Our plane from Charlotte, NC departed late. N. and I didn’t mind all that much but the travelers with connecting flights in St. Louis were nervous. A man traveling with his family was responsible for the delay. The little drama that he protagonized began as I was trying to get to my seat, so it all happened right in front of me.
As I was walking down the aisle towards my seat, the man in front of me stopped and started asking people who sat in his row to exchange seats with his daughters. He wanted them to go 5 rows back and let his daughters sit in the front with his father. The passengers he was asking for this favor refused because they had paid extra to be seated closer to the front of the aircraft.
A heated argument ensued. The older Chinese couple that the man was trying to get to move was very apologetic but still refused to exchange seats. The man started getting very agitated and was waving his arms about so actively that he almost toppled me over. The flight attendant tried to calm things down but the man didn’t want to settle down in his assigned seat.
“My babies!” he wailed. “Do you expect me to leave my babies sitting alone during this entire flight?”
At first, I was very sorry for the caring father who was so attached to his babies. It must really suck to be separated from small children on a flight. What if they get scared? Or thirsty? Or wet themselves?
As somebody who is always on the side of children no matter what happens, I was getting annoyed with the older couple who refused to let a father reunite with his babies.
And then, when the father moved down the aisle towards the row where his children were sitting, I finally saw the babies in question. The older girl was about 14 years of age and the younger was 11-12. They both wore the beleaguered teenage facial expression of “Here Dad goes again making us look stupid.” One of them was holding a book. The other one had an iPad. They looked more than capable of spending 1 hour 37 minutes that the flight was supposed to last sitting five rows away from their parents.
That was when I realized that the woman sitting close to where I stood was the girls’ mother. The reason why she was sighing heavily and rolling her eyes very far back in her head became clear.
Finally, the father realized he had no choice but to occupy his seat. He did it with the look of a person who was being condemned to a horrible punishment. I felt sorry for the Chinese couple who had to spend the flight sitting next to somebody looking extremely resentful. I was glad for the daughters, however. I’m sure they had a good time on a flight where, for once, they weren’t treated like babies.
P.S. I know that from the post’s title you expected yet another boring tale of how babies cry on airplanes and everybody gets annoyed. Here at Clarissa’s Blog things are never as predictable as boring as that, however. (A little self-promotion never hurts, I guess.)
Clarissa's Blog 
Good God.
But, this having been said, I announce that my latest policy is, babies should not fly. It is just too uncomfortable for them. Toddlers either. By about 5 kids seem to be able to put up with it. Before that, I decree that the grandparents should be the ones to do the flying. And people who can afford both a baby and a flying vacation are rich enough to also afford a nice non flying vacation. If it must be opulent, they can take Amtrak to New Orleans and get on a cruise ship from there, younger kids do well on trains and boats.
Crotchety of me, I know. But I have become convinced that all that crying and restlessness on planes is because they are really uncomfortable.
LikeLike
Many kids travel without creating a fuss. In fact, in most cases the kids crying are just reflecting the stress in their too-scared-to-fly parents.
But seriously, you never propose that group X shouldn’t fly, because some of them are loud where X could be, lets say, red neck Quebecois going on vacation, or collage age students going to spring break, or black people from the ghetto. Why do you feel any more justified in making a ban like this when the target is kids?
LikeLike
Oh, you know I can’t ban a thing! But, because they can’t choose it. Noticed so much distress on my last flight, and realized the kids were really suffering. Why make them do it?
LikeLike
As a kid I always liked to fly. I needed things to do (e,g. a coloring book, comic books, a puzzle), otherwise I would be bored, but aside from that, always enjoyed the thrill of taking off and seeing the earth from above.
LikeLike
Plus, if it’s that big of an issue for him, he could have offered to trade his (allegedly-superior) front-of-the-aircraft seat to someone sitting five rows back so he could be with his ‘babies.’
LikeLike
Many years ago I was travelling with my 4yr old daughter and we were put in separate seats. The stewardess asked the women seated beside my daughter if one of them would switch seats with me. Guess what, nope. Surprised, not so much. 😦
LikeLike
Maybe those whose comfort is disturbed by crying children / snoring adults / roudy teenagers should take a boat (or better a hike)?
LikeLike
I am not particularly disturbed. I just really wonder, given the piercing nature of some screams, how much the babies’ and toddlers’ ears really hurt on takeoff and how hard it is for them to schlep through all these airports for as long as some trips take. I am concerned primarily about those who cannot talk yet.
LikeLike
I just want to mention that Sister has traveled with her toddler and both she and the toddler’s Daddy made heroic efforts to make sure the kid (and the passengers) were comfortable.
On my flight from London in May, I saw a father traveling with a tiny baby. This dedicated Daddy spent the entire flight comforting the baby, carrying it around, singing to it quietly, etc. As a result, the baby hardly made a peep in the 10,5 hours of the flight.
LikeLike
There are children in the world that suffer from hardships much more heartbreaking than a trip on a plane. Let’s focus our concerns on them.
LikeLike
Especially right after the post about radios that cannot be turned off. Of course, here in America (especially in doctor’s office waiting rooms) there are often TV’s that can’t be turned off (or down). Thankfully someone invented this handy gadget.
LikeLike
That’s a cruel gadget! 🙂
I’m different from most people in that the sounds of crying babies don’t annoy me. But the sounds of rustling paper. . . oh Jesus. . .
LikeLike