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Okay, it sounds as if the basic plan is a done deal.
How much personal contact do you have with your niece? Would it be possible for you to fly out with her? Or at least, make sure she has pictures of Grandma and Grandpa, and perhaps a card or letter from them, or better yet, a phone call or a Skype conversation, telling her how much they're looking forward to spending time with her and outlining plans for summer fun.
A picture book about plane travel would also be helpful - see your local library or bookstore. An advance trip to the airport might also help allay possible fears. Show her a simple map, explain how it works, and trace the flight path to her grandparents' home. If you can, talk with your niece about these plans and see how she feels about them. You can clear up any misunderstandings and put a positive spin on it, which sounds as if it's sorely needed.
Also, parents or other family members are allowed to go through security and remain with traveling children in the departure lounge until it's time for boarding the plane - it might also be possible for the grandparents to arrange to meet your niece at the arrival gate. Check with the airline - this isn't something that's publicized very much.
If the parents don't want to bother, could you do this? I found out about it when saying goodbye to a visiting elderly relative a few years ago - I got to go through security and be with her until she got on the plane.
I do hope the parents have enough sense to present this as a great idea, not "Well, your grandparents are finally getting what they wanted. Serves them right, after all their nagging - they'll have to put up with YOU all summer!"
It does sound as if the parenting is all about them, not their little daughter and her best interests. It's good that she has other caring relatives in her family, and perhaps after the initial trauma of a long solo plane flight to meet unknown grandparents, a good, loving, and trusting relationship can develop, something which is never amiss and certainly much to be desired in this case.
Best wishes to your niece.
Last edited by CraigCreek; 06-27-2014 at 09:54 AM..
Okay, it sounds as if the basic plan is a done deal.
How much personal contact do you have with your niece? Would it be possible for you to fly out with her? Or at least, make sure she has pictures of Grandma and Grandpa, and perhaps a card or letter from them, or better yet, a phone call or a Skype conversation, telling her how much they're looking forward to spending time with her and outlining plans for summer fun.
A picture book about plane travel would also be helpful - see your local library or bookstore. An advance trip to the airport might also help allay possible fears. Show her a simple map, explain how it works, and trace the flight path to her grandparents' home. If you can, talk with your niece about these plans and see how she feels about them. You can clear up any misunderstandings and put a positive spin on it, which sounds as if it's sorely needed.
Also, parents or other family members are allowed to go through security and remain with traveling children in the departure lounge until it's time for boarding the plane - it might also be possible for the grandparents to arrange to meet your niece at the arrival gate. Check with the airline - this isn't something that's publicized very much.
If the parents don't want to bother, could you do this? I found out about it when saying goodbye to a visiting elderly relative a few years ago - I got to go through security and be with her until she got on the plane.
I do hope the parents have enough sense to present this as a great idea, not "Well, your grandparents are finally getting what they wanted. Serves them right, after all their nagging - they'll have to put up with YOU all summer!"
It does sound as if the parenting is all about them, not their little daughter and her best interests. It's good that she has other caring relatives in her family, and perhaps after the initial trauma of a long solo plane flight to meet unknown grandparents, a good, loving, and trusting relationship can develop, something which is never amiss and certainly much to be desired in this case.
Best wishes to your niece.
Great post.
A photo album with pictures of Grandma & Grandpa, and their house, pets, other relatives that they will see, the neighborhood park, the zoo that she will visit and other key places and events would be great. Perhaps 5 or 6 photographs or a few more would be fine.
It doesn't have to be fancy, just a "Grandma's Brag Book" 4 by 6 Photo album, with a photo of Grandma & Grandpa smiling happily on the cover would be nice. This something that she could carry with her on the plane, with her favorite stuffed animal or maybe a new one that Grandma & Grandpa send to her (if they send one in advance, put a photograph of them with the stuffed animal in the photo album).
If a photo album wouldn't work out at least one photograph for her to carry with her would be OK.
My children loved their children's book called, something like, My First Plane Trip that I gave them on their first trip showing everything about the airport and things that will happen on the flight. They looked at the book often between trips and always took it with them on the plane.
A Skype call with Grandma & Grandpa saying how delighted they are that she will be visiting them would be fabulous to help her feel welcomed.
Last edited by germaine2626; 06-27-2014 at 07:00 PM..
You think she'd be better off with people she has never even met?
Considering what we've heard about her parents and their lack of parenting skills (as demonstrated by their willingness to place a 5 year old on a plane and ship her like so much baggage to strangers), yes, I DO think she'd be better off in the care of her grandparents, even though she's never met them.
Oh, hell, no! I don't even know if they can do that legally. And it's a recipe for disaster! Almost begging someone to kidnap the child! And why are the parent(s) not going?
