3 year-old Kicked Off Plane After Tantrum

[Autumn2004]

Im a pharmacology major. So even though I didnt major in it I did take quite a few courses as electives in psych and abnormal psych. I love science and have always had a thirst for things that bore my dh and friends lol

 

[JBean]

Im a pharmocology major. So even though I didnt major in it I did take quite a few courses as electives in psych and abnormal psych. I love science and have always had a thirst for things that bore my dh and friends lol

I can relate. I love math and science and my dh thinks I am nuts. Well, maybe I am..just a little.

 

[Autumn2004]

I have been confirmed that Im a bit nuts, especially when my microbiology class spilled over into my home life and I took swab samples of my boyfriend's teeth to see what would grow in an agar plate lol :crazy: For some reason they didnt appreciate it too much!

 

[JBean]

I have been confirmed that Im a bit nuts, especially when my microbiology class spilled over into my home life and I took swab samples of my boyfriend's teeth to see what would grow in an agar plate lol :crazy: For some reason they didnt appreciate it too much!

Oh Autumn.I cannot even tell you some of the things I put under my microscope when I was younger.:angel:
My father was a doctor and when he passed away the only thing I wanted was his microscope from medical school. I have it and I cherish it.
Okay I guess we have done a Friday night hijack. Sorry all!

 

[OneLostGrl]

OneLostGirl - I understand what you are saying, but I do not believe it is uncalled for to ask if the child is retarded. I don't think she called her a "" at all.

Furthermore, my daughter is not retarded, but she is mentally ill. Very mentally ill and is currently in a residential treatment center. I have had the pleasure of dealing with children, teens and their families who cover the entire spectrum of mental and cognitive disabilities, and it is my experience that the word retarded is not an insult. Nobody goes around calling each other "retards" but, then, nobody goes around freaking out about the slightest of perceived political incorrectness either.

I'm very sorry that your daughter is ill- I know what it is like to be "very" mentally ill and I don't wish that on anyone! I honestly hope the treatment center helps her!

As far as the rest of your response goes, I'm not gonna fight with you, that's just silly.

 

[JBean]

Back to topic.
I traveled extensively with the boys when they were small. Often I would be alone with 3 or more little ones in tow. It certainly wasn't easy, but I managed to have plenty for them to do. the secret is to pack things they have never seen before. the novelty factor goes a long way in this situation. pack their old favorites, but new things that they are not familiar with usually grab their attention. Each would have their own backpack full of goodies and the babies would have plenty to suck on. I can say that I had very few problems managing them, even when we were stranded at airports overnight on a few occasions.That was always a lot of fun.
But, I also can say I have never really had too much trouble with other peoples kids in my travels either. I have had that kid that kicks my seat and i just politely turned around and asked them to stop. Poor little things don't even know they are doing it. I find most people have a pretty good handle on their kids and I have not encountered anything unmanageable and i travel quite a bit. I have had fun with the kids sitting in front or behind me, keeping them entertained for their parents by making faces and drawing pictures. I think those parents welcomed my interaction. But then I love love little ones.
I am overly patient with small ones and can probably tolerate much more than the next guy. Between coming from a family of 8 kids and then raising 5 more myself, well it takes a lot to ruffle my feathers. I do feel bad for this family, but there were a lot of others involved. Lord only knows what set this girl off. It could have been something, it could have been nothing.
I think the airline did the best they could to remedy the situation to everyone's satisfaction. Unfortunately that is just not easy to do these days.

 

[JBean]

I just reread the article and it says the little girl was seated in front of the parents and they couldn't get to her to hold her or console her. Well my question is, why didn't they have her seated next to them? That could have probably solved the whole probelm by swapping seats with one parent. One of the parents could have sat alone and the other next to the little girl to console her.
>> But Julie Kulesza said: "We weren't giving an opportunity to hold her, console her or anything."
"Elly was sitting in front of our seat crying," she said in a phone interview.<<

These parents blew it, but I am surprised at the number of "brat" posts. We do't really know what kind of little girl this is generally and overall. It all makes pretty good sense that she was having problems that day and it may have been unsual for her. Maybe that is why the parents were so floored. Moreover,she wasn't even seated next to her parents.
But either which way, the airline had to do what they had to do and I still think they did a good job trying to satisfy everyone. the little girl seem to benefit by delaying her flight as well, since it seemingly went off without incident.

