Travelling with little kids can be seriously hard work.
No matter how many games, toys, snacks and books you bring along to keep your child distracted and quiet, it’s never quite as easy as you expect it to be.
After all, no matter what you do, there’s always a chance that your child will throw a tantrum anyway.
When mum Stephanie Hollifield boarded a flight with her two-year-old daughter Haley, she soon realised her flight wasn’t going to be a pleasant experience.
But it wasn’t because of her daughter.
Sharing an open letter on Facebook, Stephanie told her story about a cranky passenger on the flight – and it’s one that every parent can certainly relate to.
“I first noticed you when you sighed loudly as you laid eyes on me and my toddler boarding the plane,” she wrote.
“In a momentary lapse of judgement, we sat behind you. It was the nearest set of seats, and I couldn’t wait to put my child and our heavy bags down. From the over dramatic huffs and puffs you let out as we buckled in, it was clear that you were annoyed by our very presence,” she continued.
“At this point, my little girl was laughing and playing, obviously too loud for your liking.”
Stephanie, who is a writer at Momstrosity, went on to explain that the flight was the first time she had flown with her daughter without her husband.
“I did everything in my power to keep her calm and quiet. I shushed her, and made sure her little feet didn’t kick your seat,” she said.
“But as we took off, her tears started. The kicking and screaming tantrums came on fast,” she continued.
“You did not let up with your mutters of annoyance and looks over your shoulder. I apologised to everyone around me. I almost started crying myself.”
As Stephanie continued to feel more and more guilt, a kind flight attendant came to the rescue and helped distract Haley by giving her a paper cup and a straw to play with.
It was this gesture that gave Stephanie a new realisation.
“The problem wasn’t with us, it was with you,” she wrote.
“What you need to know, is that while children can be terribly inconvenient now, they will run the world when you are old and grey,” she added.
“They can be annoying and downright obnoxious, but they are also innovative and brilliant.
“I get it, kids can be a nuisance, but next time you are forced to be near one, I hope that you will be more like the flight attendant. I hope that instead of frustration and annoyance, you feel hope and goodness.”
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Top Comments
I have no problem with infants and sometime their screaming may be because their ears have not popped and causing pain. I sat next to a women with a screaming child for two hours and the poor mom was so distraught that she could not quiet and soothe the child. Traveling disrupts a baby's and they get overtired. I do get annoyed with parents who do not even try to stop an older child's unruly behavior. I took my daughter and grand daughter to Radio City Music Hall to see the Christmas show. Two women and a child were seated in back of us and her little darling kept kicking the back of my seat. I asked the child several times to stop and them finally asked her mother to stop her. At the end of the show. I was told that I ruined the show for her and her daughter. Forgive me, I did not know that her enjoyment including making my experience miserable.
A crying baby is one thing, but raising a brat you expect everyone to tolerate is another.
I'm a very frequent flyer and not a kid person, but I still don't understand why people have such issues with babies/kids on planes. I was just on a flight last week with parents and a baby behind me. The baby shrieked and cried from time to time, and the best way to quiet her seemed to be to bounce her up and down, which in the tiny coach cabin meant bumping my seat now and then. Was it annoying? Yes. Did I complain? No. The parents were doing their best to keep their baby quiet and happy and they were trying very hard to disturb as few people as possible. I am usually on a plane 4+ times a month, and I can count on one hand the times like this when I've been "inconvenienced" by children. Granted if an older child is acting out and the parents are just ignoring the behavior, I would politely speak to them, but otherwise just show a little grace. That's life, especially on crowed public transportation. Huffing and puffing passive aggressively is just petty. Either politely speak up or show a little kindness and let it go.