Naughty kids, bad parenting, exhausted cabin crew
 

I am just amazed to see how naugthy children became?!!:rolleyes: I flown on a very reputable airline a couple of weeks ago, and once again.. a lot of the children around me were totally out of control.. and annoyed all the other people around them. It was just the parents that pretend not to see it, and the ones that did see, thought their sweet children were "cute"
I mean I can understand that a child of 6 years cant sit absolutely still with his/her hands crossed for 8 hours, but the following is just unacceptable:
Children spitting at the cabin crew member!!!
Naugthy S***h in front of us keep on standing on his seat, and staring at us
leopard crawl under their seats
another naugthy little s***h screaming at his parents the whole time that he doesnt want to fasten his seatbelt
This was the best: a really spoilt brat (girl) try to trip one of the cabin crew members while serving the drinks!!!

I mean is it just my bad luck, or did I just get the most naughty kids on that whole airport in the same plane than me??? The cabin crew really tried to ask the parents to keep their children in line, but obviously the parents didnt want to hear about it... :yuk:

I blame the parents!!! LOL! DUH!

Unfortunately I think the parents fuel it by getting the kids all hyperactive about the thought of a plane ride and then while going through all the stress of the airport chuck loads of sweets and other sugary cr@p at them as a bribe to not go awol in the terminal. Then when they get on the aircraft they are like a loaded gun waiting to go off!!! Sadly a lot of parents then assume the opinion that they have paid for all the seats so the kids are now the cabin crews problem and not theirs. Heaven forbid a suffering crew member risk asking the parents to control their children, the gloves will really come off!

Im glad the summer hols are over... i dont think i ever used to behave like some of the little brats we get on board. Apart from the select few little Angels ( and that is very few) I once had a woman ask me to tell her child to sit down and put her seatbelt on because ' I've tried to tell her and she wont listen ' WTF??? My mum used to give me a look and id sit still and obey?!! :ugh:

Kittycat, I totally hear you. Where were you flying? I see some shocking behaviour which I think is 95% the fault of the parents. I know it's hard work travelling with kids... but why do parents never bring anything for the kids to do? No colouring-in books... No story telling... Even if you're a completely lazy parent, at least bring a portable dvd player or hand held games console to keep the little terrors occupied! I've often thought I should put a couple of kids story books in my crew-bag for emergencies...

In the past, I've had reports to me that soiled nappies were put in the seat pockets. I did make a PA one one flight that if any human waste was put in the seat pockets, the passenger occupying that seat would receive the cleaning bill. That did result in two letters of complaint, a round of applause from the cabin crew and SOME of the other pax as well. Quite frankly, I have no time for people who act like pigs, but I have all the time in the world for considerate customers that I would want to fly again.

What sort of pathetic person would actually get it together enough to write in to complain about that?

On a LOS once, I had a mother put a loaded diaper in the overhead locker. It came apart and ran all over someone elses jacket. What bugs me is that airline is deemed responisble for things like this, grrr.

I love, love, love september. It means a serious decline in the amount of brats in the cabin

VS....That is VIIILLLLLEEEEEEEEE...... Great story though! Iv almost had a similar accident in my boxers! LOL! :}

All kids should be given a high dose of Dramamine pre flight. Knocks the little blighters out (well, worked on ours ;)

Ozzy

I kindly point out that we are an airline, NOT a babysitting service...

I'll do my best to help a parent out, but when it's clear Mum or Dad is in oblivious land and making absolutely no effort whatsoever... then it's time for a little chat. I have all the time in the world for parents who are clearly trying to control their kids (some kids are just brats, after all)

Do I have stories about oblivious parents though.... enough to fill a book!

One time, little Johnny kept running around in the aisle. I warned mum that Johnny ran the risk of being hurt as carts were in the aisle, tea & coffee pots about, etc etc and could she please keep him in his seat during the meal service.

Sure enough, little Johnny got out of his seat,(for the 9th or 10th time) and not only tried to trip me over (on purpose, because the little bugger laughed!!!) with a coffee pot, but then proceeded to wipe sticky lolly hands on another crew's shirt. When the rubbish cart came out, Johnny jumped out from a row of seats behind the crew member and got knocked over. (Surprise surprise)

Guess which mother ranted and raved and threatened to sue?? I told her to go right ahead and write a complaint to the ailrine if she liked, and informed her that by the time they got it they'd have a full account of her & her Johnny's behaviour on the desk, informing them that she had been warned of the possible consequences.

