Posted on 01/22/2007 10:51:57 AM PST by MotleyGirl70
Meet Elly Kulesza, Terror Toddler.
In her finer moments—mainly when she’s on land — 3-year-old Elly is an adorable and sweet-mannered child, a blue-eyed charmer who likes to dance and harbors a particular fondness for Thomas the Tank Engine.
“She’s a typical 3-year-old,” said her mother, Julie Kulesza of 7 Primrose St. in Worcester. “She has her moments like all 3-year-olds, but she’s not like one of those ‘Nanny 911’ children you see on TV.”
Elly’s dad, Gerald Kulesza, is a full-time EMT in Boston who also attends nursing school full time, and he did so well last semester that Elly’s mom surprised her husband with a trip to Florida to visit his parents, who live in Bonita Springs. So on Jan. 11, the family flew from Logan Airport to Fort Meyers on AirTran Airways, and even though it was Elly’s first plane trip she behaved like a dream and spent most of the flight coloring in her coloring book and watching movies on a portable DVD player.
“She was great,” her mom remembered. “When we made our descent into Florida we could see the water and she shouted, ‘Look, mommy, there’s the beach where we go swimming,’ and everyone laughed.”
Yes, it was a heartwarming moment for all concerned, and the trip was great, too. The family swam and went sightseeing, and on Jan 14 they drove back to the airport for the return trip home. They checked their luggage — a suitcase and a car seat. As they waited for their flight to be called, Elly contentedly munched on a bag of Cheetos and watched out the window as the planes took off and landed.
Then came … The Boarding. Suddenly and without warning, angelic little Elly morphed into every parents’ nightmare.
Her mom thinks it may have been because of the ear surgery Elly underwent earlier this month, and perhaps her memory of the discomfort and ear pressure she endured during the plane’s descent into Florida. For whatever reason, when they got on the plane, Elly started to cry and wouldn’t stop. Nor would she sit down — she plopped herself down on the floor in front of her seat and proceeded to throw a temper tantrum.
“I was trying to console her and the stewardess came over and said, ‘Did you buy that seat for her?’ remembers Ms. Kulesza, 31, who is four months pregnant. “I said yes, and she told me my daughter needs to sit in it. I told her I was trying.”
Moments later, an AirTran Airways employee armed with a walkie-talkie addressed Mr. Kulesza.
“Sir, you need to get her under control,” she said.
“We’re trying,” Mr. Kulesza noted.
The passengers, meanwhile, were quite understanding and one of them offered the toddler a lollipop, which she rejected. Then the walkie-talkie woman returned to the Kuleszas’ aisle and displayed the raw tact and diplomacy of Donald Trump.
“Sir, you need to get off the plane,” she announced.
“What?” a stunned Mr. Kulesza asked. “Are you serious?”
“Sir, you need to get off the plane now.”
They got off the plane, while their luggage and car seat flew on to Boston. In the terminal they were directed to an AirTran supervisor, who told the couple that the stewardess was uncomfortable “because you have an unruly child who struck a woman on board.”
Mr. Kulesza was incredulous. “That was her mother,” he explained. “She hit her on the arm. Lady, this is a 3-year-old child we’re talking about.”
“Sir, we don’t differentiate between 3 and 33,” the AirTran supervisor replied. Mr. Kulesza said the woman proceeded to lecture him about child discipline, and how she would never tolerate her children behaving in such a manner, at which point Mr. Kulesza said, “You really need to stop talking now.”
The couple were also told that, since they had been ejected from the plane, they were banned from flying with AirTran for 24 hours. So they were forced to return to Bonita Springs for the night, and Mr. Kulesza missed a 16-hour work shift, and the next day they returned to the airport and can surely be forgiven if they fed their daughter enough Children’s Benadryl to fell a stallion. I exaggerate, perhaps, but it’s certainly what I would have done. In any case, Elly slept through the return flight home.
The incident has sparked varied responses from those who heard the story. While many people — mostly parents — sympathize with the Kuleszas, others are less inclined. For example, when I related the tale to an unnamed colleague and asked if he had ever heard of an airline bouncing a child from a flight he said, “No, but I’m all for it. Couldn’t they have checked her with the baggage?”
