Now that I’m a parent, a lot of my outlook has changed. I mean, it’s immediate. You immediately realize that life is not some struggle to find yourself. “I woke up today feeling renewed, like something big is coming my way!”
Um, no. More like “I woke up this morning and really thought it would be great to have a pork chop tonight for dinner. So I bought one.”
And during a recent trip on an airplane with our 8 week old, I felt it. He slept the whole way – the entire flight. And then, when we landed, he started to cry. Not a lot, just a bit. He was unhappy, and wanted us to know it.
And then the looks started. The people DARED to stare with scorn. I felt like saying “hey, let me know when you are flying back, I’ll make sure I sit behind you instead of at the bulkhead, and I’ll prod the boy every time he wants to fall asleep. Oh, and I’ll kick your chair. Ass.”
Oh, yeah. And how about getting your FOOT off my armrest, and stop grabbing the back of my chair every time your fat ass needs to get up to pee. Talk about annoying, and you’re a grown human being. Semi.
And then I read an article like this. Actually, less of an article, and more like virtual toilet paper. ‘Hey, let’s separate parents from other people on an airplane.’ The argument is that ‘there are first and business classes, why not parent’s and kid’s class seating?’ Well, there’s a fault in that logic – first class is a privilege you PAY for. Parents’/kids’ seating sounds like a punishment. ‘Let’s put THOSE people in the back of the plane.’
Hey, I get it that a parent with 2 8 year-old kids should wrangle them – but the author never bothered to turn around and ask the parent to curb their kid, never approached the attendant, just stewed and got angry.
How about you have a child and then try to take him to the GROCERY STORE for 10 minutes, never mind on a 3 hour plane ride, and see how much fun YOU have. I guarantee that the parent of the noisy kid is more upset and embarrassed than you are, you pompous jerk.
The point is, you don’t know. So either speak up or shut up. Or, at least, stop looking at me with disdain. Because yes, I have a child and he’s not a fully grown adult like you… but at least I’m not an elitist ass.
And to Tracy Stewart from Aviation.com – eat my shorts.