Surviving the Domestic Jungle

I was reading this article yesterday where the author was talking about what makes flying unbearable and there was the regular stuff like the “armrest hog” and the sick guy coughing and then the author mentioned babies and my god the comments that came from it! I have children, I have flown with them and mainly they sleep through the whole thing and are very good but there are those kids who are just miserable and I feel for their mothers! I think all mothers feel for those mothers because its such an awkward position to be in. You know your baby is in pain or unhappy yet you have all these people around you giving you the “look” and you want everyone to be happy but no one is, especially you! It is hard to travel with kids period but when you have jerks making it even harder it is just awful. Some people were saying that kids shouldn’t be allowed to fly and that parents need to get their kids under control. It was hard to read because how the heck can you tell a 2 month old to be quiet? You cant! They’re a baby! A 4 year old you have more control but even then if their ears are hurting there’s not much you can do. I think all those people commenting forgot they were babies once and their parents probably took them on trips and they probably cried. I could understand an adult crying and screaming being unacceptable but a child is an exception and yes their screaming is annoying but geez, you’re in a long cylinder up in the sky and only get fed peanuts and perhaps you should put it in perspective that the baby isn’t ruining your otherwise relaxing, awesome experience, the WHOLE experience from check in to trying to get a rental car or a taxi cab is just awful!!! Expect to suffer and have a bad day! Expect to breathe dirty air and see a movie you have already seen and have a snack that is perfect for a 2 year old and not an adult and expect to go to the bathroom in a broom closet! Nothing about flying is enjoyable and it is certainly not enjoyable for the mom who is trying to keep her child happy and  instead of throwing her the dagger eyes, ask her if you can HELP her!! Be kind, be compassionate and be understanding that everyone is miserable and if you hate children, don’t leave your house because they are EVERYWHERE!!