Home > Crime > Family Kicked Off Plane For Out-Of-Control Toddler

Family Kicked Off Plane For Out-Of-Control Toddler

March 10, 2012 at 12:41 pm by Athena

Boston, MA – Dr. Colette Vieau and her family, a husband and two young daughters, had boarded a JetBlue flight back to Boston from the luxurious island of Turks and Caicos when they were told to get off. The reason? Their two-year-old, Natalie, was throwing a fit and refused to be seated.

In a courageous show of force, the girl’s parents finally managed to wrangle the beast and restrain her with a seat belt, holding her in place. Dr. Vieau, who states her family were never belligerent, angry or screaming, then said to a flight attendant, “We have them seated. Can we go now?”

It was at that point that the flight attendant informed them the pilot had already decided, for the safety of all customers and crewmembers on board, that the family be removed from the plane.

JetBlue released a statement explaining the pilot came to this decision because the family “did not comply with crewmember instructions for a prolonged time period.”

There were no more flights that night, and the family reports that they spent $2,000 for a hotel and new flights. I reckon they could have obtained a toddler-sized muzzle and straitjacket for less than half that. For those wondering why she did not simply hold her daughter, federal regulations prevent parents holding their children in their laps if they are over 2-years-old.

“I don’t know that I could blame JetBlue, to be totally fair. I just feel like it’s airplane travel today in general. I was certainly upset by the way this flight attendant handled the situation. As a result, yeah, I would probably try to avoid JetBlue in the future,” Vieau said. “A little bit of humanity in the situation was really all I was looking for. Apparently, that doesn’t exist.”

My mother just drugged us. Well, not me; I was the most perfect child a parent could ask for, as some might expect. But my younger sister got prescription liquid Dramamine, which she aptly named “Teenage-Mutant-Ninja-Turtle Slime,” for its dark-green, sludge-like appearance and gag-inducing flavor. But don’t judge. If there were ever an excuse to drug your kid for non-medical reasons, it’s a 5 ½-hour, non-stop flight.

Tags: Colette Vieau, Crime, JetBlue, Massachusetts, toddler, Weird News

113 Comments

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SayAunt

Had I been the attendant I would have wrapped the little bundle in a courtesy blanket and tucked her in cargo hold. Ready for takeoff!
JohnQknowitall

JetBlue may have lost them as a customer, but they certainly have moved up my latter of preferred airlines.

Ever sat on an 8 hour flight with children who are nasty loud brats? The kids should be strapped to their parents. The parents parachuted properly and then tossed from the plane.

It is bad enough in stores where the parents allow the whole world to listen to the screams of the fruits of their loins, but on a plane… especially one delayed by a screaming brat, they should have been removed sooner than they were.

Lesson here: don’t travel with your ill behaved brats unless you budget more money for your out of control children -or- first teach them to act politely in public.
EveryVillainIsLemons

This is why you make sure the children are all fed, rested, and either have clean diapers or have been to the bathroom before boarding. It also helps to have something shiny to distract them. Unless a child is a complete brat, meltdowns can pretty much be distilled down to hunger, sleep deprivation, travel anxiety, or dirty drawers.
Lena60

Lmao, love the picture…what a mug.
http://twitter.com/MrLopezBITCHES Shelby Burns

I wish the flight attendant had kicked off the little monster from hell that was on my long ass flight from Athens to KC. He was screaming and running around and throwing shit the whole time, and his mom was just looking at everyone like “Aw, isn’t it cute how rambunctious he is?” NO, NO IT IS NOT. I bet the mom in this situation was the same way. Children under 5 should not be allowed on airplanes. Overstimulation to the max.
Athena

I just think the whole situation is a little ridiculous. As a mother of a toddler and a caretaker of another, I have little sympathy for this family, assuming the airline’s description of “prolonged” is accurate. It takes all of 30 seconds to get a toddler seated and buckled, even in a meltdown. A full minute if it’s a car seat. And, as EVIL stated, parents should be especially prepared if they’re about to expose dozens of innocent passengers in a flying tube to their children.

I understand that, especially during the stress of travel, kids will freak out. But it is your responsibility as a parent to be able to put that fire out… quickly. And, just based on the Dr.’s account of the situation “We were holding them down with all of our might,” (really? all of your might? melodramatic, much?) and interaction with the flight attendant, ”We have them seated. Can we go now?” (I can’t imagine she said that sweetly), I just don’t feel as though Jet Blue was being unfair in any way.
lespacino

How
little control do you have if you get kicked off a plane because your
kids are so insane? And, this woman’s a pediatrician? I guess they don’t
teach how to get your kids to behave in medical school. I seriously
can’t figure out how you can be that bad/lazy of a parent that you can’t
control a 2 year-old…oh, wait, I think I see this all the time, “Now,
Grace, please calm down. You are not behaving like a polite person right
now. Please, be a good girl. No, don’t hit the baby. Grace, if you hit
the baby you will get a timeout…Grace, Grace, Grace??? Now, look, the
baby is crying. Do you think it was a good thing to hit the baby? You
hurt him, he is crying now. How would you feel if someone hit you?
Grace, are you listening to mommy? Grace- don’t run out in traffic.
Grace, if you run into traffic you could get hurt. Now, look, you got
run over.” Later, news report: A 2 year-old was run over by a car this
afternoon. Her parents are devastated. Her mother, Cynthia
Clueless-McFlaky, had this to say: “We can’t believe our little angel is
gone. Drivers these days need to be more aware. We are starting a
foundation to push for legislation which forces auto makers to encase
all vehicles in child-protection bubbles. Also, we plan to see to it
that the monster who recklessly ran over our child spends the rest of
his life in prison. I am in complete shock, I only stopped having a
discussion with her for a second and she was gone!”
http://justiceforcaylee.synthasite.com/ shyloh

