I don’t think hours of noise canceling headphones are a realistic solution for everyone, like people with autism or sensitive ears.
What we should have is a “children’s section” in the back of the plane. If your party only contains adults, then you can only book in the adult section until it’s filled, and same with parties that have kids. Parents don’t want to disrupt everyone, but imagine this on a longer bus or train ride!
When I bring my whole family somewhere I almost always book the farthest back on the plane I can. There doesn’t have to be specific sections… just people with common courtesy.
but one thing I’m noticing as a common theme in these threads is that there’s an innate blame on the children/parents. Kids oftentimes CANNOT pop their ears due to how narrow their Eustachian tubes are. https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/flying-ears.html There can be cases where the baby’s ears actually tear if the Eustachian tubes are blocked due to a cold or something of that nature.
The better answer is to just educate them in a friendly manner. If you do it tactfully then maybe junior will simmer down and everyone can move on without this passive aggressiveness we see in the photo. Giving the kid a bottle (if they’re that young) is often all that needs to happen to work the tubes open a little bit to relieve the pain.
Now… if you’re a parent… and have a colicky little one… skip the plane if you can. You know your kid. If they’re not going to take to the plane well, then you’re just being a dick to everyone around you.
Anecdotally my spouse and I know this; our kids are just extremely energetic. We aren’t simply uneducated on how ears work, and getting unsolicited tips from childless people while already busy with our kids is just another stressor.
Call me a dick if you want, but sometimes flying noisily is the only practical option. No we’re not going to drive cross country to grandma’s funeral.
Then maybe you shouldn’t go. It’s a funeral and they’re children. When my uncle died when I was young, my grandmother made me look at his dead body and it was terrible. I wish I had never gone to that fucking funeral. Nothing about it brought me any sort of closure and the only real memories I still have from going are purely negative.
I don’t think hours of noise canceling headphones are a realistic solution for everyone, like people with autism or sensitive ears.
What we should have is a “children’s section” in the back of the plane. If your party only contains adults, then you can only book in the adult section until it’s filled, and same with parties that have kids. Parents don’t want to disrupt everyone, but imagine this on a longer bus or train ride!
When I bring my whole family somewhere I almost always book the farthest back on the plane I can. There doesn’t have to be specific sections… just people with common courtesy.
but one thing I’m noticing as a common theme in these threads is that there’s an innate blame on the children/parents. Kids oftentimes CANNOT pop their ears due to how narrow their Eustachian tubes are. https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/flying-ears.html There can be cases where the baby’s ears actually tear if the Eustachian tubes are blocked due to a cold or something of that nature.
The better answer is to just educate them in a friendly manner. If you do it tactfully then maybe junior will simmer down and everyone can move on without this passive aggressiveness we see in the photo. Giving the kid a bottle (if they’re that young) is often all that needs to happen to work the tubes open a little bit to relieve the pain.
Now… if you’re a parent… and have a colicky little one… skip the plane if you can. You know your kid. If they’re not going to take to the plane well, then you’re just being a dick to everyone around you.
Anecdotally my spouse and I know this; our kids are just extremely energetic. We aren’t simply uneducated on how ears work, and getting unsolicited tips from childless people while already busy with our kids is just another stressor.
Call me a dick if you want, but sometimes flying noisily is the only practical option. No we’re not going to drive cross country to grandma’s funeral.
Then maybe you shouldn’t go. It’s a funeral and they’re children. When my uncle died when I was young, my grandmother made me look at his dead body and it was terrible. I wish I had never gone to that fucking funeral. Nothing about it brought me any sort of closure and the only real memories I still have from going are purely negative.
Children have no place in funerals.