Passenger From H#%@

The Passenger From H#%@!!!!!!

I don't mean the 21/2 year old triplets..... I am talking about

THIER MOM (and DAD, too)

If you have flown on a plane, you have seen a mother headed down the aisle with one or more young children...admit it...you are silently praying...please, not by me....please don't let their seat assignment be near me.....

OR

You have been the young mother headed down the aisle of the plane with one or more young children. You get the looks....No, please don't sit by me.... please.....

(I have been that one many, many times)

When you ARE that mother... No One, NO ONE wants your children to behave perfectly on the plane more than YOU yourself want them to.

When you travel with children of ANY age, common sense tells you to prepare for the trip.

Pack a bag of tricks that will entertain, pacify, feed, distract, and comfort them for the duration of the trip. Right????

That is just common sense....RIGHT????

At the risk of turning this post in to an all out RANT...... let me tell you.... NOT ALL MOTHERS who fly with young children have COMMON SENSE!!!!

I was seated in front of one from Houston to Salt Lake last week!!!!!!

(Those flights in and out of Salt Lake are always full of children, but this was the worst)

Imagine this....a mother with 2 1/2 year old TRIPLETS boarding a plane with absolutely NOTHING to entertain, pacify, feed, distract, comfort, or interact with!!!!

NO, NOT ONE BLASTED THING!!!!!!

AND THEY WERE SEATED BEHIND ME.....

WHILE I WAS TRYING TO SLEEP DURING MY

DRAMAMINE-INDUCED COMA!!!!!

For 3 hours, it was a constant kicking my seat, putting the tray table up and down, talking at the top of their lungs while MOM READ A MAGAZINE and COMPLETELY IGNORED two of the triplets (the third was seated with dad in another location)

. In spite of my glares, the glares of the other passengers in my row, our pleading looks, my offer of gummy bears (they are not allowed sugar!) my offer of a magazine, pen or pencil to draw on a drawing pad (they are fine....they don't need anything)

The children were NOT passengers from H#$%....it was MOM!!!!!! AND DAD!!!!!!

One guess where DAD was?????

The OTHER PASSENGER FROM H#$%??????

Seated in FIRST CLASS!!!!!

YEP, Dad and ONE of the triplets (he would come and trade off one at a time) were seated comfortably in FIRST CLASS while checked out MOM was reading her magazine and two of her triplets were keeping me (actually my entire row)awake and irritated!!!!!

Now...... here is a question....if you are a man who travels for business often and has a First Class Seat Assignment....WHERE is your wife going to sit?????

Would you not give her the opportunity to experience First Class?

Maybe you could go sit with the triplets and ENTERTAIN them.

And last but not least..... was I ever glad I did not let loose on this checked out mom.....

TWO DAYS later..... she was sitting in the Salt Lake Temple with me!!!!!
I recognized her.... I wonder if she recognized me.

There is more I could write, but you get the picture.

I know, I know, even with the best preparations, children do not always behave well on a flight (I have story after story of my own children's non-ideal behavior while flying), however, all bases should be covered to ensure the best possible flight for the comfort and happiness of you, your child, and those around you.

From Curt throwing a pillow in a crabby old lady's meal (she threw it back at him)

to Katherine staying up all night on a Red-eye flight,

I have had my share of experiences flying with children.

I will say, however, that when I board a plane with a child, I am prepared to keep them happy, entertained, fed, etc. for their comfort as well as those around them!!!!!

I have tried to never be a passenger from H#$%!!!!!