 

[pedinurse]

I wasnt going to respond here again but since my post was brought up I feel the need to respond.

1. Not all ear infections nowadays are treated with antibiotics, my daughter has had viral ear infections that appeared painful to her but were not treatable by antibiotics. They were on vacation so they may not have had available vacation time to take off more than they already had. I personally dont consider anyone a "brat" but I have an issue with calling names, especially children. Like I said before my 3 year old would NOT be on an airplane per my choice, its too long of a flight in my opinion. I also dont have a problem with them being asked to leave, I just simply did not approve of the name calling of a little girl and how so many on here wanted to beat her.

You are right, many ear infections are more viral than bacterial and cannot be treated with antibiotics. But treatment for these ear infections should include comfort measures (there are "numbing" ear drops for ear pain, ect).

 

[JBean]

Seriously, look at your post again so there is no ambiguity:




i really am upset by this.

"I guess I should have worded it differently." doesn't quite cut it and i'm sorry to be a bore, but it isn't a case of wording it differently, it was an outright slur which i really don't appreciate.

i know there will be some who believe i'm making too much of this. i don't think so.

i'm done.

Howdy Floh. I think newmom explained she made an error in her posts and was referring to an original post of someone else. She wasn't trying to slur you. She was reasonable enough about her complaint and I see her point.
But in fairness, you did refer to the child as "the brat that wouldn't" in one of your posts.
But don't take offense to those that disagree with you. that is what makes the world go round :blowkiss:
Some kids are brats and that's the truth..I just don't know if this one was for sure or not.Maybe she was just bratty that day. But,it's not unreasonable for some to assume she was from the info provided.

 

[southcitymom]

.......These parents blew it, but I am surprised at the number of "brat" posts. We do't really know what kind of little girl this is generally and overall. It all makes pretty good sense that she was having problems that day and it may have been unsual for her. Maybe that is why the parents were so floored. ......

Thanks for this post, JBean, which spoke to many of the feelings I had when reading this thread. To call a 3-year-old a brat or question her mental status or intimate that she's heading to prison based on one short incident we know about floors me.

I do not understand why people so often jump to the worst possible conclusion of others - particularly children. My 3-year-olds could be angels one minute and demons the next - that is the nature of this stage of life. I guess many people posting so harshly about this girl don't have much experience with children this age.

I've had many days in my 40 years when I behaved much worse than this little girl and I've had many days when I've acted in such a way that people might mistake me for Mother Teresa. If you decided who/what I am based on looking at ONE of those days, you wouldn't have a very clear picture of me. I suspect I am not unique in this and it applies to most human beings at any stage of life.

 

[JBean]

Thanks for this post, JBean, which spoke to many of the feelings I had when reading this thread. To call a 3-year-old a brat or question her mental status or intimate that she's heading to prison based on one short incident we know about floors me.

I do not understand why people so often jump to the worst possible conclusion of others - particularly children. My 3-year-olds could be angels one minute and demons the next - that is the nature of this stage of life. I guess many people posting so harshly about this girl don't have much experience with children this age.

I've had many days in my 40 years when I behaved much worse than this little girl and I've had many days when I've acted in such a way that people might mistake me for Mother Teresa. If you decided who/what I am based on looking at ONE of those days, you wouldn't have a very clear picture of me. I suspect I am not unique in this and it applies to most human beings at any stage of life.

I do so agree with you SCMamacakes.
hey I am in the middle of menopause. So i know all about being an angel one day and a demon the next.I'm all about that right now.

 

[Boyzmomee]

I wasnt going to respond here again but since my post was brought up I feel the need to respond.