(BTW, Johnny was old enough to know better, about 7 or 8 years old!!!!!)

Happned 2 weeks ago. P*ssed me off something chronic. 2 "boys" 14 maybe 15 calling me babes! Obviously learned this disgusting direspectful way of talking to women from their dads. First time they said it, after i recovered from the shock, i said what my real name was. I then looked at the dad hoping for a little support but all he did was laugh.

Happned all throughout the flight, even when i was just walking past them.

Sorry, dangerous territory here but what is it with parents who think that we should be as enamoured with their little darlings as they are? I recently came back from a typical holiday destination and it was full to the brim of families. Despite repeated attempts to get them to stop the children standing on the seats, the kids carried on bouncing around as they felt like it. When I pointed out to one besotted mother that it really wasn't nice for the poor couple behind them to have her daughter hanging over the back of the seat staring at them for 2hrs 45, she couldn't understand why they weren't as charmed by her precious daughter as she was!

Maybe it's the summer holiday syndrome but I am sick of hearing the same old things. Anyone recognise any of these?

"I can't wake him up, he'll cry....."
And he's going to cry a whole lot more when he hits the ceiling!

"She can't help it, she's only little....."
But you are not! That is your job, to help her help it!

"Don't you have any toys for the children....?"
Do we look like bl**dy Toys R US!

"Oh, but they're bored. It's a long flight....."
So go to Butlins until they are old enough to behave or you get the guts to control them! They will be just as happy with Butlins. It's you that wants to go abroad!

"She's hot/she's cold...."
Take her cardi off/bring a cardi!

"I know she's kicking the seat but surely they know she's just a child...."
Madam, the fact they've just asked me where the fire axe is kept suggests that they don't really care that she's just a child. I suggest you sit in front of her for a while.

"Ahh bless! How funny is he...."
Errr...He's not!

"But my 3 yr old, 4 yr old and 5 yr old want to sit together. We are just behind them so we can keep an eye on them....."
Right and what are you going to do in a decompression when they can't reach the oxygen, or if they unfasten their seatbelts just before we touch down etc.?

And finally, to finish this little rant, a good story to prove not all parents are the same. Following the safety demo on the same flight, one lady asked if it was possible for her little boy to have a closer look at the oxygen mask. I was happy to let him see it and as I continued securing the cabin, I heard her explaining to him exactly where it would be and what to do if Mummy couldn't help him put it on! That is one Mother I now have the upmost respect for!

Jsl

"Human waste"
 

And what is it with changing babies on the seat? I've had that few times and every time I "advised" them to use the toilet with the table they were very insulted. I've never had a baby and I start wondering - does your own baby's sh*t smell like roses, or what!?

It's called 'British parenting skills'.................

On a recent flight between Dubai and Brunei, there were three young children aged between 12,10 and 5 sitting in the middle row of 3 seats. This seat was actually spare but once the aircraft took off they ran from their allocated seats to claim these ones. During the time they were sitting here, everybody was trying to sleep they punched each other - at one point the 12 year old brother king hit his 10 year old sister in the head, threw ice around the cabin, constantly wrestled each other, pressed the call bell non stop, and then after i entered the toilet after the elder brother, i found a plastic cup flushed down the toilet.. I fell asleep only to be woken not long after when a piece of ice hit me in the head. By now (this flight originated at Heathrow and was heading to Brisbane) I was infuriated. I got up out of my seat and yelled (maybe screamed) at these children to sit down shut up and stop being inconsiderate. After i finished my yelling i was warmly applauded by about 8 passengers sitting nearby. The little s**ts didn't make another noise. All my years working as a flight attendant I was never able to say what i thought, however as a passenger.. I was able to say EXACTLY what i pleased.

Lol Gallie Girl... haven't we all wanted t do that! How satisfying! :E

As for parents changing baby on the seat.. i politely inform them it's actually a health hazard for other pax and poo (well you know what i mean) belongs in the toilets, not the cabin as it will annoy everyone around them!

I wonder how many correspondents on this thread are parents? or even remember what it is to be a child?

I see lots of bad parenting in daily life, kids eating McDonalds & turning hyper for hours, lack of control by parents and so on, but children are not necessarily reasonable creatures.

My 18 month old toddler has at her stage of development, limited emotional responses, so conflict can produce tantrums. Regularly.

There are coping mechanisms for this, such as distraction and ignoring the problem, but in the confines of an aircraft, these can be difficult to apply succesfully and they don't come with guarantees. A little perspective would help, there are two sides to every situation.

