That America is a little drug-happy (the legal kind) is a statement of yawning obviousness these days. Doctors’ offices are rife with stories of people who come in asking for “the pink pill” or “the yellow pill” or whatever pill is going to solve all their emotional and physical problems, and make them slim and happy and popular all at the same time. I’ve even been in the office for a specific complaint, and had the doctor ask if I needed any other random medications for whatever imaginary ailments I could come up with.
But this story takes the problem to absurdity. A mother and her toddler were kicked off a Continental Express flight after she refused to medicate her kid, who was engaging in what sounds like mildly annoying, but perfectly normal, behavior. The above link is to the original Washington Post article, but it’s more interesting to read the post on the Broadsheet blog. Carol Lloyd relates a similar flight-attendant confrontation regarding her own kids, and wonders if it’s simply America’s attitude toward children that’s the problem.
I’m seeing links about this all over the Web; since I just returned from flying with my kids (who are admittedly older) I can really relate.
Yes, we’ve flown long distances overseas with young children and have no intention of apologizing for it. I was stationed in Europe and Asia by the military and didn’t have a choice; the US govt doesn’t pay for us to ride Cunard ships to get where we need to go.
And I’m really sorry that my son threw up on that flight to Italy. We really tried to get the barf bag over his mouth in time.
The big problem is that the cost-cutting airlines have made flying so unpleasant — THEY should be the source of our anger and frustration, not the people who are mostly doing their best while crammed into an airborne tube.
Admittedly, another problem is that many people have come to expect low airfares, even to far-flung destinations, and are then surprised and annoyed when the result is a lower level of service and a bus-like experience.
Thanks for your stories, Sheila. I’ve been thinking a lot more about this issue over the weekend. If you go to the Broadsheet link I put up, and then follow the Letters link, you might be amazed. I certainly was.
I thought people would be almost universally supportive of the mother (especially after learning, it turns out, that this flight was delayed 11 hours), but the amount of vitriol directed at parents traveling with children was shocking. There seems to be a consensus in this country that parents should stay home (not just off airplanes) until their kids reach a respectable, “no-no-able” age. Many said that parents shouldn’t expect to travel when their kids are young.
It was a sad moment, actually. The responses make Americans look like a bunch of kid-haters who would be happier if we never had to see another child again, especially when traveling. I know there are a lot of bad or lazy parents out there, but wouldn’t their jobs be a little easier if society–and the people in neighboring seats–were more supportive?