All I can say is that two year old must be the boss in that family. If they don’t control her now………God forbid when she hits teenage years. Kudos to Jet blue!!!!!!!!!!!
FrikkenFrak

Sounds like over-entitled parents with an out of control BRAT.
malq

The captain has the ultimate responsibility for the aircraft. If he is not comfortable that things will be safe in the air, he has authority and the duty to do what he deems fit.
One might look at a two year old and say what damage could that do during the flight? Well alot.
If the parents refuse to deal with the situation appropriately, someone will have to do it. That opens up litigation and possible criminal charges. The story presents it like a mean captain did a ridiculous thing. I bet there is more to this than we read here. In reality If he did not deal with this appropriately he would be negligent.
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_YNI5RQEBPVZAO34MRQJZPGUGKI Vicki

I think it comes down to parenting. I don’t think children should be banned from planes but I think idiot parents should be.   I travelled a lot from San Diego to Detroit when my first two were younger. My son flew a lot between ages 1-3.   I didn’t have the issues stated above. Like another poster pointed out it comes down to parental planning.   The time of day you fly with children is crutial.   I either flew right about bed time (so they would sleep the entire flight) or early morning when they seemed to be in the best mood of the day.   I tried to avoid flying when meal times were and if I couldn’t avoid it I packed sandwiches.    Then my kids always had their own entertainment/snack back packs.   These would include new books, crayons, toys, little crafts, cheap toys, snacks, sippy cups ect.  I also carried along the portable DVD player. Yes extra weight for me but worht it for a peaceful trip. Everything I needed to keep my kids quiet and entertained on a flight.  When my boy was 3 he played “airport” for almost an entire flight with a little set his grandparents bought him at the airport gift shop.

Yes I even brought a reserve of candy I kept in my purse in case towards then end they got crabby (candy always shuts them up and since it’s a rare treat it’s very effective)

These parents obviously didn’t plan well. Little kids get bored sitting for hours on a plane. I mean I don’t particularly like spending hours on a plane sitting in one spot.   So the point is that it’s not the kids. They are just being kids.  It’s the idiot parents who let their kids act poorly and are too stupid to realize that sitting on a plane with nothing to do is torture for little one’s.   I can’t count how many times we got “the look” when we sat down and then after the flight my son would be complimented on his behavior and how they didn’t even know he was there.

I myself get annoyed with kids who are unrully on a plane. First of all I don’t want ot hear my own child whine or blow a tantrum so why would I want to listen to somebody else’s kid.   I mean I understand if it’s a brief cry or tantrum (for say a mid-flight dirty diaper) but it should be handled fairly quickly. If I am travelling without my kids I really don’t want to listen to other people’s kids scream on my kid free vacation.

Some kids just aren’t ready to fly at young ages. Right now my youngest are ages 1 and 2.   My two year old would be Hell on a flight. He’s not as easily entertained as his brother was.   My 1 year old follows the two year old’s lead.   No way in Hell I would fly anywhere with them.   We drive every where we go for now and when they are ready to behave then maybe we’ll try flying again.

You know I wish they would create family friendly flights.   I bet people with kids would eat that up. Not to mention people without kids would be elated to have less kids on regular flights. I mean they have kid themed parks, cruises, hotels ect.    I would love to see flights offerred that cater to kids.   I’m willing to bet most parents would chose a disney themed flight with kids movies showing and kids snacks/activities offerred.    I don’t know why no-body has tried to do it yet. They really should and save both parents and other passengers a lot of grief.
lespacino

Candy works wonders! We just flew with 3 (two 4 y.o. and one 9 y.o.) to Florida and back (we dared not venture beyond Disney property! lol) and brought chewy candy. The point wasn’t child management, but for them to chew during takeoff and landing so their ears would pop. I think people might forget that aspect for kids. If you can’t make your ears pop, it hurts, so kids will cry.

This kid was on the ground, though, so she was just out of control. I’m guessing mom works (being a pediatrician and all), so normally doesn’t spend too much time with the kid. I am guessing a normal day is- wake kid up at 6 a.m., get family ready, drop kid at daycare, go to work, pick up kid around 6, take kid home, feed it something quick and easy (or grab food on way home), bathe kid, put kid in bed, repeat. Weekends, doc probably works on occasion- sharing on-call status with a group- and a babysitter minds the kids. Then, the days they do have together, they probably do a family activity for a few hours, then the parents need a break! And date night it is. If these people spend more than 20 waking hours with their kids a week, I’d be shocked. And, when that happens you don’t know your kid, and they don’t know you. You don’t know how to manage them, and they will go ahead and act up because they don’t have any known boundaries with you. This kid’s probably pretty good at daycare- happy and well-behaved, because there is an ongoing reciprocal relationship with known rules, boundaries and consequences!

