The Way The Cookie Crumbles

Children can be little monsters. I had to deal with my fair share when I was working at a children’s daycare; I got hit, I got bit (yes, I got bit), I got kicked and I got told by many of them they didn’t like me anymore. In the eyes of the children, all with good reason.

At times it is the only way a child knows how to show their anger, or show someone how displeased they are. By all means, I do not condone any of the behavior mentioned before; Getting bit hurts like a bitch, and you’ll probably walk around with a bite mark for a good week (sharp little teeth).

You can see it building up in their mind and little bodies; First, they’ll show you their ‘angry’ face; Second, they’ll act all grumpy; Third, you can see their bodies tense up; Fourth, the unavoidable punch, kick, bite, or however this child choses to lash out. I have seen it happen when children play together and I’ve been on the receiving end.

Neither of it is much fun. Not only do you have to deal with an angry child, but you also have to deal with the parents. And not every parent wants to believe that their precious little angel hurt someone.

Now that has been said: Children can indeed be precious little angels. Most of them are. I could count the times I got a hug for simply being there, but that means I’d still be counting tomorrow.

This actually gets me to the news item that caught my eye.

Toddler kicked off plane
source: (video) cnn.com

A woman claims she and her 19-month-old son were kicked off a flight in Texas. Kate Penland’s son has a bubbly personality and that is what got him in trouble with a flight attendant.

When the plane started taxiing, the child started saying “Bye Bye Plane” over and over again. The flight attendant walked up to the mother and told her: “It is not funny anymore, you need to shut your baby up.”. Shocked, the mother asked the attendant if she was kidding. According to the mother, that is when the flight attendant went to far and made a comment about ‘Baby Benadryl’ to which the mother replied she was not going to drug her child so the flight attendant would have a pleasant flight.

When other passengers began to speak up on her behalf, the flight attendant got angrier and soon announced they were turning around and that mother and child were taken off the plane. Kate Penland later found out that the flight attendant had told the pilot that Kate had threatened her, which never happened.

When I read the title to that news item I was shocked. I thought the toddler had been literally kicked off a plane mid-air. Thankfully I was wrong. But that does not make the actual news item any better.

Children and Planes = Exciting (for most, some just cry their little lungs out). This means children will talk (the ones that can). This means children might talk a lot this does not mean that a flight attendant 1) Can tell a mother to “shut her baby up”; 2) Suggest to the mother to drug her child so said flight attendant may have a pleasant flight.

• First; flight attendants are supposed to be polite. Ask politely if someone could be a little quieter. Not tell someone to “shut up”.
• Second; why the hell would you suggest a drug to keep someone quiet when he/she is not a danger to him/herself or anyone around them?

Flight attendants are supposed to make the flight pleasant for their passengers first (within limits; there is only so much you can do up in the air).

If a flight attendant would ever tell me to drug my child to keep him/her quiet I’d have his/her ass fired.

What do you think?