I was on a flight with my then 3 year-old son who started having a temper tantrum. I held him close and put my hand over his nose and mouth for about 15 seconds. When I took it off he gasped for a giant breath and made ready to let fly with a scream. But before he could, I clamped my hand over his face again. 15 seconds of struggle and then another gasp. A few more cycles of this and it never happened again. I think I got this technique from an episode of MASH (yes, I know).
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It certainly seems to me the parenting errors began long before they got on the plane.
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And he probably never thought of it again, until year laters, in therapy…
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I’d propose ‘acoustic attenuation sacks’ as standard equipment for passenger aircraft. Perfect for demonspawn children and business-class inebriates alike!
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Simple rule: You kick my seat and I am going to lean it back until it’s practically in your f-ing lap, kid.
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Not to mention how long kiddo is stuck with the kid; and then his even-less-well-regarded successor lifecycle stages.
So far back the pounding of the demon’s tiny fists are like an exquisite massage. They’ll settle down once blood flow returns to their demonic legs. Once they wake up from the fugue state or whatever. (kidding!)
We’ve bought drinks for folks around us, abased ourselves over and over, tried every subterfuge and trick to distract. But unfettered torment of our fellow passengers? How about some more breast milk!? (the kid! not you Mister!) Or some gum to help you equalize the pressure. Hard candy? Sure! Mainline that sweet iPad goodness (thomas the dank engine, wallace and gromit, anything)
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So long as I think the parents are trying to do something, I find I’m not that bothered, regardless of their ability to do something. It’s my frustration at the parents for just saying “fuck it” that bothers me.
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On two 8-hour transatlantic flights? No, you leave a kid on the spectrum or with any other disruptive special needs at home. Most parents with generally well-behaved neurotypical kids under age 10 would think twice before subjecting them to a journey like that.
If but if you gotta fly (and the reason had better be a good one) then a parent who’s aware of the problem should sedate him properly for the flight after consulting with a doctor. Arranging with the airline in advance for restraints if necessary is also an option (they have seatbelt extenders for large people that are sometimes adapted to restrain unruly passengers). At the very least keep the kid awake for 12 hours before the flight so he crashes hard and sleeps for at least a few hours after takeoff.
What is not acceptable is what we see in the video: letting the kid run up and down in the aisle and swing from the seats and scream for hours on end; and thinking that an iPad will be a magical solution for a kid with special needs (if that is the case) stuck in an enclosed space for 8 hours.
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I really hope I’m wrong but I’ll bet if the little urchin had been a child of color the staff and or fellow passengers would have intervened. Perhaps not but I’ll bet 8 minutes not 8 hours would have been the limit.
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A bit too free range on the parenting.
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Parenting. There is no excuse for the lack of parenting in that video.
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Agreed. I speak as a parent who has traveled a huge amount with kids. I sympathize with the parents of that kid, especially if there are behavioral issues, but they should not get to inflict that on everyone else.
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“I’ll give you something to scream about”
yeah…it’s harsh…but it works.
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You son of a bitch! Why did you make me remember that!?
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I blame grandparenting
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The FA’s should have alerted the cockpit.
It’s a major safety hazard and the plane should have gone back to the gate to eject the child and parent.
If a drunk had acted that way, they would have duct taped his ass to a seat and returned to the airport and had him tazzed and caged.
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