I could be wrong about that scenario, but the few rich families I know who needlessly chuck their kids in daycare tend to live this life. My favorite is the family who divorced and split custody, so each only has 3/4 days per week with the kid, then Mom sends kid to daycare before and after school (until 6 pm) even though she gets off work at 3. Picks kid up and takes her to eat (can’t be bothered to cook a decent meal for the kid), brings kid home and puts her to bed. Gets a babysitter at least one night when she has the kid to go out for date night. She literally has the kid- in her care- for about 16 waking hours a week! The kid is a huge monster. I actually have to tell the kid to stop misbehaving. Her clueless mother will say, “oh, thank you for that.” rather than even tell her kid to stop- doesn’t even attempt it, no matter what the kid does. Why do I have to see this woman? Unfortunately, my good friend married her. Ugh.
JohnQknowitall

When she hits the teens I hope her parents give her condoms… but that would mean she is a bad girl… and we don’t want that… or an abortion… or that scummy boy down the street who fathered the child to live with us.
http://www.facebook.com/dre.mosley Dre Mosley

Props to JetBlue. There’s a difference in a kid being a kid, and a kid just being a poorly home trained, brat likely devoid of receiving any discipline.
Eliza Berntsen

Well done JetBlue!

As someone who’s a frequent flier and has flown both with and without my child, I know just how important good behaviour on the plane is. I always make sure that we either take overnight flights for the long-haul or naptime ones for the short day flights. My daughter is always put to sleep just before boarding the plane and usually tends to sleep for 2-3 hours- enough for most flights we take. And there are always snacks! And books, even my goddamn phone if that’s what it takes to keep her quiet.

I once flew from Dubai back to London and had this fucking little brat scream its head off for hours- it was screaming even before we boarded. My daughter was asleep, and I was terrified that that little fucker would wake her. So I just got up, looked at him, and said calmly “If you don’t shut your fucking mouth right now, I will lock you in the toilet all alone.” It worked wonders. The parents just stared at me in disbelief that I dared to speak to their holy one. Hate assholes and their spoiled little brats.
JGo555

I had to travel from Canada to Puerto Rico with a 13m.o. child in my lap. She didn’t have a good night’s sleep nor did she have great meals. I was sure that my child while cute and cuddly could be annoying, so what did we do?

We had:

- enough snacks to feed coach class,
- extra everything that could calm her down,
- her favorite blanket/stuffed toy Mr.Bixby.
- brand new small toys
- patience, and
- baby tylenol for ear infections/fever

We also had a “Fun Pocket” which is that pocket in front of your seat that they put mags in, I filled it with stuff for her to take out.

I was pregnant at the time and the hub & I switched back & forth between the 2 of us so she wouldn’t be so nasty.

The flights EACH were 4 1/2hrs, with a lay over of 3- 4hrs.

We never got kicked out.
JGo555

You know that commenter c.a.? I’m hoping she shows up bashing JetBlu saying everyone is wrong.. I bet you she’s one of those parents that stfuparents.com makes fun of. I HATE those parents.
tkaz

I can’t bash the parents – I know firsthand that my little angels (they really are well behaved, I swear!!) can turn to little devils in a quick second & I know as a parent if my kids got out of hand I removed them from the situation….but when on a plane you feel sort of out of control I suppose. Board, follow regulation, etc – I would seriously be freaking out that I’d be screwed out of cash because my kid was exhibiting what ALL kids exhibit in a high stress environment- and leaving the plane would be the furthest thing from my mind.
Planes have always made my Type A into full throttle anal anyway.

I have been on a plane with 1 of my 2 kids only twice. She was 8mos & 4yrs. When she was 8mos, we had to sit next to a business man & when he saw her he literally groaned out loud! I felt so goooood when she slept the whole way (2 hrs) & he complimented me on her behavior (however, unconscious). I’ll take what I can get.
Athena

The problem was not that the child was being noisy, it was that the parents neglected to get her seated in a timely manner.
http://www.dreamindemon.com Morbid

I’m glad that tactic worked for you, but had you done that to me had my kid been screaming on a jet, you would’ve had to manage the second half of your sentence while choking on your teeth.
lespacino

Mine might turn into “devils” in my book at times, but they would never exhibit behavior that could come close to getting us kicked off of a plane. If they had that potential I would never fly. They listen to me, and they know my limits.
http://twitter.com/MrLopezBITCHES Shelby Burns

I once heard one of my neighbors tell her 1 year old, “Now Jay, you’re not being reasonable right now.” I wanted to slap the taste outta her mouth. He’s one, of course he’s not being reasonable!!
neenaP

Neither should you
neenaP

All small children should be strapped into a car seat or booster otherwise they can be injured or killed during turbulence or a crash. Strapping them into the seat with just the belt is like strapping them into a car with just an adult seat belt. Holding them on your lap is no safer in fact it’s worse, they will become a human air bag if there is serious turbulence. Children have been crushed to death by a parent while being held in their lap while everyone else survived. Buy the xtra seat and use the car seat please!
Everyone who is mad at this family remember you were once a child and one day may have a child that acts like this, of course there are limits to how much screaming we can expect others to listen to.
neenaP

I dare someone to talk to my kids like that no really I do, the look on their face would be complete horror.
neenaP

