Quote From: kursicI agree. While I realize that safety briefings on airplanes are so routine that not everyone listens to them or takes them seriously, it sounds as if this mother could have toned her baby down a bit. I have to wonder how many people on the plane that toddler annoyed, but they just aren't speaking up. I know that if I had had to wait for a flight for 11 hours, I would be sympathetic to the mom, but I also don't want to sit there and hear her baby constantly repeating the same thing.
However, the flight attendant did handle the situation inappropriately. I think a smile and a "Ma'am, since we're going over the safety regulations, could you please distract your child into doing something else so everyone can hear?" would have been just fine. Or better yet, the flight attendant could have included the child in the safety briefing. I have seen flight attendants who allowed toddlers to "help" them by holding the safety item they are about to demonstrate, and that is very effective - it not only distracts the child, but it helps him/her feel as if flying isn't quite so bad!
Are you kidding me??? I wonder how many people who are weighing in on this topic have actually flown with their own small children? It is lovely to hear that some have quiet, docile children who will sit quietly but reality is that all children have different personalities, and some are not "bratty" or bad, just spirited and busy. I have a 20 month old child who is generally easy to deal with and we can usually take her to any restaurant and know she will not disturb or annoy the other diners. However, after being confined in her car seat on the way to the airport, then in her stroller during check in and waiting to board, by the time we are on the airplane she is wanting to move around. We are parents who actively parent--we give choices, and time-outs and do not let our child run wild anywhere, nonetheless, trying to control my daughter on a plane is a challenge. She is a normal, busy, active toddler who doesn't understand why she has to be held in place, or constantly shushed. Children of this age have short attention spans and toys, snacks, etc... have only limited usefulness. Let me tell you, during the flight I am probably more stressed out about keeping my child from bothering others than others are stressed out about my child bothering them!!! I am fairly certain that the mom in question probably felt the same way, even though her child wasn't out of control or nasty. When I arrive at the other end of a flight I feel as if I have been through a war I am so tired and stressed especially if my child was particularly active that trip, mainly because I really do care about the other people on the flight! Not to mention that I don't want to hear a squawking child for hours on end any more than anyone else does!
Traveling parents who actively try to manage their kids need to be cut some slack by those who have forgotten or do not know what it is like. Please keep in mind that we have to travel too and in general we don't want our kids to be out of control anymore than you do! Also, let's not forget that the mom and babe in the show had been delayed in the airport for 11 hours ahead of time so it is amazing he was as cheerful as he was and not screaming from the get-go.
(Original Air Date: 09/18/07) Does it annoy you to no end when someone uses a cell phone at the dinner table or chews with his or her mouth open? Along with author Peggy Post, Dr. Phil tackles the dos and don’ts of etiquette. One issue making recent headlines is appropriate in-flight attire. Kyla was flying to Phoenix on Southwest Airlines when an employee informed her that her outfit was too skimpy. Kyla saw nothing wrong with the way she was dressed and was appalled when she was asked to cover up. Did the airline go overboard, or was Kyla too tantalizing for take-off? Then, Kate took her 19-month-old son on his first flight, but she was removed from the plane when he became too talkative. Was the airline out of line for telling Kate to shut her baby up? Peggy Post weighs in on this polarizing problem. And, Joan says she doesn’t have any peace at home because of all the noise her family makes – from loud chewing to clinking dinnerware. Her husband, Bob, says he and their three children have to walk on eggshells around Joan just to eat dinner. Is Joan overly sensitive, or does her family need to be reined in? Plus, meet a woman who says her husband’s bad manners didn’t disturb her until she had a baby, and a guest who nominated herself as having the worst etiquette in the country! Share your own etiquette peeves and join the discussion.
