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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

to expect people to at least try to encourage their children to behave in airports

61 replies

Blondilocks · 24/04/2011 21:20

Title says it all really after enduring waiting at the airport last night with children running riot and generally being bratty while the parents were just chatting & ignoring them.

One child was even dragging the smaller child along the ground by their head & then picked them up upside down & almost dropped them head-first onto the floor.

I'm not a perfect parent but was really surprised they didn't even bat an eyelid. I know it's boring to wait but it's dangerous more than anything as they were running across the flow of people heading to their flights / in front of the airport car things / pushing each other over & into walls & other objects in their way.

OP posts:

Rosa · 25/04/2011 14:39

I complained and I am still trying to get play areas re isntalled in airports. They removed them so they could install more commercial areas..However the one in the North Terminal at Gatwick has not had a shop slammed on it and it has a bit of seataing on it. Originally it was in the centre and again there has been seating placed on it. It was a soft play area and a few computer terminals with games for kids and a drawing area. It was a godsend. I have 4 - 5 hrs between flights and my dd1 then played and played then slept on the next flight.
If any of you are going through Madrid apt with up to 5s there is a fantastic play area , changing area , cots, microwave, all for free ....... AT Uk airports you are lucky if you can find a place to breastfeed in peace or a toilet with changing facilities.....
SO come on help me out and write to the new owners of British Airports to become more child friendly.........

ChaoticAngelofchocolateeggs · 25/04/2011 16:19

YANBU What Squeakytoy said.

RunAwayWife · 25/04/2011 16:24

A lot of people are just lazy parents.

I can take my children to an airport and they sit and read or play their DSs till we get on a plane, I would never let my children run riot

MrsTerryPratchett · 25/04/2011 16:29

I don't think a colouring book would have helped when my flight was delayed by 8 HOURS last week leaving me in the airport for 11 hours alone with DD. My point is the airlines (Air Transat/Thomas Cook, if only they would respond to my complaint email) don't help.

fastedwina · 25/04/2011 16:35

I think you have to cut a bit of slack at airports. Some kids could be very excited, been dragged from bed early hours so tired and disorientated, been up all night, already bounced from a long haul flight, had a long car journey to the airport. parents can get quite stressed and might want to let their kids stretch their legs before sitting down for 14 hour flight. I'm not condoning bad behaviour but would turn a blind eye a little. Hoping no-one usually thinks our kids are badly behaved and we fly a lot.

heliumballoons · 25/04/2011 16:57

Gosh, I get to an airport all hyped up at the prospect of a holiday - I can't imagine what being a child feeling this is like.

I'm lucky DS (6) is highly interested in transport so a coffee in a cafe where he can watch the planes and I can read works well for us.

I hate it when parents don't supervise their dc's or have behaviour expectations but can understand why if they have to keep them entertained on a flight for 2-5 hours they let them run around an airport. And I agree there should be areas set aside for this but they keep getting taken away.

I wouldn't let DS behave this way and haven't but thats because I don't think children should, I just understand why they are allowed iyswim?

DontCallMePeanut · 25/04/2011 16:58

Rosa, I'm glad you mentioned the play area at Gatwick. Flying out from there in 8 weeks, and DS gets very hyper (he was a nightmare in stansted last year, and could not be kept still with a book, etc and is too young for a games console. Thank you :)

Rosa · 26/04/2011 08:03

Peanut ...its not there anymore they have taken it away......

Bucharest · 26/04/2011 08:10

I don't think Brits have a monopoly of allowing their children to run riot at airports.

I also think, for a small child, an airport is a terribly exciting place, dd has always loved them (it's the one and only time she's allowed Pringles for starters )

I imagine the same parents allowing the kids to beat each other up in airports would do the same in parks or soft play.

They would also chuck them into any play area and leave them rather than make sure they weren't beating up on the other kids there.

It's not the place, or the children, it's the parents.

cory · 26/04/2011 08:11

"A lot of people are just lazy parents.

I can take my children to an airport and they sit and read or play their DSs till we get on a plane, I would never let my children run riot"

How does this make other parents lazy? Sounds like you have been lucky in getting the kind of child that allows you to have a lazy relaxing time at the airport. Count your blessings. I used to have to work flat out.

Asinine · 26/04/2011 08:16

When our kids start entertaining themselves in a physical manner in places where social convention says you must sit down and look fed up/ bored/ in a hurry I like to yell

"stop having fun!"

They do settle, but it is a very unnatural setting for young kids when they are expected to sit still on a plane. Airports should install giant dynamo hamster wheels for kids, and use the electricity generated to help run the airport.

porcamiseria · 26/04/2011 08:23

wow so many perfect parents out there!!!!!

nikki1978 · 26/04/2011 08:24

It always amazes me how the people who are most critical of parents are other parents

EauRouge · 26/04/2011 08:35

I'm flying to Canada next week with a 2.6 yo and an 8 wo and this thread is making me dread it even more :( DD1 has 2 speeds, really fast and really, really fast and I'm an incredibly nervous flyer. I like Asinine's idea of the giant hamster wheels, it might even tire DD1 out enough to sleep on the plane

gastrognome · 26/04/2011 09:27

It's easy enough to keep them entertained for an hour or so but as soon as there are delays or long waits in queues it does get a bit more complicated.