This colleague, as it happens, has no kids.
AirTran, meanwhile, has apparently had a change of heart. After the airline received a phone call Thursday from yours truly, an AirTran customer service rep called the Kuleszas, apologized profusely for the incident and refunded them the $595 cost of their tickets.
“We do believe the situation could have been handled differently,” said AirTran spokeswoman Judy Graham-Weaver. “We will use this case as a means to train our agents on dealing with this type of situation on our flights … While there are FAA regulations that mandate all passengers have to be securely fastened in their seat belts before a plane can depart, we need to work with our customers in situations like this to help them — and that is what we will focus on.”
Ms. Kulesza is appreciative of the response, but believes she could have calmed her daughter down, if given the chance.
“It wasn’t like she had a bomb strapped to her waist,” she noted.
AirTran also extended another offer to the Kuleszas — free airline tickets to the destination of their choosing. The offer has been declined.
“I said I appreciated it, but I told them not to bother,” Ms. Kulesza said. “We won’t ever be flying with that airline again.”
I've had the pleasure of sitting next to a morbidly obese grandmother traveling with her 18 mo. old grandson, who she intended to hold in her LAP for the flight! SHE HAD NO LAP!
He climbed up onto MY lap. I don't care for kids, but I wasn't going to be a B, and it was a relatively short flight from Miami to Atlanta. IMMEDIATELY after takeoff, he pooped his pants, so I had the pleasure of smelling THAT all the way to Atlanta as he wiggled around and made it into a pancake. Keep in mind, this kid and his grandmother were total STRANGERS to me and my hubby and I were on our way back from our HONEYMOON.
But apparently felt enough pain that she remembered that pain prior to takeoff? Wonder why she didn't scream on the way down?
Ewwwww, apparently grannie had not brought along a diaper change.
I will end with this then. I hope you are never on a flight where something happens to you and the other passengers request you be kicked off of the flight.
Years ago I was with a group at Shoney's and there was a group of parents having a night out with their kids and their hellions were running ALL OVER the restaurant. The parents were totally ignoring them. FInally, one of their little darlings who looked to be 5 or 6, took a hot pot of coffee (about 1/4 full) from the waitress station and was walking around offering to fill customer's cups. The waitress grabbed the pot and child, took her to the table and raised HELL at the parents, who got P.O.'d at the waitress for making a scene! Our group thanked the waitress afterward.
The odds of that happening are rather slim unless I have a medical emergency. At that point I would be glad to be "kick off" the flight.
Whadaya know? Benadryl is what Xena's Guy uses to calm me down before flying, at least when it's too early to countenance ordering me a big cocktail.
That's a rude but very funny reply.
However, we're hostile toward the specific child whose misbehavior is infringing on our ear space right then, and whose parents are clearly doing nothing to stop the acting up.
And all God's children said, "Amen".
Thanks :<)
You don't get a script for Benadryl.
That's flatulation BTW :<)
No.
My mom and I went out to an Italian restaurant and were seated in a booth and ordered our pizza when in walks a loud hoard of two families with children. We looked at each other and rolled our eyes.
They sat the families right across from us at tables. Right away the kids were yelling and being bratty. The restaurant was full so we couldn't ask to be seated somewhere else.
I was talking as loud as I could to my mom and she couldn't hear me over the boisterous kids.
We both had enough and asked our waitress to box our pizza to go. We went back to my house to eat in peace and quiet.
My siblings and I were never, ever allowed to act like little animals in public. That includes restaurants, grocery store, department store, etc. It simply wasn't allowed.
I'm amazed that the rotten behavior of some children won't even faze some parents one bit.
And that's my brother!
Then you have not in fact been there, done that. Your child may have been there, but what you did was something, not the "done [nothing] that" that you witnessed.
For which, I'd add, I would have applauded you. I'm waaaay over the "Now, we need to settle down and let's think about it" tripe that passes for parenting these days.
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