1. Not all ear infections nowadays are treated with antibiotics, my daughter has had viral ear infections that appeared painful to her but were not treatable by antibiotics. They were on vacation so they may not have had available vacation time to take off more than they already had. I personally dont consider anyone a "brat" but I have an issue with calling names, especially children. Like I said before my 3 year old would NOT be on an airplane per my choice, its too long of a flight in my opinion. I also dont have a problem with them being asked to leave, I just simply did not approve of the name calling of a little girl and how so many on here wanted to beat her.

2. They may not always but I do have a nephew who has asperger's/autism somewhere on the spectrum that they are trying to figure out. He does hit alot. He also is spanked quite a bit by his parents. So obviously hitting didnt work in his case.

3.HOW do you know if I was abused or not? It could be the reason I am so insistent upon treating children properly in my view by not calling them names, not spanking, and never making her feel ignored and neglected. The LAST thing I want to do and make sure my daughter never experiences it in her own home is why Im so insistent upon treating her like an individual and not someone to hit, push around, make her have a negative self esteem, or feel neglected. I want to give her the high self esteem I never had growing up and I ALWAYS thought I disappointed my parents even though looking back I was a very well behaved kid and teenager.

Btw- I dont have a child that is constantly misbehaving, she is a normal average three year old. She has a tendency to be very sensitive like her mom and easily gets her feeling's hurt if your voice changes to show dissapointment.

1. There are drops for ear pain, especially if traveling with a child on a plane. Her parents were remiss if they knew and did not treat it prior to boarding the plane. She was behaving like a brat...hitting her parents etc. I'm sure she is not reading here, therefore, will not have a subsequent loss of self esteem by what is written on WS. Could you please point out where a poster said she should be "beat?"

2. Perhaps your disabled nephew shouldn't be hit? Have they considered that his behavior may be the result of his disability? ABA services may be available. If they are in CA, they should call their regional center. Other states provide similar services. I am a social worker for the regional center in my area. We provide ABA, respite, and many other services at no cost, or low cost to parents of disabled children.


3. I was abused. I can tell you the difference if you like.

 

[pedinurse]

1. There are drops for ear pain, especially if traveling with a child on a plane. Her parents were remiss if they knew and did not treat it prior to boarding the plane. She was behaving like a brat...hitting her parents etc. I'm sure she is not reading here, therefore, will not have a subsequent loss of self esteem by what is written on WS. Could you please point out where a poster said she should be "beat?"

2. Perhaps your disabled nephew shouldn't be hit? Have they considered that his behavior may be the result of his disability? ABA services may be available. If they are in CA, they should call their regional center. Other states provide similar services. I am a social worker for the regional center in my area. We provide ABA, respite, and many other services at no cost, or low cost to parents of disabled children.

3. I was abused. I can tell you the difference if you like.

I personally feel that there is a big difference between hitting and swatting.

 

[SewingDeb]

Well I personally have to problem with anyone who called this child a brat. Most of the kids I know would never behave like that at age 3 unless.....the parents had let them get away with the tantrum and hitting the parents up until that time. Most of the kids I know very much know better than to do this by the time they are 3 years old, and the ones that don't have the very permissive 'they are just expressing themselves' parents. I also never volunteer to babysit for those particular kids. My best friends kid just turned 3 in Nov and she already says yes m'am/sir and no m'am/sir to adults. And all my friend has to do if she starts to act up is whisper in her ear 'you are not behaving for mommy. Do you want to have to leave?' Little tyke straightens up and flys right with just that. And no she is not abused but she has gotten a swat on her bum when needed and all you have to do is say 'time out' and she goes and gets her chair and puts it in the corner and sits on her own and she just turned 3. So in my opinon this particular kid is a brat and I agree her parents are 'dimbows' and I am not afraid to say it and I won't apologize for it or take it back.

I'm with you on this. I've raised 4 and by age 3 they could control themselves in public. I do believe it is because they knew I would take them out kicking and screaming (them...not me...lol) if I had to. It does make a difference how a child has been raised. Also...big point here...my children are always better behaved when dad is there. This little girl probably rules the roost at home if Dad's presence wasn't a reason to be on best behavior.

