Flying can be a daunting experience. For many of us, it means hours of discomfort, lack of sleep, and numerous other annoyances.
For parents of small children though, the above is often magnified. Not only do they have to deal with their own tiredness and discomfort, they may have a whiny and dissatisfied child on their hand.
While it’s natural for everyone to find the sound of a crying or distressed child unpleasant, some just lack total compassion when it comes to dealing with them on airplanes.
One recent traveler, Kesha Bernard, saw this first hand when she boarded an Alaska Airlines flight from Seattle recently.
A mother herself, she was dismayed by other passengers reactions toward a particular mother on board who was having a difficult time with her children.
That’s why she decided to take things into her own hands.
Read her moving — and important — story below.
Mother of two Kesha Bernard was on a flight recently when she experienced a typical scenario. Another mother on board was having a hard time with her children, and disgruntled travelers were getting increasingly annoyed at her.
Long story short: Kesha ends up with one of this perfectly unknown mother’s children on her own lap. She later photographed it and shared the story on her Facebook wall.
Here’s the story, in her own words. Warning: post contains pejoratives.
“Here I am on vacation away from my kids (who I absolutely love to death but sometimes you need a break from toddlers) and Im flying with an infant on my lap. Why? Because Im a decent human being.
Listen…..it takes a village to raise kids ok? And as a mom of a 3 year old and 4 year old I KNOW this. And I also know that toddlers can be assholes……so first let me just tell you what happened.
I boarded my flight today at 5:45am in Seattle. Alaskan airlines flight 674 and I sat down in the middle seat. (Ughh aka the worst seat possible but its ok….its only a seat) anyway I sit down and theres some weight issues with the plane that needs to be checked out. So everyone is sitting in this full packed plane. And a baby starts crying (oh god forbid right?)
Obviously im totally used to crying and whining so I tune it out. Everyone around me starts huffing and puffing and mumbling. Then……I hear 2 kids crying (holy s!#$ right?)this lady has her toddler having a full blown melt down over her seatbelt being on (toddlers are dramatic thats nothing new) No problem…..I have mom powers and totally ignore it……BUT what I CANT ignore is this.
I hear a woman complaining to this mother (thats alone with 2 crying kids) that her child need to stop kicking her seat. THEN I hear the mother say “shes 3 I cant believe you just did that” apparently the lady reached behind her and grabbed the childs leg (aka” oh hell no”)
While this is happening the freaking flight attendant is just standing there…listening. Not even doing anything. And the older men beside me make remarks like “obviously her way of discipline isnt working” so I reply with “shes probably afraid to do anything…you cant do anything anymore” and they stopped talking. Ok back to the lady in the back.
You guys….this is a full plane….and I sat here for 15 mins waiting on someone closer to this woman to offer her help…because im surrounded by caring adults, right? (Wrong)
I turn around to see people mumbling and staring at this mother with her THREE kids ALONE….A screaming toddler / crying baby/ and a very well behaved older child. (one grown ass woman was holding her hands on her ears and making the ugliest faces at this mother..lady are you freaking KIDDING ME)
SO….being a decent human being I couldn’t take letting this mother drown back there….(and let me tell you she was being so freaking calm you guys….like i would have already been crying but she was doing so good) I get up out of my seat go a few rows back and go ask her if she needs help ( apparently thats so hard to do) she immediately handed me her baby. (This lady was like HOLY HELL YESSSSSSSS!) So ya know I take her baby and then I have to go sit down for take off…….the crying stopped (its a miracle)
So Im sitting here holding this precious baby that so happens to fall asleep (swooooon)
My point???? Be nice and considerate. If someone needs help for God’s sake HELP THEM. Complaining and mumbling doesnt do a damn thing except make the person that needs help feel worse (words hurt)……..and back to the lady holding her ears…….GROW UP..( ..It wasnt just her hands over her ears it was more her making faces while doing it and staring in disapproval at the mother of 3) this flight should be ashamed of themselves..you’re telling me Im the only ONE out of a full plane that was willing to help????
How we can ignore a human in distress beyond me. Please be kind. Please be considerate. Help one another…it makes everything easier. I promise you wont die.”
Below is Kesha’s original Facebook post, published on her Facebook wall July 29.
Kesha’s words really struck a cord with me — not to mention thousands of others, her post having been shared close to 100,000 times since it was written.
Please consider sharing it further if you agree that sometimes, like Kesha, we need to remember to take a step back and reach into our hearts for compassion.
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