No there's not!


Children should be crated and checked as hold baggage :ok:

Thus speaks a childless frequent sufferer.

I regularly babysat children during my highschool and later years.I don't have any myself but I dont think that's an indicator. I've had the sleepless night, I've changed the stinky nappies, I've dealt with sick kids/temper tantrums/hissy fits... you name it. Yes, on a plane as well!!! No, I don't have kids myself- but you know why? I know it's difficult to deal with them, I travel to work, therefore, I chose not to have them! I shouldn't have to deal with everyone else's kids who don't want to deal with them, and neither should any crew. Some parents sem to expect us to be a babysitting service. THATS what we are complaining about.

I would never dream of changing a baby on a restaurant seat, or any other public place. Why should a plane be any different? I didn't say all parents are stupid, or that all situations are the same. It's nice when parents are trying. I understand, kids scream, cry, have tantrums. So we cut parents slack when they're trying. If mum and dad havent flown before we explain where to change baby, why little ones cannot sleep on the floor/play in the galley/endlessly press the call button. Its the ones who dont listen and/or dont care that we are complaining about. It seems manners and 'parental responsibility' have gone out of the window!

But a lot of the behaviour I see by kids on board is a direct result of parents either being oblivious ("it's the cabin crew's problem") or not giving a toss (My kids are darlings"/ "its not annoying me so why should i care"/ "i dont want to deal with it") so then they ignore it or hype the kids up on sweets, bribe them, or have a go at other pax or the crew when asked to 'deal with' their children's behaviour.

The attitude (a lot these days) seems to be its not the parents' problem Well sorry, newsflash, it IS. They are YOUR kids, not mine. I have a job to do (and it's not babysitting your kids, it's looking after all 300+ passengers on this plane thank you!) Sure, I will hold baby while you go to the bathroom, sure I will get your kid a colouring in kit, Sure, we have a kids' meal for your child. No, I will not sit in your seat while you go off in search of 5 drinks and a seat elsewhere. No, I cannot watch them so you can 'have a sleep'. I have a job to do, and so do you. Be a parent!!!

We're not talking the odd 'kid stuff' here... we KNOW often its not the kids' fault, its mum and dad's parenting skills (or lack of) Its the fact that some parents dont want to have anything to do with their kids on a flight, and let them run rampant. Often with the result of said kids getting stepped on/burnt/yelled at by some other pax.

I know when I was a kid, as another poster said, my mum/dad would give me the Look, and I would shut the hell up and do what i was told. No taking my seatbelt off, no kicking the seat in front, no throwing things. If I did, it was a smack on the arse for me and end of argument. Always worked, rarely needed. You hardly ever see that these days, any surprise we want to do it sometimes????

I can see your passion from the length of your post! I don't doubt a word you say & I don't expect to get much change from commenting here, however, reading this thread in it's entirety, one would believe everyone lives in number 4 Privet Drive!!

I've no time for poor parenting either, and kids are a parent's responsibility, but we were all kids once & I doubt that each contributor could claim to have been an angel 100% of the time - but I'd like to see them try!!:ok:

Hi, no, not saying kids are angels 100% of the time.. I know I wasnt... but my mum did her best to keep me in hand the times I decided to play up. Still, it usually didnt get past a stage 2 smack (after a stage 1 'Look', of course :})

The point I was trying to make (long-windedly I admit, hehe) is that crew have all the time in the world for the poor parents who DO try.... we're just sick of the attitude of the ones who don't.

As long as I can see mum or dad trying to keep the kids under control, that's enough for me. If I get extra time, I'll offer to watch them or I'll ask them about their book/toys/Nintendo DS etc. I just don't like being expected to when mum and dad want to get blotto on red wine and leave their job to someone else.

Hope this clears things up a bit, I'm not a child-hater!!! ;)

ParaPunter
 

Off course kids misbehave - that's why they are kids. An 99.99% of cabin crew will be delighted to help that mum taking one kid to the toilet whilst they look after the other.....etc etc

HOWEVER (...) here it comes.....what I have seen over many years as cc is the difference between kids from the UK and elsewhere. Overhere it is almost accepted as that parents do not want to take full responsability for themselves let alone their kids!

The level of anti-social behaviour that is seen in the streets everyday is taking onboard an a/c with an attitude of ".....I will do how I will do things and I don't give a s**t what anyone else thinks...".

