Remember — putting up with annoying people/babies/coworkers builds good character!!! ;) Plus, it helps maintain cosmic balance, for all the times you (the generic you) yourself have been annoying.

Have fun in Cambridge!! We’ll try to come visit, and then *you’ll* be the cause of us inflicting Micah on trapped trans-Atlantic flyers!! ;)

There are parents and then there are parents – this is often where the problem lies – not banishing all children.

My children are frequent fliers, my son’s first flight at 4 months transatlantic then transpacific at age 9 months and continually since. The usual reaction we get from fellow passengers is astonishment as to how quiet and well behaved they are. Part of this comes from our sensitivity to others’ peace and respect. We travel with them because we expect them to learn how to travel, just as we also take them to nice (but appropriate) restaurants where we expect them to behave. If we never took them out ‘in public’ how would they have ever learned to act?

I know of the types of encounters you are speaking – but notice it is often the parents that are oblivious to their children’s actions. Some of the other nightmare experiences I have had in flights involve adults in various forms: those with incredibly bad odors; those who speak exceptionally loud and tirelessly; those adjacent and magnificiently obese threatening near asphyxiation; those pushing and shoving and spilling and… you get it… In this horrible little world you need to have a lot of specialized compartments.

One trick we came up with was a moratorium on airline travel when one child was between the ages of one and two years. Before one year of age – they sleep like babies in the airline provided bassinets. But then around one year of age they learn to walk and can’t be strapped down until they are old enough to reason with – often around the age of two. We simply saw this coming and did not need to put anyone through the discomfort.

Yes, we have had the misfortune to have a child in pain during a flight resulting in too much crying – for this we beg your indulgence and forgiveness (as much as you would expect us to indulge you were you in such straits during a flight).

The thing about raising children is that it is not just for the parents benefit, but for the benefit of the rest of society, to this end you too are invested even if you are not so inclined.

One quick (?) anecdote (for your laughter or horror)
We had boarded a flight in Detroit and were all required to stay buckled in our seats at the gate for over an hour waiting to get a spot in the queue to take-off. My son eventually said he needed to go to the bathroom just as the aircraft pushed back and started to taxi. I mentioned this to the flight attendant who called the captain. He then had to pull out of line and wait while my son ‘did his thing’. I thought the passengers wanted to kill us. I kept asking him, ‘son, are you done yet?’ He would answer back, quite loudly, ‘not yet, these things take time’… Some people found this amusing. This ‘flight’ took us almost two hours – although it really requires about 30 minutes of time in the air. Of course this could have been anyone – if it were you, you would welcome the grace others showed.

Obviously this wasn’t El Al ;)