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Story is a bit incomplete. As I started I was under the impression that they were screaming and confrontational to the other passenger. Now it appears as if they didn't get angry until they were confronted by the airline.
Nobody likes to have their seat kicked, we've all been there. But it happens. There is more to the story than the other woman simply getting upset and changing seats.
These days, flying is almost torture. Like others on this thread have already said. If you need more room, there are other options. Don't blame someone minding their own business and getting pissed off because you allowed your brat to kick the forward seat. Come on now, you parents know exactly what your kid is doing. Most parents can't tell their little snowflake NO. If the parents don't teach the kid manners who will?
I love threads like this. They give people with horrible ideology the opportunity to prove that they're horrible people when discussing non-ideological issues.
Toddlers are small human beings with very little impulse control. If one is awake long enough, he or she will kick the chair in front. There is no way to "control" that, short of restraining the child's limbs, which would resort in screaming, crying and bothering the entire plane. As a parent who often flies with small children, I can assure you that we are doing everything within our power to keep the children as calm, still and quiet as possible. If my child kicks your seat, I will attempt to correct the behavior and offer you a sincere heartfelt apology, but if you follow up with a nasty attitude, don't be surprised if I follow up in kind.
Families travel and airplanes are are our primary form of long-haul mass transit. If you can't handle the minor annoyances involved in dealing with the public on mass transit, maybe you should pony up the extra cash and fly private.
I flew frequently with my daughter from the time she was an infant. She never acted up, cried or kicked anyone's seat on a plane.
The problem most parents make when they fly with kids is they don't bring things to entertain them. Coloring books, sticker books, snacks, electronic games, etc. A bored toddler with nothing to do but stare at the seat in front of them because the parent didn't plan appropriately is probably going to kick the seat and act up. It's common sense.
I flew frequently with my daughter from the time she was an infant. She never acted up, cried or kicked anyone's seat on a plane.
The problem most parents make when they fly with kids is they don't bring things to entertain them. Coloring books, sticker books, snacks, electronic games, etc. A bored toddler with nothing to do but stare at the seat in front of them because the parent didn't plan appropriately is probably going to kick the seat and act up. It's common sense.
My children are two and six. They've flown to a dozen US cities, three foreign countries and Puerto Rico (well, the youngest hasn't been to PR). They're seasoned travelers. Each of their carry-on bags are filled with toys, snacks and activities. We actively engage them during flight. Neither of them have ever misbehaved on a plane, but children fidget. This may eventually result in a seat being kicked, but I'm SURE in the many, many times you flew with your daughter, she NEVER kicked a seat
One word - melatonin. Natural chemical. No seat kicking, no fidgeting, just a calm deeply relaxed child. They even put it in some soft drinks. Kids and flying don't mix so it is up to parents to make it work for themselves, the passengers and the flight crew. Second and third choices antihistamines and Dramamine.
Wife and I are in our 70's and have flown a lot with some overseas flights in the mix. Kids are always something to contend with but short of wishing them off the planet altogether you need to mix tolerance with patience and gauge how you react to the observed efforts of the parents in attempting to restrain/control them.
In most, if not all cases of kids misbehaving on flights it's directly proportional to parental ignorance of the norms acceptable for kids behaviour as set by the majority.
Watching a pair of kids running up and down the aisles on an overseas WardAir flight years ago while the attendants were busily trying to feed a 747 full of passengers while doing so with fixed smiles on their faces resulted in at least 10 or more passengers leaving their seats at different times to brace the parents over their seeming lack of common sense.
That was our worst experience, but alternately one of the best was when a young girl of 8 or so had to be seated next to my wife with the rest of her family in rows ahead on a flight to Houston out of Toronto, experienced a sudden bout of air sickness and my wife seeing her throat/chest convulsions attempting to choke it back, whipped off her straw hat and told the poor girl to "let 'er rip" into the hat! The parents were totally aghast and apologetic but soon relaxed when my wife assured them the stupid hat was a pre-flight gift from a relative and now she had the perfect excuse to tell her why it won't be in any of the beach pictures of our final destination at Acapulco.
Even the flight attendants thanked her with some extra service for that one. I've entertained a kid flying by himself with waiting adults at the other end by engaging him with those inflight magazines with the word puzzles in the middle pages. Shortest business flight I ever had as we were both busy and occupied.
Kids are entirely blameless if never given the tools and limits by which to govern themselves by over-indulgent parents. Quiet words well chosen with consideration can often work where an angry face and aggressive body language merely ratchet up the level of stress making calm discussions impossible.
Flying is stressful for everyone so we're all already just one straw short of a full load.
One word - melatonin. Natural chemical. No seat kicking, no fidgeting, just a calm deeply relaxed child. They even put it in some soft drinks. Kids and flying don't mix so it is up to parents to make it work for themselves, the passengers and the flight crew. Second and third choices antihistamines and Dramamine.
Melatonin takes 1-3 hours to kick in. We use it on international and sometimes transcontinental flights, but it's of little use on short flights. If it kicks in early, you're left with the Herculean task of getting a sleeping child through TSA screening (kids can't go through security in strollers). If it kicks in late, the kid is still awake for the whole flight. As far as that other stuff, some kids have paradoxical hypersensitivity and antihistamines actually make them more hyper. Even if I knew it wouldn't make my kids hyper, I still wouldn't drug my children against their will because some misanthrope might get upset at kids being kids on a two hour flight.
Melatonin takes 1-3 hours to kick in. We use it on international and sometimes transcontinental flights, but it's of little use on short flights. If it kicks in early, you're left with the Herculean task of getting a sleeping child through TSA screening (kids can't go through security in strollers). If it kicks in late, the kid is still awake for the whole flight. As far as that other stuff, some kids have paradoxical hypersensitivity and antihistamines actually make them more hyper. Even if I knew it wouldn't make my kids hyper, I still wouldn't drug my children against their will because some misanthrope might get upset at kids being kids on a two hour flight.
Most kids respond well to any of the above. I always take something myself, so why can't my kid. It isn't really fair to the child to take the chance of an uncomfortable flight, as kids can freak out if they cannot move around. Flying is putting a kid in a kid-unfriendly situation. Parents don't mind drugging kids for years with the psychotropic drug du jour; a Dramamine or natural sedative for a few hours is harmless and can prevent air sickness.
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