A 2 year old cant have chew candy its a choking hazard.
neenaP

Family friendly flights sounds wonderful!
neenaP

She’s 2 thats just a large baby .
neenaP

No they dont teach parenting in med school…………..
neenaP

30 seconds? Not in my car! My son who is 16 months hates his car seat I have to bend his legs while he screams his head off ,takes about 3-5mins depending on the mood he is in.This includes adjusting the harness and tightening it.
neenaP

The first time I took my daughter on a flight she was 13, she freaked out on take off and started shouting ” am I on acid???” thankfully this only lasted about 2 mins, the lady next to us thought it was funny. After that she loved to fly.
lespacino

Hmm, I wonder how my 3 kids are alive…I am a horrible parent, apparently. I didn’t realize they couldn’t chew- chewy food…I fed them chewy candy and they listen to me. I feel like a complete failure now…
lespacino

Hilarious! I heard a woman tell a crying baby, “you’re only embarrassing yourself right now!” I had to suppress the urge to let her know she was the one who should feel embarrassed for her idiocy. The kid was like 9 months old!
lespacino

What sort of hellish place are you taking him that it is that kind of ordeal?! I had 2 at once and never took longer than a minute to get both of them in- whether they were psyched about going, or not.
neenaP

Why so defensive? I’m just stating facts, your insecurities as a parent aren’t my issue. What does listening to you have to do with it? That wont help if they start choking. I hope you know the Heimlich Maneuver.
Jemimabean

I had my sons on a flight at the ages of 18 months and two- and- a half years. They have always been well- behaved kids, so screaming and running around was not the issue, but their projectile vomiting upon landing was a *bit* of a problem. So we simply scrapped air- borne travel for a few years, although driving form Johannesburg to the Cape can require an overnight stop and many, many rest hours at Shell Ultra Cities- it’s always been worth it, for our sanity and that of those we may have travelled with.
Jemimabean

I can’t understand parents who have this urge to drag their screaming babies through the shops. It SHOULD go like this: Kid has meltdown (as they tend to do, being kids, and they’re probably wet, tired, hungry or just fucken bored) so Mom removes kid from store, exits to the home, calms kid, resumes shopping at a later stage. But it always seems to go along the lines of : Kid has meltdown. Mother fusses for a half- hour. Mother drags screaming child to the checkout. Kid is now on the floor kicking. People are trying to politely ignore the scene. Mother looks like a massive tit. Kid is miserable.
It’s not really that difficult. Kids can be real shits, but they can only be made worse by shitty parents.
Jemimabean

No, but common sense and an ennate ability to raise your child should be built- in.
FrikkenFrak

Maybe it’s THESE people…….??

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=767s-BXxDlc&feature=relmfu
JohnQknowitall

I just have to add this link… pics and a great line: Dr Vieau told Msnbc: ‘We were holding them down with all of our might, seat belt on.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2112451/Family-kicked-JetBlue-flight-toddler-tantrum.html#ixzz1ookz0goO

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2112451/Family-kicked-JetBlue-flight-toddler-tantrum.html
FrikkenFrak

Bean, if all parents had common sense and an innate ability to raise their child, we wouldn’t be here on Dreamin Demon. : D
FrikkenFrak

Seriously…..as much as I LOATHE parents who give their children no healthy boundaries and/or allow their child to act like an inhabitant of The Lord of the Flies island, I agree with Morbid here.

If you had a problem here, you should address the parents, not the child. At least….not in the manner you did by threatening and frightening that way.
FrikkenFrak

“…with all our might”.

Seriously, these two adults can’t contain a two year old throwing a tantrum? I’d hate to see what would happen if they were mugged.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=71107898 Chae Manuel

Neither my siblings or I rode on an airplane until we were at least 9. My parents were not crazy.
JGo555

Not those horrible fatass stoopid moms & their paedophile’s wetdream whore children!!!!
Lena60

OMG! that mom is totally clueless. Nerves, my ass! This kid is flying on sugar.
LeaveMeBe

Now just a minute. I really hope you were being facetious when you said that giving her condoms as a teenage girl would mean she is a bad girl. That very well could have been tongue in cheek, but I am still sick and can’t make out if you were kidding or not. ‘Splain please?
Deety

It sounds like even the mom in this situation doesn’t think it was unfair, just that the flight attendant handled it poorly.
neenaP

Nope not everyone is born with common sense or any parental instincts that’s why foster homes exist.
neenaP

Oh wow sorry you had no idea that many toddlers dont like getting to a car seat. Many scream or flip about it. I also didn’t know that a 16 month old could be psyched about going anywhere. You probably forwards faced your kids at 1 and left the harness really lose because you know it all and have perfect kids.
FrikkenFrak

I know, right? I’ve just wasted a good hour of my life this morning ’cause I can’t stop watching YouTube videos about these NIGHTMARE people from Toddlers and Tiaras!
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http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=71107898 Chae Manuel

I’m not trying to be funny, but I’ve seen some strong ass 2 year olds. Especially ones hyped up on sugar.
Jemimabean

More’s the pity, sadly enough.
lespacino

I was just listing may failings: the chewy candy thing and teaching them to listen to me. I didn’t realize the chewy candy thing was a “fact” as I’ve never heard that anywhere- ever. Defensive? Well, I guess when you tell someone something they do/did with their kids is wrong, that tends to happen. It’s the same reason that one might, oh say, behave adversely if a stranger dares to speak in an ill manner to one’s child when they don’t like the way the child’s behaving.

