On Monday, an American Airlines flight turned around and headed back to the terminal in order to kick an unruly passenger off of the flight.
An unruly, two and a half year old, autistic child. And his mother:
As the American Eagle flight headed down the taxiway, two-and-a-half-year-old Jarett Farrell wasn't a happy traveler.His mother says she was doing all she could to calm the autistic boy, but got no sympathy from the flight crew.
"If they just would have been a little more understanding I think that none of this would have been a problem," Mother, Janice Farrell said.
But it became a big problem for everyone on the plane. Farrell says that's because the flight attendant was indignant.
"She kept coming over and tugging his seatbelt to make it tighter, 'This has to stay tight'. And then he was wiggling around and trying to get out of his seatbelt. And she kept coming over and reprimanding him and yelling at him," Farrell said.
The airlines is disputing Farrell's version of the story. As usual.
I know that kids can get out of hand on airplane trips. I know that flight crews have to maintain order. And I know that parents are sometimes unaware of the impact of their child's behavior.
But I also know that the alarming and unprecedented rise of autism and autism-spectrum disorders may mean that a lot of us are going to have to learn to smile and be patient if a child is acting up and we don't know the situation. And I think that if an adult is so out of control that all she can think of to do is tug on a two-year-old's seatbelt while yelling at him, she shouldn't be in a job that requires contact with the public.
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Federal law says that no plane can take off if every passenger is not safely buckled in. The child would not allow himself to be buckled in. I don't care what the reason is for the child's reaction - it doesn't matter. No buckle? No take-off. Please exit the plane. Thank you.
How much do you want to bet that if they had taken off and the child hurt himself - bumped his head or worse - that mother would be starting the lawsuit about now.
Boy, are there some child haters on her or what? Not that I'm including wrymouth in that category, but the story doesn't say that the childs seatbelt was unbuckled. He just wasn't sitting still and the belt wasn't tight enough for the stewardess' satisfaction. Guess what? Mine usually isn't either.
I hate to fly. But I used to fly from Alaska to Missouri around twice a year back when the routes weren't as convenient as they are now. I still travel regularly for my job. My daughters have both travelled more before their 2 and half year mark than most of the people I work with. It's public transportation. Nobody enjoys sitting next to a kid causing problems. But I'd take a kid, an elderly person or an overwight person who needs some of my personal space way before I'd take a college student on their way too or from any sort of partying break. or a drunk in general.
Am I alone in finding all the fuss about personal inconvenience to be petty and pointless? Catholics, for instance, make quite a big deal about the wonderfulness of suffering as a means of personal sanctification, not to mention how we should all embrace and welcome every child ever conceived. So, faced with a couple of hours on a plane with a crying child or a fat seatmate, shall we wallow in offended self-pity? "Oh, mother machree, how I adore the sanctified sufferings of Jesus and Mary and all the saints, sob sob sob . . . hey you rotten little brat, get the hell off my plane, you annoy me!" Meh. It just fails to impress as an example of a world religion of compassion. I realize that not everyone here purports to be a Christian. But for those who do, why aren't there more comments on how we can all show love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and the other fruits of the spirit when laboring under the AWFUL burden of a plane flight that is not completely to our liking?
i think the aircrew should have recieved more training. autism isnt exactly unheard of is it now? i don't know anything about autism but i am aware it can be difficult for the child suffering with it, and their parents or guardians. However i dont know the situation. Did the mother explain to the crew member that her child was autistic and did she tell anyone at the airport on check-in? If she had done that then maybe preparations could have been made - staff informed of the situation, etc. If she didnt tell, they cannot know, and they have to maintain order on aircraft. However if the airline and its crew WERE notified, then a serious investigation into the actions of the crew needs to be taken , and steps taken to ensure it doesnt happen again.
Janice Farrell is a attention seeking "Poor Me'er" who should not be receiving any exposure other than parenting tips. Were she TRULY concerned with the well being of her son she would have not placed him in the situation to being with; notice how she opted to take a TRAIN to her interview with ABC, where she admitted that she was "Unconcerned with the effect that her child's behavior had on the other 200 passengers on the flight". She should be flagged by the airlines as a HIGH RISK flyer and NOT allowed to place the rest of us in potential harm in the future. No wonder her kid is a brat.
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