Posted on 03/10/2012 8:32:14 AM PST by JoeProBono
BOSTON, -- A family returning from a trip to Turks and Caicos said it cost them $2,000 when they were kicked off their flight to Boston due to their daughter's tantrum.
Colette Vieau said she and her husband were on a JetBlue plane preparing for takeoff in February with daughters Natalie, 2, and Cecilia, 3, when the younger girl threw a tantrum and refused to sit down, the New York Daily News reported Friday.
"We were holding them down with all of our might, seat belt on. And I said, 'We have them seated. Can we go now?' (The flight attendant) said the pilot's made a decision to turn the plane around," Vieau said.
She said the plane returned to the gate and her family was forced to spend the night in a hotel and book a new flight, costing them $2,000.
"We did what we were asked to do. We weren't belligerent, drunk, angry or screaming. We were just having a hard time struggling with our children," Vieau said.
JetBlue released a statement saying the flight "had customers that did not comply with crew member instructions for a prolonged time period. The captain elected to remove the customers involved for the safety of all customers and crew members on board."
I did that too, or back to the vehicle depending on where we were...but now there are so many “experts” on child abuse and the consequences are truly scary if you end up on the wrong side of the system.
One day one of my daughters threw a screaming tantrum fit in the doorway lobby of a major store. I was trying to “talk” to her in her ear about the consequences of such behavior- what amazed me was the onlookers- half thought I should be busting her butt already and half seemed to think she was an abused child. Only public tantrum any of my kids ever had- thank goodness.
LOL, aren’t you special. We had a 2 1/2 year old just like that. We thought it was because of our awesome parenting. Then came along child number two, who is now 2 1/2. No amount of spanking, holding, yelling or ignoring will help for the first 30 minutes or so of her tantrums. Eventually she will settle down, because we don’t give in. These parents might have been in that first 30 minutes. I’m not holding it against them.
Or just abort them? Is that what you mean?
Stay childless or stay home....
Hmm.
The Carribean is overseas????
Are you an expert on autism? Do you have an autistic child?
A loud child “ruins a trip”? If you are that much of a pansy that a little noise sends your emotions off balance, you have bigger problems.
Hotel and flight change fee = 2000 bucks? C'Mon...really?
I do not have an autistic child but I babysat one for a couple years so the parents could work. He was fairly well behaved and knew that being aggressive around me was not allowed. He respected me and learned how to ask for things he wanted without throwing a fit. He was 3 when I started sitting for him.
My mom was a defacto-single mom a lot of the time during the war years (WWII) and immediately after.
My baby brother came along four years after me (I had older siblings too). By then my mom had learned a lot about raising kids, and a lot about her own level of tolerance (not much) for things she would not put up with.
My baby brother would throw tantrums.
Though only in 1st grade, I walked to and from school and often walked home for lunch. My baby brother was about two years old then.
Twice, I came home for lunch; finding my mom sitting quietly at the breakfast table enjoying her lunch and my little brother lying nearby on the living room rug, breathless, silent and turning blue.
My mom would nonchalantly tell me: “Leave him alone. He threw a tantrum and now he's holding his breath. He'll quit in a minute and start breathing on his own. If I pick him up he'll notice I've rescued him and then he'll expect that holding his breath gets my attention when throwing a tantrum doesn't. I won't do it. He has to quit throwing a fit and he has to stop holding his breath just to get my sympathy. Now, your lunch is here on the table; take off your jacket and go ahead and eat. Your brother will be fine in a minute.“.
It scared the heck out of me and I felt real sorry for my little brother; but each time, sure enough, he'd eventually take a big gulp of air, start breathing and start sobbing softly. He'd crawl or walk over to where my mom sat and sit himself down near her feet, quit sobbing and just sit there, saying nothing, as if to apologize.
I know, as a child, we thought my mom was kinda mean at times, but as time went on we grew to learn she was just smart, and that she had no time for nonsense, for foolishness or for stupidity. When you knew you were to blame for your own trouble you knew you'd get no sympathy from her.
You two keep bring up autism as an excuse. Where in the story does it say the child was autistic?
If you have an autistic child who is known to throw fits, maybe you should look at other forms of transportation instead of subjecting your child to the extreme fear of having to sit for hours on a plane. Afterall, isn’t that your biggest concern? Your child’s mental wellbeing? Or is your biggest concern forcing everyone else to recognize that your child has greater needs than most and they need to be compassionate to your child’s needs even if it is an inconvenience?
I have also traveled overseas when my youngest was 2, and she screamed her head off when landing due to ear problems. It was a bit embarrassing, but a baby nearby was also doing the same. A couple of people looked annoyed, but most understood it was pain, not brattiness. (She had tubes- one blocked up.) Some of leisure travel is knowing your kids' ability to cope and making arrangements to deal- or choosing to limit traveling. I feel for the parents, but when my kids were that age, we took car seats, and they were expected to be strapped in, the same as they are when they travel by car.
I am the mother of four, the oldest with autism (and oh boy, have we had some doozy of tantrums, so I won't judge on that) and a middle girl who has some sensory type of melt-downs at times, too. I never judge parents on certain types of tantrums. My kids have had their moments I would rather the earth opened up and swallowed me to save the embarrassment, but some parents refuse to put a foot down and insist their kids learn safety comes first, even for a two year old.
“Maybe a mild sleeping pill for the kid would be a good idea.”
Juice and vodka — seriously.
Aaaaand that’s why I will not step onto a plane with my young children. My kids don’t really throw tantrums (on rare occasions,yes) but seeing that kids tend to be chatty (especially my little 20-month old) it may be best to travel in-state for now (ha, not that we can afford to fly anyways!)
No. As far as the airline was concerned, it was the fault of the passengers, so no way would they reimburse. So Solly.
Apparently the pilot agrees with me. (I'm 70.)
Take the kids to the local zoo or state park or local beach.
We always took our vacations by car....250 miles to a small, cheap, private campsite in Canada. They could fret all they want.
Absolutely! I have not only been tormented on flights - and I mean oversea flights - I have also had many a nice meal ruined by some young family who has decided that THEIR meal out takes priority over other patrons. My mom told me this NEVER happened in the old days and I am sure she is right. When I was a kid (in the 60s), going out to dinner was a rare - and I mean RARE - treat. We knew it was special and were expected to act accordingly. The reality is that movies, restaurants, shopping establishments...all of these places are ruined these days, with little recourse. In fact, I had a baby scream and cry throughout a movie and the usher told me there was nothing he could do but give me a rain check. ARRRGH.
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