“I dare someone to talk to my kids like that no really I do, the look on their face would be complete horror.”

As far as the Heimlich goes, yes, I know it. I think it is something everyone should learn- especially if they have or care for kids. Luckily, I’ve only had to use it- once- at age 17 when my little brother was choking on a Jolly Rancher (a hard, not chewy, candy). Also, I am further protected in that I live with a healthcare professional, and have 2 neighbors in the same field. There’s always someone within a few seconds reach should a medical emergency beyond my control arise.

Also, I don’t really have any insecurities as a parent. I am just super sarcastic, which I am finding doesn’t read well, I guess, but (beware, sarcasm to follow) if I ever do develop such insecurities, I am totally blaming complete strangers/internet entities for them. It seems as good an excuse as any!

Seriously, though, I’ve never heard of your chewy candy claim, so please point me to information regarding the hazards it poses to small children who have teeth and the ability to chew their food. If it is an actual hazard, I’d like to know so I can avoid giving small children chewy candy in the future. I like to think of myself as a careful/cautious parent/caregiver, and would like to continue in that manner.
JohnQknowitall

I am kidding. I am not an ignorant twat. Just a twat.

How could you not see the irony of those statements?
lespacino

otherwise known as “baby bath salts!”
lespacino

I am guessing it is a tongue in cheek reference to that whole Limbaugh business.
lespacino

I hope they teach pediatricians the basics of childcare, or at least how to deal with children who might be disagreeable/upset. I would think that would be an important aspect of providing medical care to children, knowing how to calm them when they are being seen.
lespacino

I hear that. My Mom had 10 of us (well, my Dad did, too). If anyone was misbehaving or cranky in the store, we left. IAnd, the offender was not happy about it in the end! Once they knew they’d be in trouble for acting like that in public, all she had to say was, “do you want to go to the car/home?” With babies, we’d go take care of whatever he/she needed and then finish shopping when he/she was calm. She didn’t have to beat us, she didn’t make deals with us or “get down to [our] level” and try to reason with us. She simply removed us and taught us that if we don’t listen there are negative consequences. We were some well-behaved little fuckers, well, in public anyway! Parenting really isn’t all that difficult if you set rules with consequences and stick to them. Kids need to know what to expect, and when they do, they tend to act up less often.
lespacino

I can’t imagine ever choosing to take a young kid on a long-distance flight like that! If it is not required for a move (as is the case with military families moving overseas) I don’t think it should be done at all. Kids have to get up and move and some are more active than others. Airplanes are not conducive to this. Somebody else mentioned, there should be family friendly flights, better yet, there should be cruises designed specifically to get people from one side of the ocean to the other, not for pleasure purposes, but that act as an alternative to flying. This way families, and even the elderly- who shouldn’t be seated for prolonged time periods- would have a good way to get where they need to go with plenty of options for entertainment, private napping areas, dining, and so forth for kids. Sure, it would be expensive, but so is overseas air travel- and this way, you get a cruise experience out of it.
http://justiceforcaylee.synthasite.com/ shyloh

Hummmm, I must be a bad parent too. I have also given my child chewy candy. It’s the HARD CANDY that chokes RIGHT???
lespacino

I was just kidding. I didn’t really think you were taking him to any hellish places. My kids definitely aren’t perfect, but they’re pretty good. As far as car seats go, I just strap them to the luggage rack on the roof, that way I don’t have to hear their complaints when I choose to listen to Lords of Acid on long car trips. So far, we’ve been lucky, nobody has blown away. Besides, fresh air is good for kids.
lespacino

That’s what I’ve always heard, so we did avoid that. We also avoided steak (just in case) and cut the hot dogs into tiny pieces. No peanut butter until they were 3 (again cautious here, turns out one has an allergy, so that was a good call), no cow’s milk until after 1, slowly introduced “solids” moving from a little rice, to mild fruits and veggies, and so on. I read a lot of shit about what they could and could not have, and when, but never encountered this chewy candy restriction. Chewy candy is soft, and erm, chewy, so it baffles me as to how it would pose more risk than normal food. It seems to me a cracker would be more dangerous than chewy candy. So, I am genuinely curious and interested in knowing the source of the information for future reference.
Eliza Berntsen

Oh that’s fine, I need them fixed anyway.

I don’t generally give a fuck about other people’s spoiled brats, but sometimes they are just little assholes.