I mean..........parents are in Club, kids down the back, well the cc will look after them! (....)???

Changing nappies on a seat???? the fact that it is a daily occurance is frightening....

Pax having a stand up fight with you because they cant get an alcoholic drink for their 15 year old????

"Give me milk for my baby!!!"......Why didnt you bring your own??


ETc etc etc


My fellow friends - reality is that the standard of social skills within the UK is poor at its best in most cases; and we are the blessed ones who have been given the pleasure of looking after this lot at 36.000ft, in a metal tube for a pittance.....

Joy!

I've experienced the full force of the chavvy families more than once on aircraft & I do sympathise - my sole concern is to put the other side of the argument, since reading through this thread, until I piped up, it wasn't there!

I had a late Tirana the other day and on the way home we had 14 infants. Pax sitting everywhere with babies and children over two on their laps, it took us aaaages to secure the cabin and move them around (only 3 oxygen masks on right hand side of a/c). Most of these families had children aged around 3-6, most of the kids were screaming and one lady had twins about 5 yrs old, one of them refused to sit in her own seat. So her mum was trying to hold her down on her lap and I insisted that she force the seatbelt around her child otherwise she could be seriously injured. But pax just don't seem to get this and all she said was 'she won't sit down, she doesn't want to'. I can't believe people will let their 5 year olds dominate them like this! And her father was sat 3 rows back on his own and just sat there laughing!

I rest my case.................

No mention of the decent kids - that is human nature;)

I'm not seeking to make any other point than that this thread seems to me to be one loooong list of child bashing/parent slating. When the bad ones get onboard (and I bet you can spot them a mile away!) I realise your collective hearts must sink, but there is another side - the well behaved family. It's not in our nature to comment on that, but they're there I'm sure - I just place a little emphasis on that, that's all:ok: In fact, I have an idea, why not have a thread - Great pax, or smart passenger comments:}

One of our hosties once had a baby handed to her by a passenger and was told to change her.
She took the infant to the front of the aircraft, where she knew another crew member who was travelling out with her young family on holiday, and duly returned to the offending passenger with a different baby, handing him over with a smile and a simple "there you are"..

I must admit some kids are little sods, but it seems too many parents seem to abdicate responsibility for their kids as soon as they board the aircraft, expecting someone else to ensure they behave.
All mums should have a "scary look" for child control purposes, I don't know if this is passed down through generations or learnt from a manual, but when they have it, it works!

By way of revenge, you could always slip the little dear a couple of cans of full fat Coke as they disembark, should guarantee mummy and daddy won't get much rest for the next few hours!

Chloroform would be my preference, but tastes vary.

Bravo that man/woman.

People look at me all peculiar when I say that people should

(a) have to pass a test before they're allowed to procreate
(b) upon passing that test of competence they're issued with *one* breeding licence
(c) no breeding licence = no State handouts of ANY kind

You'd stop the chavs breeding just like that......

Tell you what, if I bump into any of you guys at the airport, I'll buy you a cuppa - we'll both need cheering up after this thread!

Funny how, many moons ago, if i behaved like a brat, all that my mum had to do is give me the look.

I had a woman the other day, of course with the "little angel"
Little angel had an "accident".
Woman reaching for the call bell: Ding!
Me rushing: Yes madam?
- My daughter had a little accident. We need other seats.
- Sorry madam, the flight is fully booked, therefore we don't have any empty seats.
- OK, so are you going to clean this? (pointing to the damped seat)
No I am not madam, however i shall bring you lots of napkins for you to clean it.
- Me???
- Yes, you madam (smile)
- Do you call yourself an airline? You expect me to clean your plane?
- Not the whole aircraft madam, just the area where your little angel peed on.


Note to pax: when you come aboard an a/c with your precious angel(s), regardless the airline, you ought to know that we are not a babysitting company therefore we shan't wipe your little angel's bottom because you just can't be arsed. Also, we do recommend you take some parent skills classes; it'll make my life a hell of a lot easier.
Many thanks and kind regards,


(not a babysitter) ATS

Blimey! The cup runneth over!!

What I'm getting is that it's not so much the kids, but the rubbish parents? Bearing in mind that these people are an integral part of your daily working life, isn't this a MASSIVE drawback to your work?

Not trolling, but I wonder why something that draws such strong reactions would be worth carrying on with - if it were me, I'd be off to do something that made me happy or at the very least didn't piss me off so badly?

I call them Adam and Eves, the first parents of children, and let them run riot!

