A Touching Airplane Story

Published by

Clarissa

August 16, 2011

People won’t believe this story is true because it happened right after I published posts on the importance of reading for kids. The story is true, though, so I’ll publish it.

A couple with 2 small kids was sitting next to me on my flight. The father was reading to his son of about 4 years of age. Several children’s books they dropped were strewn around in the aisle. A little girl observed the father and the son for a while, picked up a book and stood next to them hoping to be read to as well. Another little boy from two rows ahead of us saw what was going on. He came up timidly, picked up a book for himself and took his place in line.

These kids really wanted an adult to read to them. So the father of the 4-year-old read to all of them in turn.

All the kids were traveling with their own parents.

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18 responses to “A Touching Airplane Story”

nominatissima

August 16, 2011

Awwwww.
I hope they remember that fondly for the rest of their lives.

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Anonymous

August 16, 2011

That is touching and sad at the same time. I have a 2 year old and a 7 year old that are read to at night. No matter what else is going on, we read both a story. I would rather cut off my arm than stop this tradition!

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1. bloggerclarissa
  
  August 16, 2011
  
  Parents like you are deserving of all respect and admiration.
  
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Z

August 16, 2011

Gosh, I wish that had been filmed. Actually, it’s a good idea for a scene in a film.

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1. bloggerclarissa
  
  August 16, 2011
  
  They should totally start allowing people to use cell phones on board. Then I could have filmed it. 🙂
  
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Jonathan Mayhew

August 16, 2011

I loved telling my little brother stories, (or reading books to him) and then using the same stories and books with my daughter 25 years later.

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1. bloggerclarissa
  
  August 16, 2011
  
  Oh, I have such a great post to write about telling stories to kids but it will probably have to wait until I get home. Thanks for reminding me!
  
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Danny

August 16, 2011

Out of curiosity where was your flight to and from? I’m only wondering if you were by chance flying to or from the UK. Obviously you don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.

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1. bloggerclarissa
  
  August 16, 2011
  
  Wouldn’t I love to travel to the UK! What a lovely country.
  
  Today, however, I was traveling from Burlington, Vermont to Chicago. And then from Chicago to St. Louis.
  
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2. bloggerclarissa
  
  August 16, 2011
  
  Why did you ask, though?
  
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  1. Danny
    
    August 17, 2011
    
    The reason I was asking was because for a while about 2 years ago or so British Airways actually had a rule in place saying that men could not be seated near unaccompanied (as far as I can tell unaccompanied could range from parents simply not sitting next to the minor to the minor not having a parent with them on board) minors during a flight. If the man could not be moved to another seat he would actually be removed from the flight (which basically allowed BA to be total chicken shits and leave other passengers mad at the guy in question because it looked like it was his fault the flight was held up).
    
    Thankfully one such man took a stand, sued the airline, and won. Sad part is it still took BA about another year after the judgment to finally get rid of that rule.
    
    So basically asking because if that had been a BA flight under that old rule the attendants probably would have broken up the impromptu story time with the other kids.
    
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    1. bloggerclarissa
      
      August 17, 2011
      
      Really?? Why? Because every man is a potential pedophile or something?
      
      And I thought I heard every bit of insanity under the sun.
      
      Is that really true? It isn’t that I doubt your words but this is just too bizarre to imagine.
      
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      1. Danny
        
        August 17, 2011
        
        http://dannyscorneroftheuniverse.blogspot.com/2010/08/if-you-recall-from-earlier-this-year.html
        
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Rose

August 17, 2011

what a sweet story!

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FD

August 17, 2011

Sadly, Danny’s story is true – BA put the rule in place because it was worried about being sued should anything untoward happen to an unaccompanied minor. Of course, then they did get sued, so I suppose the moral of the story is that risk aversion as an overall strategy is not always a successful one.

Your story Clarissa, mainly made me feel sad. Although it is of course, very sweet, and definitely creates the impression f the 4 year old’s father as a decent person.

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1. bloggerclarissa
  
  August 17, 2011
  
  The good thing is that the kids want to be read to. And there is always a chance their parents will notice that in time.
  
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Liese4

August 17, 2011

Our read aloud book right now is Moby Dick, a drastic change from Swiss Family Robinson for sure! I’m glad that Dad read to the kids rather than tell them that they would have to take the books back to their parent’s. No one has any time now days to read books aloud, it’s a pity.

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Jodie

August 17, 2011

In the teaching hospital where I work, the busiest clinics have volunteers who sit and read to the kids in the waiting room. The kids love it.

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