[brittmac]

I hate flying, and I really hate flying with children. Unfortunately, we do it about once a year, because we are orphaned out here in the midwest, with all our family on the west coast.

We try to physically hold the children's feet the.entire.flight. The problem is that when the four-year-old is sitting in the seat with his back against the back, his legs stick straight out (i.e., little legs don't bend at the same place on the seat as an adults). With our 18-month-old, her car seat (mandated) makes it so that she is about 8 inches from the seat in front of her.

No matter how hard we try (and we try really, really hard) the people in front end up getting kicked. As soon as we turn our head to get a book or toy or blanket for one of the kids, the other kicks. We apologize profusely, offer to change seats so that they aren't kicked, or offer to buy a drink, etc.

My point is that sometimes it can't be helped. It really can't. We drastically limit the amount we fly in the first place, and we are vigilant about the kids' behavior (including kicking)...and it still happens.

FWIW, I find it unbelievably offensive that you would physically intimidate any woman like that, let alone a mother traveling with her child(ren). I understand your frustration, but that is an unbelievably disproportionate reaction.

[Xenalyte]

But yours don't kick over and over and over and over.

And you try to do something about it.

That makes you NOT the kind of parent we're complaining about.

As for my situation, I merely made eye contact. Whether she chose to feel intimidated was her lookout.

If she had even once said, "Stop kicking," I would have kept my mouth shut. There was an absolute abdication of parental control, and I wasn't gonna put up with that, and I still won't.

[AppyPappy]

Ah, so others must suffer so your child can kick?

Try holding their legs down. Better you should suffer for your child than someone else suffer for your child.

[sasha123]

There's always one on the plane who wants to knock into the seat in front of them.

I haven't had the problem with kids knocking the seat, it's the adults or the hyper teens who knee the back of my seat I have the problem with - or pulling back on the chair when getting up. The small kids get my patience 100% compared to the others.

But, maybe you chould try and book those seats with the space in front of you. It would give the kids some extra room and room for the baby seat too).

[Rb ver. 2.0]

Next time you fly why not try and get seats at the front of the cabin?

[arizonarachel]

I think trying to keep your kids from kicking (what you do) and sitting there while your child kicks the chair in front of him/her without doing anything are two different situations. It's frustrating to turn around and see Mom, reading her magazine, not paying attention, while Montana and Meghayn jump around and kick the backs of others seats.