Parapunter, it's worth it for the maybe 20% of parents who actually are pleasant, well-mannered and look after their own children.

It's not a huge part of my day, but it's definitely the one that has some of the biggest impact.

Some of my fondest memories of flying are perfectly lovely families and children that I've looked after on board. It's all about how they behave and treat us, as well as having respect for the other pax around them. I suppose the issue is, some parents know how it should be done, why don't all of them. It can't be that hard surely!

I have two young children and they have been on many flights, longhaul and shorthaul, not once do my children get out of their seat unless they need to use the washroom, I ensure they dont kick the seat in front and always clean up after ourselves. If I tell them to put on their seatbelt I expect them to do so, which they do of course. It makes me mad when these pax feel its ok for their child not to be strapped in because they are asleep or having a tantrum.:ugh:

It feels good when you ask them if they would allow their children to travel in a car going along at 150 miles per hour + not properly secured in their seats, with their seatbelts fastened.

Lol StaceyF re:
People look at me all peculiar when I say that people should

(a) have to pass a test before they're allowed to procreate
(b) upon passing that test of competence they're issued with *one* breeding licence
(c) no breeding licence = no State handouts of ANY kind

You'd stop the chavs breeding just like that......



Sometimes I see the most uncapable of mum's who order several Jim Beam & Coke yet I can clearly see their children are not clothed or cared for very well. If their lucky enough to have found the child's father he's usually sitting in a different seat, knarly toes and flip flops drinking like his child's mother is sleazing onto the cabin crew.

All I'm saying is that there are two things I'd be happy never to see on my aircraft again.

A small child with a box of sultana's
A small child with crackers

Both of which always end up in microscopic fragments all over the seats and carpet. Both of which are hell to clean up and both of which parents think are ok to leave behind. Sure it looks like a herd of pigs had their lunch here but nevermind we'll never have to look at it again. :mad:

I wonder how many moulding biscuits exist under their couch cushions...:ooh:

Ha ha! it is what they do though, left to their own devices. Here's my little 'angel'.

http://i37.tinypic.com/23h3znc.jpg

good sedative
 

When our son was 18 months we took him on his first holiday but took the precaution of asking our GP what do to for flying. It was only a 2.5 hour flight but didn't want him to be a nuisance and didn't want to cause him any problems.

His reply was dose him up with medised (antihistamine/paracetamol combo) for a few days before and then give a double dose 30 mins before boarding and he should sleep the whole time.

Worked like a charm. He stayed awake long enough to watch the take off then fell asleep for the boring bit and woke up in the arrivals hall but was fairly groggy until later in the day.

Ok, the above post was scary!
Whilst I agree that parenting standards have really gone down in certain parts of the world, I also see that tolerance to children (again in certain parts of the world, has also gone down. For example, when I take my kids to a southern european country to a restaurant, I feel they are welcome and many adults even approach them and play/joke around with them. On the other hand, where I live now, the opposite is true, when in a restaurant, other adults are either indifferent to or even annoyed at the fact there are kids around. (My kids know how to behave in a restaurant).

I totally agree that parents have to control their kids in the airplane and that crew are not a babysitting service. However, it is not always so easy. I have 3 kids, 2 boys and one girl, all been raised the same way, the boys behave perfectly in the airplane (always have) but my girl is a drama! "the look" does not seem to work on her, and even strapping her down with the seatbelt does not work because she always manages to wrigle out of it. Now, at home, if needed she gets a smack in her bum, but today in public it's like a "no no", and if you do it you end up getting bad looks from other people!

Drugging kids so that the trip is "pleasant" for everyone else? No thank you.
Also I agree that kids should not stand on seats because of a safety issue, but not out of concern that some people behind will be stared at. :rolleyes:

About the nappy changing on seats: I too think it is totally innapropriate (would never do it in a restaurant etc...), but, on some aircraft it is simply impossible to change a nappy on 8-9 month old baby in those tiny lavatory tables (later on they can stand). So yes, I have in the past changed my babies on the seat, embarrasing as it was, but still better than travelling for 2 hours with a nasty smell. And no, I did not get poo all over the seats/ other pax etc...:}

So,I totally agree that parents have to discipline their kids, not let them be a nuisance to others, teach them how to behave etc.... But in general, society is also becoming more and more intolerant towards children. eg "OMG, this child is staring at me! whatever shall I do? what a nuisance!!":rolleyes:

Sorry for the long message...