I should have probably mentioned that talking to the parents was useless, as they ignored the flight attendants and other passengers pleas of calming it down. So sometimes, for some parents to understand that there are limits, you do need to go for the kid.
Sam

I’m sorry, but for you to get kicked off a plane because of your 2yo that child must have been behaving atrociously. The crew on these planes deal with children every single flight, every day. There are plenty of children (and adults for that matter! who, for whatever reason, cry or scream or make a fuss. The crew are used to this. For it to be THAT bad that the pilot thinks the child would endanger the flight – i’m imagining Chucky on acid right now. I have children, i have flown with them, and yes they have the same uncanny ability to switch to devil mode in a split second that most children seem to have – but i have NO sympathy for these parents. I think what somebody else said is probably the case here – the parents are too busy having an all-important career to actually have a relationship with their children and as such have no idea how to deal with them.
JohnQknowitall

It is not hard candy she is talking about.
JohnQknowitall

For clarification, which sort of name brand examples were you using?
lespacino

Apparently I can’t reply to your comment to me about “name brand examples.” I’m afraid I am a tad slow and don’t know what you’re asking. Do you mean name brands of candies, or name brands of all the foods I fed my kids? I generally don’t go the name brand route for most food, but gave them ‘Mamba’ candy. If you’re asking something else, please explain. Again, I think I’m missing something.
lespacino

I disagree with the language/threat she used, but have been in the position of having to talk to someone else’s kid before. I don’t make it a habit, but we were at a play area and a kid kept hurting one of mine. His dad was obliviously playing chess with a friend- it took me forever to figure out who the kid’s parent even was, he was so inattentive. The kid hurt mine, I chalked it up as an accident. He did it again, and I kindly said to him. “let’s all play nice.” He ran away for a bit, came back, looked at me, then did it again- as he looked at me. I walked over to him and told him that he needed to keep his hands to himself, he then ran to his father who glared at me and gathered his things, his friend, and left in a huff. Coward he was, he said, “you could’ve said something to me” after he was outside of the area. I called after him that I would have been happy to if it was apparent he was the kid’s parent, but because no one was watching him I couldn’t tell. He stomped off like a giant child. It was pretty weird. I don’t generally care what kids do in my presence- if they’re not mine, but I do use the “let’s play nice” bit if I see any hurting other kids. I can’t sit by while anyone hurts a kid- even if it’s another kid.
JohnQknowitall

I meant the candy. I don’t think you are talking about hard candies, but milk chocolates pieces, etcetera… the stuff I am guessing the stuff that 150 million moms in the US give their children with frequency.

I am not a person who takes for granted what a book by a person competing in a very saturated child rearing niche writes.

I agree with you.
lespacino

Yes, not talking about hard candies, but things that kids can chew. Thanks for clarifying for me.
plainbelliedsneetch

When I read the article I was almost hearing your exact script in my head. Except I imagine the parent using my personal favorite, “Snowflake, I’m going to count to three. One….Snowflake, you need to stop before I count to three. One….Twooooo…Please, Snowflake. One…”
It’s a miracle some children ever learn to count.
lespacino

Ha, I realized after the fact that I forgot to count in my scenario. I was thinking, after 2, 2 and a half, 2 and 3 quarters…trailing off at 2 and 31 thirty-seconds! It’s almost too much not to yell “3! 3 god damn it!” Not that these parents ever do anything at 3 anyway. They end up in a neverending loop of counting, recounting, bargaining, and meaningless empty threats. Pathetic.
reapre

I personally have a severe distaste for children.

I have 5 nephews, and even one at a time, are too much for me. I implore you, be a smoker, take a 14 hour flight from Japan to SeaTac with a child that doesn’t understand their ears popping, and tell me again, <5 should be let on planes. You may enjoy your bundle of joy, I, however, do not.
CT

I have twins and they are considered by most to be WAY too well behaved. We get to Preschool at 7:15 and I pick them up at 4:15. You described our routine to a tee — it’s a ROUTINE. I keep my sons on a schedule because they know what to expect and we don’t have the constant meltdowns that I see happening in the kids of friends our age. It keeps all of us sane. My children are very well behaved. They are very social and have lots of “friends” at school that we go to museums and playgrounds with on the weekend. They love going to school and are quite smart for a bunch of 4 year olds. They are well behaved because I refuse to let my kids act like little assholes and they know what they can and cannot get away with in public – which is not much. I don’t hit them or scream at them. They eat a fruit and veggie at every meal and I also let them watch TV – OH THE HORROR. We are not rich but by some standards would be considered well off but in the area I live in – we are the “po” folks on our block. I work as well as my spouse. He travels sometimes up
to two weeks out of the month so when that is going on I have a “nanny”
who helps me out 2 nights a week so that I can get every done for the
week like laundry etc. I make sure I play, color – right now we are working on “busy” boxes at night that involves cutting out stuff and god help me, glue – with them in the mornings and at night after dinner before bedtime. They are in bed by 7:30 because they get up at the crack of dawn whether it is during the week or the weekend.

My kids go to preschool because I wanted them to be socialized at an early and because I do work outside of the home. I’d go insane and wouldn’t be the greatest Mother if I stayed home with them everyday not because of them but because I don’t like other Moms. They drive me crazy – I don’t want to talk about pull ups, potty training or how many times your kid shit yesterday. My friends and I all work and didn’t have kids because we wanted to say we are mothers. I waited until I was older to have children because I knew I wasn’t ready when I was younger.

