leejo

My wife and daughter and I flew to Miami last summer, when our daughter was about 18 months old, and yes she decided to pitch a fit on the plane while we were waiting to take off. I told the flight attendant that she would keep screaming until daddy got a vodka tonic.

Our daughter was of course strapped into her car seat which was strapped into her own seat, so there was no safety issue. A few minutes later the benedryl kicked in and off she went to snoozy town for the rest of the flight.

If you think it's annoying to be on a plane with a screaming child, imagine how much fun it is to travel with a screaming child.

I imagine that the situation on that plane was that the parents were trying to negotiate with their child. Everyone sat there watching them have a conversation with their child thinking the same thing: pick the damn kid up, put the damn kid in the f'ing seat, put the belt together, and for chrissakes let's GO.

Parents have to teach their children a lot of things, and a lot of those lessons involve listening to the child and honoring their emotions. But other lessons involve teaching the child that sometimes they don't get a vote. I think these parents misjudged, and unfortunately now it appears that they feel fully justified in their actions, so they haven't learned from this mistake that THEY made. Yes it's true that the airline could have done better, but the situation was created by these parents' inability to get a 3-year-old girl into a seat within a 15-minute timeframe. Makes you wonder what else they can't get done.

Steeler

See, this would have all worked out if the flight attendants had just let the parents deliver the girl a few good spanks and then light up a stogie for take-off.

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Ferris Bueller

Leejo, you're right on the money. A child throwing a temper tantrum isnt a problem. Your daughter was properly restrained and not causing any problems for the plane overall. I have no problem with kids throwing temper tantrums and crying/screaming/etc. However, if my flight gets delayed because some 3 year old wont take her seat and the parents are incapable of making her do so, I'd want her off the plane too. The child is the penultimate cause of the problem. The ultimate fault lies entirely with the parents on that one.

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|TG-6th|Ferris Bueller

Iamthefallen

Heh, nope. I just have a 2 1/2 year old and a 9 month old, and I know how I'd like to be treated should the situation arise.

I have no real problem with getting off the plane if need be, but the lecture on parenting, revoking the tickets, and 24 hour ban was over the top. I'd be furious too had it been me.

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War.mongeR1

While it was over the top and probably unnecessary, it made national news. Because of that, I bet parents everwhere won't think twice about just strapping their kids in as soon as they arive at their seats. An invaluable lesson for the entire nation.

experiment626

A 3 year old, and a 2 year old (lap child) flying to Hawaii for 6 hours...NEVER AGAIN I SWEAR!!!!

ThePenguineer

Negatory. Negative Re-enforcement is the removal of an unpleasant stimulus in exchange for a desired behavior (best friend is a psychology guy).

i.e. - Getting rid of a screaming child on a plane as a reward for desired, peaceful behavior from the rest of the passengers.

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Rick_the_new_guy

Actually, the lesson that parents everywhere have learned is how to get a free plane ride.

Here is how.

Schedule your vacation on x date.

Buy your tickets three months before the x date.

Tell your kid to go nuts on the plane once you get on.

You and your family get kicked off and you get a rebate and free tickets on top of that.

The last part is crucial. Schedule your free tickets to go to the place you are vacationing at the same time you are vacationing.

Boom! Free tickets to where you want to go.

Sure the Airline lost thousands of dollars on the exchange and passengers were delayed, but free tickets! Yeah baby.

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OHH what a sad future we live in...

I mean present.

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Grunt 70

Here here.

I heard part of the issue was they wanted to seat the child in the next row up, away from either of her parents...can't understand that as what on earth would prevent someone from switching seats so one parent was beside her.

I guess I'm either lucky or a good parent because I've never once had my 3 year old go postal on me when I had to move her or sit her in a hurry. I flew to NC from MA when she was 18 months and my wife cried more than she did (j/k...kind of)...guess we'll call it luck then.

I envision a flight attendant saying precisely what needed to be said on the aircraft only to be superceded by a managment type placating those damn parents after they deplaned.

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|TG-22nd|Grunt



"When force is necessary, it must be applied boldly, decisively, and completely. But one must know the limitations of force; one must know when to blend force with maneuver" - Leon Trotsky

SmokingTarpan

Aw, you went this far but didn't explain the concept of positive punishment? Animal Science degree, with specialty in behavior. :P

Airline, thumbs sideways (for apparently being over apologetic). Parents, thumbs down.

They certainly can't be Nitro in Powerball.

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Ferris Bueller

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reinforcement
some knowledge for you all. reinforcement at the top, punishment lower. enjoy.

i personally prefer the whip and chair method.

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|TG-6th|Ferris Bueller

Sirusblk

What about the Chinese water torture?

And yah I was wrong about the spanking being negative reinforcement, sorry :P But the No TV thing is good unless your kid doesn't... like... TV... pfft yah right

You're absolutely right about the parents inability to put the kid in her seat being at fault. But we don't know how much of that 15 minutes was actually caused by the little tyke from hell or the airliner.

Still I tottally agree with the parents throwing the kid in her seat, after all that's what happened to me when I misbehaved, and if I thought it was smart to jump back out... well... I knew where the belt rack was at home

-Sirusblk

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section-8

Good. Should happen more often. There is NOTHING worse than sitting through a 3-4 hour plane ride with a screaming *insert child of indeterminate age here* behind, in front, beside or at you.

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leejo

Not true. A friend got very sick on the RUNWAY and threw up into a bag, but as the plane rotated for takeoff, he dropped the bag and spilled it such that it ran down the aisle.

Whee!