Flying With Kids: What Should Etiquette Expectations Be?
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Loading... - Josephine Emade
- 07 Oct 2022
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Lizzie Post, the great-great-granddaughter of Emily Post, author, and co-host of The Awesome Etiquette Podcast, has agreed to weigh in on a few travel etiquette questions from a politesse perspective. We've tackled reclining etiquette and what to do if there's an empty seat next to you. Now, the somewhat thorny issue of children on airplanes.
So, there are a ton of children on your flight. What's your mantra?
"Patience, and find your happy place within."
Is it ever OK to glare at a person with a crying baby?
"If a baby is crying, there's nothing you can do about it, and that parent is stressed to the max about it; 99.9% of parents I meet dread flights — give that parent the benefit of the doubt that they are trying to calm the baby down. A) They're trying to calm their baby, and B) They're trying to make sure other people are OK. Flying is one of those times when parents are really outwardly trying to show that to other people. There is no choice for anybody. You can't go to a different room; you can't leave. I really try to encourage people to think positively about what parents have to do and what it's like for the parent."
What if a child is kicking your chair or otherwise bothering you?
"When they start to get a little bit older, it's really important to remember that you can't discipline other children. [It's better to say] 'I'm not sure if you've noticed but your child is kicking my seat.' 'I'm not sure if you noticed, but your child is dropping Cheerios down my back.' Personally, I think you're in safer territory speaking to the adult. Most people don't want their kids bothering other people. Sometimes when traveling, people in general just don't care. They're tired, security was awful… they've darn well given up. I've seen people in those moments and those are the people that people are scared of. You ask them something reasonable…and they explode on you. I find them rare. I have personally never had it happen to me. You're more likely to get someone who says, 'Oh my gosh, I'm sorry. Katie, you really can't touch the seat in front of you.'" Read More...
