If you’ve ever travelled with a kid on an airplane, you know how stressful and anxiety-ridden it is. Not just because your kid is getting restless leg syndrome and/or screaming at the top of their lungs, but because all the adults around you who are giving you mean looks and judging you.
Writer Cheryl Strayed, author of “Wild” and one of the greatest advice columns ever, has come to your defense. She recently posted a list about why you shouldn’t be a jerk to people on planes with kids. She said what most of us are too afraid to say: It’s not about you. So stop making it about you. We couldn’t have worded it better than this:
READ: The Ridiculous Reason My Family Was Kicked Off a US Airways Flight
“Your temporary comfort is not important in the scheme of things.
It’s not like every moment of a person’s day feels AWESOME all the time. Why should planes be any different? Even so, she brings up the cardinal rule that everyone should abide by: You don’t know someone’s situation. You don’t know what they struggle with on a daily basis. Plus, judging people takes a lot of energy, and who has time for that? Again, Strayed put it perfectly:
“I have a friend with a son who has autism and traveling is horrible for them because it’s nearly impossible for her son to be quiet and still for the duration of a flight. Can you imagine how it feels for her to board a plane with him? Before judging someone’s parenting skills or a child’s behavior, consider the notion that there might be more to the situation than is readily apparent to you.”