And then there's the knowledge that you need them to expend a bit of pent up energy before getting on the plane or they'll be even more hyper when on board. So it's great when airports provide facilities.

BUT having said that it's still up to the parents to keep an eye on their kids of course.

There is the most fantastic kids play area at Brussels airport (kept my daughter entertained when our flight was delayed for TEN hours one time).

One time I was there and there was another little boy (looked about 3) playing, no sign of any parents.

He ran out of the play area, across to one of the departure gates about fifty yards away, crawled under a barrier and started to run down one of the departure ramps when I managed to scoop him up. I looked around but couldn't see any concerned looking parents anywhere - dont usually pick up other peoples kids but in this instance I feel that if I hadn't god knows where he'd have ended up!

Looked around again and eventually delivered him to his oblivious parents who were sitting some distance away from the play area, chatting. They hadn't even noticed he had run away! They then just took him straight back to the play area and carried on ignoring him as before...

welshbyrd · 26/04/2011 09:48

A little story for you, this happened last week

My terminally ill auntie [45yo] is full time carer to her 4yo grandson. She came to visit last Wednesday [she lives in Manchester, we live S/W Wales]

Both had been on the train 4hours prior to a old lady getting on, 20 minutes after getting on,old lady shouted at my auntie "make that child be quiet, and he should not be walking up the carriage either". My auntie replied, "you have been on here 20 mins, he has been sat here 4hours, on a boiling hot day, he is playing with his cars, not to loudly, if you want him not to, then you quieten him down"
My auntie was terrible upset when she got off the train. She told me her grandson was only brrrrrrrrrrrr ing his cars across the table, nothing major, noise wise, and his walking across the carriage, he had gone to his bag to get a juice bottle.My aunties leg [cancer in hip] had been giving her a bit of jip, so she sent him to get his drink

The grandson had spent the whole time after the lady shouting, turning his head towards her, giving her funny faces
My auntie is in two-minds about coming down here again now, yet she loves it here, she visits 6-8 times a year, she would move here if she could be the Grandsons mum lives up there, and has since had another child.

Id love to see the nasty old lady

welshbyrd · 26/04/2011 10:11

Another example, again not a Airport. But to do with naughty DCs not doing as their told

In a shop one day, a few years back, my DS was with me. He was eating a packet of crisps [bad mum]. A checkout staff, shouted " no eating here please".

I looked around realized she was talking to my DS, to see her calling my son a ignorant little boy, to the staff next to her.

I answered he is not ignorant, he can not hear you, he is deaf. Her reply "well how did I know?, its not like he has a sign above his head" I made a few very strong remarks, actually my language was foul

I made a formal complaint, she was sacked

My reason for my posts, Dont judge any mum/dad/child, you do not know the underlying problems, some kids are out of control, not all are

usualsuspect · 26/04/2011 10:15

I love all the perfect parents and children on MN

forwantofabetter1 · 26/04/2011 10:22

I can kind of understand kids getting fed up when delayed but if its just the standard two hour wait there really is no excuse for it imo.
Fair enough some children may be excited but there is always loads to look at at the airport to fill in two hours (which to be fair if you've started checking in 2 hours before by the time you get through to departures is even less time)
Something to eat, a mooch round the shops, check out where the gate is and the flight numbers the time soon passes.

Am sure I'll get flamed for this but I think a lot of bad/unruly behaviour that you see in public places is to do with permissive parenting and empty threats being made. I hate it when you hear parents say
"If you dont behave we wont get on the plane" what bollox course youre gonna go on your holiday and they know it!

DontCallMePeanut · 26/04/2011 10:27

Ahh, sorry Rosa, misunderstood your post.

Welsh, I would be appalled if I heard ANYONE talk about small child like that. That's truly shocking.

BugsnBites · 26/04/2011 12:45

Children should be encouraged to run around and climb on chairs in airports. Get out the energy before getting on the flight.

Rosa · 26/04/2011 14:33

Bugs for me yes run around but I draw the line at climbing on chairs.... Before long haul I often go to the gate and then we run up and down the concorse next to the walk ways where there are fewer people.

If the airports placed a play area / climbing area and charged £1 an entry I can't see how it would not be commercially viable......

FlamingJamie · 26/04/2011 14:36

YANBU

But airports really bug me. other countries manage to have areas for children to play.

Rosa · 26/04/2011 14:40

www.gatwickairport.com/at-the-airport/south/family-facilities/

Blimey I sit back amazed ...All my complaining has actually worked.....( ok not just me probably !)

I now look forward to my flights in May , June , July and September with min 4 hrs in Gatwick each time........

FlamingJamie · 26/04/2011 14:40

Sorry Rosa - I see you already said that above. I totally agree. It's crap and I stopped travelling by air partly because I can't bear airports. Now my DCs are older, of course, it would be a breeze, but back then

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