Malaysian Airlines has just banned babies in their first class section. Brilliant or unfair?
Personally, I didn’t know you could ban babies. This information would have been helpful for me to know about twenty-five years ago.
Never underestimate the baby! They can out think you, out yell you and out stare you. We are simply no match. Yet, we are the boss of them. And therein lies the rub.
Children go through phases in their lives of believing that you are either the smartest parent on the planet or you are too stupid to live. I’m pretty sure I’ve been both simultaneously. But babies, well, they just blindly trust and diabolically manipulate.
As a traveler, I sympathize with those people who pay a premium for first class only to be seated next to an infant with colic. At that point I’d pay to get out first class. The only thing worse than sitting next to a screaming baby is being the parent desperately trying to calm the screaming baby. It’s a lose-lose situation.
I’m not a huge fan of bans. But this baby ban has me thinking. Maybe babies should be banned in other places too. Like theaters, stage plays and upper-end restaurants. Since I’ve had a baby, I feel qualified to say this out loud.
I understand that kids are loud and messy, thus the need for a ban. But, I know a lot of adults that are pretty loud and messy too. Why not ban them?
I love my daughter, but now that she is fully grown, I can say out loud that there were more than a few times I would have banned her if I had the option.
One memory comes to mind; many years ago when I told my five year old daughter it was bedtime, she advised me she wasn’t ready for bed yet and she would let me know when she was. What? I replied with a stern “get to bed young lady” coupled with the infamous mom stare.
In a perfect world, that should have done the trick. But noooo! Instead, she put her hand on her hip and advised me that I wasn’t the boss of her. God was.
Stunned, I blurted out that God had put me in charge of her until she met him, which might be a lot sooner than she thought if she didn’t get her fanny to bed (it helps to be able to think on your feet). That little bundle of sassy sweetness begrudgingly made her way to bed.
I laugh about this now but it sent cold shivers down my spine at the time. How could this wonderful gift of a child be so wicked smart and sassy? I’d like to think she got the former from me and the latter from her father.
Perhaps instead of banning babies on planes we should give them their own section filled with videos, juice boxes, wet wipes and extra–strength Tylenol.
The point I’m making is you can’t ban the bad stuff without affecting the good stuff.
And with babies, there is a lot of good stuff.
But let’s be honest, being on a plane with one isn’t one of them.
I’m aware that many will think it is unfair to ban babies in first class, but get real, people, life is unfair. The sooner babies learn this, the better. After all, do we really need to be super accommodating to the little human whose sole intent is to replace us?
If you don’t believe in the banning, I’ve got a prime seat for you in first class next to a 1 year old.
Enjoy the fairness of it all.
Kellie - Oh since I only have a dog and a cat …my only qualified response is meow and woof!
Tammy - Kellie, you have just opened up a whole new can of worms. I can’t tell you how much I resent having to pay $100 to have my little dog travel with me so that I can shove her under the seat in front of me (by the way there is barely enough room for my feet there) and lose the privilege of taking a carry-on piece of luggage. Bunk! I’d rather sit next to my pup that a small child if we are all traveling across the country. I’ve asked to pay for a seat for my 11 pound dog but am told it is too dangerous. Yet we can hold an infant on our lap. Over my head. I feel another blog coming on. Thanks for the post!
Maureen - Did you hear about the bus driver that put the mom & baby off his bus due to the infant’s screaming? Said he couldn’t keep focused on his driving with that going on….
Jeffrey Davidson - I have sat next to or near babies that were better traveling companions than grownups! I would much rather sit next to a nice dog than an average person. Unfortunately some people give our pets a bad name as they are real “dogs” too!
Tammy - Maureen, I just heard about it on the news this morning. Who knew I would write such a timely piece? I don’t agree at all with what the bus driver did, maybe I need more info. But sounds like she kicked the mother and baby off the bus because she was too annoyed by the babies crying. Let us hope the bus driver is not a parent. Sorry, but if we kicked babies and kids out of cars and buses when they became annoying, the road would be littered with children. Not okay. Perhaps the driver needs a vacation.
Tammy - Jeffrey well said. I’ve known a few dogs in my life (the two legged kind) and I think I’m related to one or two. Give me a dog or a kid any day of the week. Thanks for posting.
kellie - oh don’t I know it. On the trains in Europe you are allowed to travel with pets on your lap or sitting on floor in your compartments with others. Only requirement …must have a dog muzzle if any aggression shown by pet. Let me tell you, the dog was an Angel …the owner …not so much! The muzzle should have been used on the owner! Give me animals any day!
Tammy - Kellie, I run into the same kind of bull when I travel with Maddy and go into hotels. I patronized this wonderful place in St. George, Utah and the manager advised me that he would rather have dogs as guests than most people. Smack! And to that I say; Amen!
Kesha Brown - Tammy, girl, when I walk in the terminal and see babies, I immediately start praying to whomever will hear that they sit NOwhere near me!!! So I’m for the ban and love your idea to have a section just for them and toys and juice boxes 🙂
~Kesha