I’m not trying to get into an argument with you, but it sounds a awful like you are throwing a big brick through my window because I choose to work instead of staying home with my kids. Oh and I sleep trained them too.
CT

I gave mine jello shooters once before a flight. They didn’t care for them. What kid doesn’t like Jello? WTF
LeaveMeBe

I TOLD you I was sick and the fever must have made my irony sensor malfunction. Contrary to popular belief, I am human and have a fault and a flaw. Now, will you tuck me in and bring me some orange juice, please?
http://twitter.com/AngelsMom0806 Angels Mom

HA!!
JohnQknowitall

Sweetness I am sorry. *touches your forehead* You are feverish. Have some homemade chicken soup. I brought you some apple juice with vitamin C… orange juice is hard on a tummy that hurts.
lespacino

Oh, no, I have no problem for daycare for people who need it (even if it is for sanity purposes). If you engage with your children and you actually parent them, you are aces in my book. My pet peeve is the people who have their kids as little as possible because they don’t want to parent, and when they do have them, they don’t parent. From your description, it sounds to me like you are parenting your kids, and that you have them a lot more than the people I’m describing/know. I can also understand using a nanny for help when your husband is gone- especially with twins. Mine are the same age, and I know you can’t leave them alone for long before their little 4 year-old schemes start playing out!

Like I say, I know a lot of people who use daycare and who still parent outside of that. It sounds like you don’t use it outside of work (financial and household) just to be away from your kids, which is what the people I’m describing do. They treat their kids like the new “in” thing, much like the lap dogs that were so popular to carry around in a purse a few years back. The friend whose wife/kid I originally described went so far as to say “a mix” (like a mix breed) in relation to her child once. She adopted her from China (which is the first thing she tells anyone she meets), and told me that she gets asked all the time if the little girl is “a mix.” Now “mixed” I can see, because that is normally used in relation to humans, but “a mix?”

Outside of working, it sounds to me like you parent a lot like I do. And, if I am reading correctly your twins are both boys! If I had twin boys, I’d probably have chosen to go a completely different route, too (for my sanity!). I remember when I got the kick in the pants news that I was having twins…I am not a believer in god, but begged the universe at that point to give me 2 girls, or a girl and a boy because I didn’t think- even at that point- I could handle 2 boys at the same time. My 2 girls are rambunctious and rough and tumble enough. In boy form, I’d be kicked off every flight known to man! lol. Anyway, I hope my clarifications helped. I have no argument with you, and again no argument with most people who use daycare, just those who fail to parent outside of it, use their children like accessories, and treat them like burdens.
lespacino

I hope they were mainly tequila based, those vodka shooters are awful!
lespacino

Wouldn’t it be nice if that actually worked? You’d just type what you want into the computer and it would magically appear, exactly the way you like it. That’s the kind of future I’d like to see!
CT

My sons will beat the hell out of each other if left unattended for more than 11 minutes. I’ve timed it.
LeaveMeBe

You are so good to me. *snuggles under the blankie*
Athena

I get that, but I consider the flight attendant to be a representative of the company. I find it a bit interesting that, in all the articles I read, she never says why she took issue with the flight attendant.

If the flight attendant perceives you to be intentionally or carelessly disregarding instruction, his/her patience will run out, and her sunny disposition will not carry through the end of the situation. If I came across a couple of parents who were so poor at controlling their child, it was actually delaying the plane, I’d probably be a bit curt, too. Not sure if that’s her issue, but if it was, it’s easily explained.
Athena

Well, I imagine there are exceptions to the rule, but I’ve never met one. I’ll take your word for it that it takes three to five minutes, and I’m sorry for your misfortune.
LeaveMeBe

This explains why my kids were never good at fractions! Of course, they also could never count past one either….
LeaveMeBe

Next time use Midori. My kids begged for those so much but I had to occasionally withold them for things like holidays, family pictures and playground time.
CT

I can’t reply to you – Leavemebe – how about Cake Vodka? I have that – it tastes like vanilla cake.
lespacino

Yeah, even my girls will get to that point. Not enough to time them, but they have their days where I have to make sure they are not near each other at all! Being a twin has got to suck!
MuMuGuy

The doctor in this situation sounds like all the idiot customers that play the “I’m never shopping here again” card when they don’t get what they want. I’m pretty sure JetBlue does not depend on her patronage. The only thing more annoying than sitting next to a sweaty fat guy on the plane are bratty children.

This story makes me glad that I’m getting a vasectomy soon.
lespacino

Worse yet, a stinky street kid from Seattle! Had to sit in the same row as some stinky girl on a 7 hour flight. I actually leaned my head on the window and had to turn to the back in order to breath semi- non-putrid air. She was the worst thing I’ve ever smelled, and I used to encounter rotting, dead dogs in the river all the time…
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Athena

Since you can’t rely on parents drugging their toddlers, you should always be prepared to drug yourself.
Athena

Oh, I’ve got no problem with people talking to other people’s children if the parents seem checked out. I’m the first one to do it half the time. But I’ve got a big problem with using that kind of language and issuing physical threats. And, while it wouldn’t be my child (I’m extremely observant of whether or not my child’s behavior is annoying or inconveniencing anyone), I’d have someone like Eliza removed from a plane if I heard her childishly threaten someone else’s kid.
DangerousKindOfSnark

Make sure you tie them down securely, you don’t want the car seats to scratch your paint if the fly off. That would be a tragedy.
reapre

“Since you can’t rely on parents drugging their toddlers, you should always be prepared to drug yourself.”

Doesn’t work. Pain supressors/sleep aids don’t effect me. Percoset, Hydros, Ambien CR, Xanax, Doral, Benadryl, Claritan, Prilocain, Lidocain, etc. have either no effect, or very little. I have to ”man” my way through dental work, stitches…etc, unless they gas me. I feel the same pain you do.

