By Mandy Feder
It is inevitable. There will be a baby on your flight. That baby will quite likely cry and scream, perhaps during the entire flight.
There was a set of twin infants on my last flight from Logan International Airport in Boston to San Francisco.
This resulted in about seven straight hours of sobbing, gasping and screaming.
The mother held them, one on each hip and walked the aisle to soothe them. One was silent and the other wailed and then they traded off. Then they both cried at the same time. The mother”s face was pale and her eyes had dark circles around them. Every once in awhile she would glance at a scoffing passenger and offer an apology.
But really, what could she do?
Babies cry on planes because of discomfort. The pressure on their tiny ears is something foreign to them. Babies cry because they cannot verbalize their pain or anxiety.
The mother and tots were reuniting with the twins” father who was returning from a long tour in Afghanistan.
The coast-to-coast trek had to be made on a plane.
Recently CNN ran a story on flying etiquette that suggested babies be banned from some commercial flights. It sparked a lively exchange between parents and intolerant travelers.
First-class travelers specifically wanted to reserve the right to a baby-free zone.
Should babies be banned from airplanes?
I say no.
It is discriminatory.
Babies are people, just the same as that middle-aged guy who dozes off into a sweet slumber that spills over to my seat, my armrest and often my shoulder while he snores.
I”ll take the screaming baby any day over that guy.
Truth is, once you cram a couple hundred strangers with major moral, ethical, cultural, political, religious, economic and personal hygiene differences into a small space, there will be issues.
If you”re not even mildly annoyed at some point, you”re not conscious.
Flying is a practice in patience and tolerance.
I always bring my iPod. It minimizes the sounds around me. I read a book. It allows my mind to wander elsewhere. And sometimes I offer a struggling mom, dad or grandparent a break and play with the baby, who is obviously in a bit of distress about the whole process of flight.
There is a real sense of entitlement present when people think they can pick and choose the type and age of human who travels with them.
If you want to travel alone and you need to fly, hire a pilot with a small plane or get your own.
Expect that a child will be flying on a commercial flight with you. Prepare to distract or comfort yourself. Maybe even show a bit of compassion for your fellow human being.
And above all, remember you too, were a baby once and probably boarded a plane where other passengers were likely less-than-thrilled to share space with you, but they did and everyone lived through it.
So this goes out to you baby-haters. Get over it. We all have to live together in this world.
Mandy Feder is the Record-Bee managing editor. She can be reached at mandyfeder@yahoo.com or 263-5636 ext. 32.