Please... This is nothing more than the fear mongering that has been sold to America. The child is handed off to an Agent that does nothing but monitor the child until they board the plane. The child sits in designated seats and once the plane lands, all passengers depart and after everyone is gone, the attendant brings the child and only will hand it off to the designated recipient with proper ID. That leaves the only time to kidnap the child is at Flight Level 390 (39,000 ft) during the flight. Chuck Norris could probably do it... in his prime... but no one else.
The part about handing off to Grandparents he doesn't know... that part would make me a little uneasy, just because the child doesn't know them... but there's a lot of assumptions there. My kids didn't meet my parents until they were 4 and 2 because I lived overseas in the military. But they had talked with them on the phone weekly, skyped, seen pictures, received cards and presents... They ran up and hugged my grandparents when they met them and were completely comfortable playing, sitting with them, etc. where they were not with strangers... so I guess it would depend on the circumstances.
Quote:
Originally Posted by adams_aj
OK, I've got to ask: have they given any though [or even CARE?] about the people sitting next to their kid during the flight? My wife had an unaccompanied minor sit next to her on a 4 hour flight and the flight attendants for some reason, felt like she should have been her surrogate mommy. "what's this?" "what's that?" "can you help me with this?", "I need to go to the bathroom". . . and on and on. . .
EVERYONE IN THIS PARTICULAR SITUATION IS BEING HORRIBLY INCONSIDERATE AND SELFISH ABOUT THIS. HELLLLLOOOO?
It takes a village MY ASS. Some people want to push the raising of their children ONTO the village.
Either one of the parents or a hired babysitter should go with the kid. DO NOT EXPECT "the village" to give a damn about him/her.
"We do not accept the care and feeding of your 'monkey'."
____geez, he mutters and shakes head_____
Actually you are being inconsiderate. Different people have different needs. The airline is not an "Over 18 Airline" or "Kids can't cry" or "You get every creature comfort". If you want that... pay for first class.
Otherwise you paid to get from point A to point B, just as the parents paid for the Child.
Probably not the funnest experience sitting next to someone elses 5 year old... but it's only for 3 hours. Settle down Francis.
I was wondering if I'm alone in thinking that it is completely insane to put a 5 year old on a flight alone... Not my child, its my niece. Its a 3 hour direct flight, she has never flown before, and at the other end of the trip are grandparents who she doesn't even know. So, would you put a 5 year old on plane by herself?
I did this in 1978 from Florida to California by myself at 5 years old Mom was sending me to spend the summer with Dad. Don't remember anything about the flight but a do remember my Dad picking me up at the airport and on the way home we stopped for burgers and shakes and it was the biggest milkshake I ever seen.
Now that I am a parent I would not have let my 5 year old fly alone.
My husband works for the airlines, so my kids grew up on airplanes. Nonetheless, I would never have considered putting one of them on a plane by themselves at that age. As somebody brought out, the flight attendant has duties to attend to, so the child will be monitored very little while en route. Even if the child is very well-behaved, you cannot control what kind of seatmate they get. What if it's some pervert that gets his jollies fondling young children? An older child is much more apt to make a fuss and defend themselves. Since the pervert that molested me started when I was just 3, I was terrified of reporting him for fear of what he might do. Small children are afraid of going up against an "authority figure", even if they're being harmed by them. I personally wouldn't be comfortable doing the unaccompanied minor thing with a child younger than maybe 10-11.
UM's Drop'er and Pickup'er are required to go to the gate (they get a "Gate Pass" to get thru TSA) Drop'er are suppose to wait at the gate until the plane takes off.
If the weather is bad at either end that might cause a cancellation or diversion , they will re-book the UM for the next day, and try again. And send the child home with there parents/...
And what if something comes up after the plane has taken off with the child on board? I've heard horror stories. They're probably not all true, but I'm sure the Pickup'er has not shown up before, got lost, overslept, forgot, couldn't get of work, etc.
The idea of a 5 yr old flying alone as an unaccompanied minor doesn't bother me as much as the idea of sending her off to visit grandparents she doesn't know.
yeah people are pretty judgmental. Basically if the airline treats this as they are the kids "baby sitter" well I can't understand why people are so upset.
Kid has never met them before? what is this? they don't have skype? - i doubt the kids won't recognize the grandparents.
I would avoid this situation (not prefer to let a kid fly alone) but if circumstances require I would do it and not think myself a bad parent.
Airlines do this all the time, and seldom are their issues. Though there was a movie about a time during Christmas where all these UM's were stranded and in a big room. (true story, heard about it on american life) Apparently UM's between divorce parents. . .are quite the thing.
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