My mothers wonderful gift of Insomnia, along with my boy-hood stitches, and my “needed” teethpulling (wisdoms), have made me hate any kind of medical/dental. Nasuea, and no other affects, make them the bane of my existance. I just deal with my own pain, as long as it’s not going to main/kill me if I don’t receive medical aid.

Kids shouldn’t fly / be in the forefront in everywhere I go. Those that wish to ban my smoking, I wish to ban their kids’ public appearances.
Lena60

Do you have a high motabolism? what runs in my family is an inabilty to get numb(novacane)or to stay that way.both my sister and my father have woken up during an opperation.either the shit works but wears off too quickly or not at all. I have also had this problem.It scares the shit out of me.
Lena60

Neena, bring the car seat in the house and have the baby use it in a comfortable setting. It might help.
Lena60

No, not always.
Lena60

ewww! *gag*
reapre

I don’t know if it’s a “high metabolism”, or it’s just a high tolerance. I have to OD on stuff like Benadryl (6-8 tabs at a time) to get any relief from it. I’m 205lb at 5’11…I’m not a body builder, and I’m not “obese”, however my BMI tries to lead you to believe otherwise. Average would be an appropriate word.
http://profile.yahoo.com/NMHX4LL5UOZ4PD7HHSXUPH76AY Rhea

abc
Gee

I just think some parents are so immune to the crappy behavior of their own kids they don’t realize how obnoxious it is to the general public. Then put that into small quarters of an airplane and it gets amplified by ten. I have no problem with Jet Blue’s actions here. I am sorry if you can not get your child to sit down in their seat for safety reasons they should not fly.
http://twitter.com/MrLopezBITCHES Shelby Burns

I shouldn’t be allowed to fly because other people can’t control their spawn? Okay.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000524352710 Robyn Singleton

it is spelled LADDER you retarded asshole
JohnQknowitall

Well thank-you for the correction. I always appreciate when conpletely errorless peeple point out my spelling misteaks.
wolfcat

My son reacted like that once (meaning for one small period of time not just once ever) after a LONG road trip from MT to GA. Poor guy did not want to be back in his seat and I don’t blame him. We had to take a long break from seats before he didn’t mind going back in again. I can definitely sympathize. If the family took longer than 5 minutes then it might have counted as “prolonged”. But if they didn’t even take that long, some single people just sitting there watching might decide on their own that it’s prolonged. It’s the type of story you need more info one. People need to stop bashing kids on planes. Not ever kid on a plane is misbehaved. I’ve flown plenty of times and have yet to be on a plane with a baby that cried for any abnormal amount of time. I did have one 5-6 year old behind me that kicked my chair and peaked over the top, but it was a short flight and she didn’t really bother me so I didn’t say anything. She was quiet as a mouse, just moved around a lot. I don’t fly with my kids just because of price, but I may start soon to cut down the amount of time I’m away from my dogs. <3
wolfcat

When I was a single mom, I had to do my shopping late at night to get in and out faster. My daughter did wake up and cry a few times and I would try to carry her around and do my shopping with those big heavy carts at the same time. It takes commitment. My daughter was the only one to go through a tantrum stage and I just took her to the toy section to give her a toy to play with and wait until we were about to leave to take it from her. It cut down the tantrums to just the few minutes it took to carry her butt out the door. That phase only lasted about 3 months and it was right after my son was born so I understood. Parents need to get creative. On the other hand… there have been a few parents in stores where I wanted to smack the shit out of them. This one bitch had a kid who was only gently fussing to be held and had her arms up, she was only a little more than 1. Her mom picked her up, fussed at her angrily, then slammed her into the metal cart seat. The little girl’s leg got caught on the middle part and she got hurt and screamed in pain and her mother pulled her out and did it again and her leg didn’t get caught that time. I saw red, the only reason I didn’t go raise hell was because I didn’t want to lose my kids for fighting the other mom in front of them. People are messed up! She didn’t even try to comfort her child.
Jemimabean

But you see my point- you made a way to make it work as effectively as possible. Here, I regularly am subjected to women strolling (Yes, STROLLING!) around clothing boutiques and malls with a screaming kid. And they’re flustered and aggravated but God forbid that they miss out on any of those delicious specials at Zoom Shoes for the happiness and wellbeing of their child.
wolfcat

Yeah, I hate people who just let their kid cry. It usually doesn’t take much to calm down any child unless they are sick. If the kid’s sick then the parent really shouldn’t have them out and about.
cherrybubblesbonbon

a screaming toddler on a plane = my own personal hell… i try very very hard to make sure it NEVER happens, i go to hotels that are deemed ‘unsuitable for families’, i pick destinations that nobody in their right mind would EVER take a child to and i only use restuarants/bars that are not ‘family-friendly’. that is my choice… in this case what choice did the pilot have? why should the rest of the passengers have their journey made even more stressful by one family? the parents are responsible for the child and if they cant manage the childs behaviour in public then they should have made alternative arrangements, you cannot expect to inflict your childs ‘terrible twos’ on the general public, (especially in this case at about 40 000 ft) it is irresponsible and selfish, i think the airline were absolutely right! >:)