Listen Up & Weigh In Travel Mamas!
By: Colleen Lanin, The Travel MamaMarch 10th, 2010
I was a guest on the Jetiquette Blog Talk Radio Show last week and I didn’t embarrass myself too horribly. Success! The topic was Travel with Children, which I happen to know a thing or two about. Looking for some travel tips or just want to hear how silly I sound on air? Listen to the podcast now!
The other two guests on the program were Cynthia Herriman, author of Take Your Kids to Europe, and Sara Keagle, flight attendant, author of the The Flying Pinto blog, and (coincidentally) the winner of the first Travel Mamas blog contest for her story, The Bright Side of Flying with Kids.
One of the things we discussed on the show was an article in USA Today, A Father’s Advice on Flying with Kids. While the article’s author provided some great travel tips, I took issue with his statement that, “Ninety-nine percent of the issues with kids on planes are not the kids, but the parents.” Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Leave a comment below!
Tags: europe, jetiquette, travel with kids
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I do agree, actually. When it comes to plane travel many people don’t consider nap times, meal times, delays, etc when planning travel times with children. And we all know that if mom is stressed out the kids feel it and it makes them act up. Another problem is that many parents don’t acknowledge when their child is acting out and needs to be corrected but instead just ignore them thinking other passengers will to. A little prevention goes a long way. So does an smile and an apology.
I agree, too. The negative experiences I’ve had with children on airplanes could have been negated if the parents had corrected their children. Now these are older kids I’m talking about, 3 years of age and up. I’ve had no trouble with traveling babies.
Wow! I’m surprised, Jody & Francesca! I teach classes on how to travel with babies and toddlers and the parents who attend are so nervous about making sure that they do not disturb the other travelers. I guess I’m so busy trying to keep my kids happy on flights that I don’t spend too much time checking out what the other parents are doing, but I assumed they were doing their best to keep the kids entertained & comfortable. Thanks for weighing in, ladies!
Yep, I put a lot of the blame on parents, too. (Maybe not 99 percent, but the majority.) Of course, if a baby is crying, a baby is crying; there is nothing you can do about awful pressure in their ears. And I admit, toddler tantrums are difficult to handle — those two-year-olds can just be unpredictable.
But preschoolers who kick the seats, whining four year olds and school-age children who are not respectful to surrounding adults… that’s an upbringing problem. Parents should nip that behavior in the bud as soon as it appears on the plane (and parents who are raising respectful, non-whining, well-behaved kids at home shouldn’t have one bit of a problem traveling with them, sitting at sophisticated restaurants with them, strolling through museums with them or otherwise introducing them to places around the world.)
I have a low tolerance for loud and unruly kids who misbehave. Can you tell?
Kara – I agree that whining, unruly kids are no fun! Especially when they are my kids!
Seriously, for the most part, I think parents do their best to restrain their kids, whether on an airplane, in a restaurant, or elsewhere. Of course, there are those exceptions to the rule who make the rest of us parents look horrible!
I just wish everyone on an airplane would cut the parents with cranky little ones some slack. The traveling parents are already stressed out without the additional stress of worrying what everyone else on the plane thinks about them! On the Jetiquette Blog Talk Radio program I told a story about a man on a flight who scowled at my toddler and stuck his fingers in his ears. Talk about being a big baby!
I agree also. The majority of truly naughty children I see on board are due to parents being oblivious or lazy. Babies, well, there’s not much you can do abuout them. Generally, if the parents are trying to control the kids, other passengers don’t seem to be as bothered.