 

[kahskye]

I'm with you on this. I've raised 4 and by age 3 they could control themselves in public. I do believe it is because they knew I would take them out kicking and screaming (them...not me...lol) if I had to. It does make a difference how a child has been raised. Also...big point here...my children are always better behaved when dad is there. This little girl probably rules the roost at home if Dad's presence wasn't a reason to be on best behavior.

Like I said in an earlier post, I feel this little girl lacks discipline. When the mom was being interviewed, the dad was sitting right next to her and the little girl was climbing up the couch and walking behind mom. The dad just sat there. She kind of reminded me of the children you see in a restaurant who are standing in the booth jumping, or climbing up on the table and the parents say nothing. My dd would have never dreamed of hitting me, ever! It's very simple to teach children at an early age what is acceptable behavior. I can remember being out shopping w/ my dd when she was 2 or 3 and seeing some child having a fit. I would stop and whisper in my dd's ear just how proud I was of her good behavior. That always made her smile and be a total joy to shop with.

 

[concernedperson]

I think these parents thought that a large percentage of the population would side with them and their skewed values on child rearing. Lo and behold, we didn't. It could be that they thought a large lawsuit would be forthcoming and oops it isn't. They are kinda stupid.

Sorta like a cup of coffee at MacDonald's is hot. Get over it and teach your child to not be a brat and the world will love you better.

 

[LinasK]

A child who has an ear infection or that much congestion should not be flying in the first place- the ear drum can burst from the pressure of takeoff and landing, add to it the pressure of the fluid build-up. I know from firsthand experience the pain of landing while having a bad cold when I flew into Seattle, it was excruciating. These parents were better off not to have flown at that time if they already knew she had ear problems.

 

[JBean]

A child who has an ear infection or that much congestion should not be flying in the first place- the ear drum can burst from the pressure of takeoff and landing, add to it the pressure of the fluid build-up. I know from firsthand experience the pain of landing while having a bad cold when I flew into Seattle, it was excruciating. These parents were better off not to have flown at that time if they already knew she had ear problems.

HI Linas..glad you're back.


I never really saw that she had an ear infection. I only read that she had ear pain on the previous flight (which is common)and her angst was more anticipatory. That is, she was equating flying with ear pain because that's what she felt on the orginating flight. Coupled with the fact that she was not seated with her parents probably sent her into a tailspin.
Did I miss that they were flying with an ear infection?help!


One thing I don't understand is if the parents never got the opportunity to console her, how was it that she was hitting them?

ETA: Linas, several people have mentioned that she had an ear infection, so I am asking this more as a general question to all, not just in response to your one post.

 

[southcitymom]

HI Linas..glad you're back.
I never really saw that she had an ear infection. I only read that she had ear pain on the previous flight (which is common)and her angst was more anticipatory. That is, she was equating flying with ear pain because that's what she felt on the orginating flight. Coupled with the fact that she was not seated with her parents probably sent her into a tailspin.
Did I miss that they were flying with an ear infection?help!


One thing I don't understand is if the parents never got the opportunity to console her, how was it that she was hitting them?

I never read anything that stated there was an ear infection either - just that her ears might have been bothering her.

 

[JBean]

Like I said in an earlier post, I feel this little girl lacks discipline. When the mom was being interviewed, the dad was sitting right next to her and the little girl was climbing up the couch and walking behind mom. The dad just sat there. She kind of reminded me of the children you see in a restaurant who are standing in the booth jumping, or climbing up on the table and the parents say nothing. My dd would have never dreamed of hitting me, ever! It's very simple to teach children at an early age what is acceptable behavior. I can remember being out shopping w/ my dd when she was 2 or 3 and seeing some child having a fit. I would stop and whisper in my dd's ear just how proud I was of her good behavior. That always made her smile and be a total joy to shop with.

Oh I know those kids in the restaurant. I never had much patience for that either. If mine didn't sit in their seats, we were history. So mine were sure to stay seated and quiet for fear they would have to go home and face my cooking