it is still daylight savings time and in most places it is not dark at 8pm. I know that she could have called a cab or not have taken her nearly 2 year old child out in the evening when that child should be getting ready for bed at 8pm. If she worked, and she is poor, which may be why she was riding the bus so late, she could have arranged to have the child transported home from a daycare facility. In most areas people who are working but poor can get daycare assistance and transportation is included with that assistance and is free.
Oh for pete's sake, spare me - in fact, spare us all, from your sanctimonious parental NON expertise. You can BEGIN to discipline a toddler, but in appropriate ways always taking into consideration their needs, their developmental level, and what may be the source of their distress. A toddler can BEGIN to learn what "no" means in certain settings but still can have NO CONTROL over his emotions when he is TIRED, HUNGRY, SCARED, SICK or HURTING. A mother can do all she can to provide for the child's needs but sometimes a baby or toddler just has a need to continue crying for a while in order to release pent up stress. This is COMPLETELY NORMAL and does not mean that either the toddler is "spoiled" or that the parents aren't disciplining properly. Babies and toddlers cry for a variety of reasons that are UNAVOIDABLE.
A mother cannot ALWAYS avoid traveling with a small child during his "off hours" either. Perhaps she was coming from a doctor's appt, the only one she could get which was at the end of the day. There are a hundred reasons why she might have been on the bus at the time when, OMG, her BABY decided to cry! Imagine!
Some babies and toddlers can have a bad day. Some babies and toddlers have different temperments and act very differently even though they have the same parents. Some of the comments on this thread, especially from Joe Ryder (bleh!) are the most INANE I have ever seen. It's "easy" to comfort an infant - oh yeah? Do you even HAVE an infant? Have you ever even seen one up close? And just because your infant was easy (I suspect really it was your wife who did all the work so yeah, maybe it was easy for you but that doesn't mean the baby was really easy) - many babies are not easy and it has nothing whatsoever to do with the parents' skill. Colic is a MEDICAL CONDITION caused by an immature digestive system trying to digest the protein in cow's milk, NOT a psychosomatic condition brought on by just awful parents as some of you have ignorantly stated. Aside from things like colic, some babies are supersensitive and intense, and sensory input is more distressing for them than it is for other children. Ever heard of sensory processing disorder? It's very real, again a medical condition. Most babies outgrow it or grow up into adults who are supersensitive to noises . . . hey . . . maybe some of you have SPD and that's why you can't handle a little baby crying.
Here is a news flash for all of you critics: YOU WERE BABIES ONCE TOO AND YOU ALSO BLUBBERED AT INOPPORTUNE TIMES. In fact, given the type of verbal blubbering we are witnessing here about your intolerance to normal noises, I'm going to guess you all have SPD and that would have made you some of the neediest and blubberiest toddlers around. Go ask your mom.
A mother cannot ALWAYS avoid traveling with a small child during his "off hours" either. Perhaps she was coming from a doctor's appt, the only one she could get which was at the end of the day. There are a hundred reasons why she might have been on the bus at the time when, OMG, her BABY decided to cry! Imagine!
Then she should have arranged that late in the day for a ride from a friend or a taxi paid for by a social service agency.
Again, it wasn't HER schedule and plans that were inconvenienced here, and nobody knows if the DRIVER has latent "Sensory Processing Disorder" that made the incessant screaming a dangerous distraction for the handling of the bus.
I only read the first post and I am quite curious as to how this turned into an 18 page thread! Lets see if it stays on topic! I'll report back with my findings.
Then she should have arranged that late in the day for a ride from a friend or a taxi paid for by a social service agency.
Again, it wasn't HER schedule and plans that were inconvenienced here, and nobody knows if the DRIVER has latent "Sensory Processing Disorder" that made the incessant screaming a dangerous distraction for the handling of the bus.
Will social services pay for a taxi when a public bus is available? I would hope not, since that is a blatant waste of taxpayer dollars.
Good for the bus driver. There is no reason every other passenger or the driver should have to put up with a screaming kid. Put her off...when she gets the kid quieted down she can take the next bus. Why is it an issue?
Its discrimination. He should be fired over this. IF he cannot handle a crying baby he has no business driving a bus in the first place. I'll bet he has done this before.
So your position is that people with young children shouldn't use public transportation. Because, after all, when a mother boards the bus, she doesn't know if the baby is going to cry. Your argument is, because there is a chance, she should make other arrangements. When parents make vacation plans and they have young children, sorry, but you can't fly. Your children may pitch a tantrum. Your child may get sick. Your child may have a bladder accident. Your child may get whiny. No, no public transportation for you, your children could potentially disturb other people and that is verboten.
So your position is that the bus driver should risk the safety of himself, the mother, the child, everyone on the bus, every other driver on the road, every bicycle rider and every pedestrian in the area?
So your position is that the bus driver should risk the safety of himself, the mother, the child, everyone on the bus, every other driver on the road, every bicycle rider and every pedestrian in the area?
Don't be hysterical now. Read the facts. Every other passenger has stated that the baby was not screaming but was merely crying and that it wasn't even that loud. Clearly the driver has "issues."
I wish every one of you who believe you raised little messiahs who never disturbed anyone in public could go back in time and view those days through a third-person perspective. I bet it would be an eye-opener.
And I wish more people would love children instead of hating them if they appear in public places.
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