San Jose mom and cranky 2-year-old kicked off Southwest flight

San Jose Mercury News ^ | 10/30/9 | Lisa Fernandez

[upsdriver]

I used to hate sitting next to Moms with babies, then I had kids. And now I see them, and just imagine my wife struggling to keep one of our kids quiet on a packed airplane - and I will happily sit next to them.

That does change one's perspective, doesn't it.

Have you ever noticed that those who don't have children are the greatest authority on raising them?

[Stingray51]

In my experience, many flight attendants, particularly some of the male ones, can be cranky themselves. Sometimes entire crews of flight attendants.

[Tucson Jim]

“forced to buy a portable crib and diapers.” Sounds like an immature 2 year old.

If the child is uncontrollable, SouthWest had every right to leave them behind.

[Reddy]

Don’t report me to DFS, but as a parent she should have noticed that he was getting a little cold and dosed him with benadryl.

;)

[KarlInOhio]

Pamela Root's 2-year-old son was screaming for the Southwest Airlines plane to "Go! Plane! Go!"

I've wanted to do this when we pull away from the gate and the pilot announces "We're 43rd to takeoff, so get comfortable because we'll be here for a while."

[wardaddy]

"I want Daddy!'' Adam shouted. Over and over again.

the complete opposite of what my boys say when I reach for the big Home Depot paint stirrer paddle and tell them to meet me in my room...lol...and no...it's a myth...it does not hurt me more than them...(i never believed that shite anyhow)

[wardaddy]

no one except probably a few freepers....under 45 knows how to raise kids anymore

kids run parents and wives run husbands

it’s a Lola world with munchkins thrown in

[wardaddy]

has this mom never heard of benadryl?

[wardaddy]

If you can’t get your two-year-old to behave in a public setting, then don’t fly planes or go to restaurants. It’s as simple as that.

lol...

[GatorGirl]

I was kinda sympathetic until I got to the “compensation for stuff I bought” line.

First off, if she was staying ANOTHER night, why did she need to buy a port a crib? Where did the kid sleep during the planned visit?

Second, she’s going to have to buy diapers whether she’s on the road or home.

The money grubbing dooms it for me. I’m sure it wasn’t much but it’s the principle.

An apology and a few free tickets should be sufficient. People push their “outrage” too far these days.

[wardaddy]

male flight attendants are usually fags so the only kids they might have fathered were in their dreams

and fags are bitchy...that’s why they are fags

[Hulka]

I am a frequent international and domestic flyer and I have evolved over the years to despise lazy parents that don't parent the brats they bring onboard.
Month ago, international flight (DFW - LHR), I am in last row in Business, young mother with brat in first row coach, the entire jet has the shades drawn so people can sleep and/or watch the movie. Not so with over-indulgent parent and brat. Flight attendant asks the “parent” to lower shades (left side), but nooooo, brat cried and wants window open, so parent refuses to lower shade: all in coach and my business class row had our TV screens washed out and the brat cried off and on. . .terrible.

[Coyote Choir]

If the journalist has to push the sympathy perspective this hard in writing an article about a child’s behavior on a plane before take-off, then you can immediately suspect the reality, the facts, do not support the sympathetic treatment. It would be interesting to track down the opinions of the other passengers on that flight. —Plus, this smells like an opportunistic attempt to extract a sort of “hush money” from an airline after a public incident, this time one without a religious veneer. If so, how sad. The harm to their child will likely long outlast the last dollars they might blow from any settlement.

[Andonius_99]

A two-year-old can be made to sit still and be quiet.

All it takes is a half-roll of duct-tape and a couple lengths of rope...

[Joann37]

Good point!

Also, why are there no “children’s sections” available on planes, in restaurants, etc.? Smokers are confined to an area, why not kids who are loud, for whatever reason?

And it’s not to be mean, but why not keep all of the loudness in one area? Then people could conduct business on their laptops, or carry on conversations of their own, if they desired.

[SWAMPSNIPER]

A kid old enough to talk is old enough to shut up when told to.

[Anitius Severinus Boethius]

Even crying babies have to fly sometimes.

I'm pretty sure a two year old is a toddler.

[Anitius Severinus Boethius]

Even crying babies have to fly sometimes.

I'm pretty sure a two year old is a toddler.

[Anitius Severinus Boethius]

Even crying babies have to fly sometimes.

I'm pretty sure a two year old is a toddler.

[Natural Law]

My worst incident was on an ElAl flight from Tel Aviv to LAX. Because it was short notice I took the only seat available..center, last row of coach. To my left was a grandmother and the 4 year old "golden-child". The parents were somewhere forward. Shortly after take-off the grandmother hammered down four beers (yes, four beers!), placed junior on the floor with a blanket and pillow, feet toward the aisle. She then proceeded to stretch out and pass out across both seats with her feet in my lap.

Meanwhile junior developed a fascination with my computer bag which was under the seat in front of me. Since he didn't seem to have any English skills he couldn't seem to understand that he was not permitted into the bag or why anyone would deny him anything he wanted. I was unable to wake grandma to deal with it. I suspect that the four beers weren't her first of the day, only the last. When I thought he had gone to sleep I dozed off. I was awakened suddenly about 20 minutes later when the kid was pouring the water bottle that had been in my zipped up bag into my computer and spilling it onto my feet. I took the half empty bottle from the kid, poured some of it on him, poured the rest on grandma and handed the empty bottle back to the kid.

Grandma awoke, yanked the kid off the floor and disappeared with him into the toilet. When she returned she didn't have the kid with her. Never got an apology for the inconvenience or damage to the computer from the family or ElAl.