Children in airport etiquette

[Sideeye47]

What’s your take?

Currently waiting on a flight and children are banging on the back of the metal seats DP and I are sat on. No visible guardian about. Shrieking and running around before circling back to hitting our seats.

I understand children are children and children travelling can make them restless but I don’t think children over 5/6 should be running around an airport screaming and irritating other already tired and bored passengers.

AmeriAnn It's British dialect, y'all.

Just turn round and snarl loudly at the little shots. That should do the trick.

Seriously though, just turn round and firmly but civilly tell them to stop. Hopefully they will, but it they don't then move.

Currently waiting on a flight and children are banging on the back of the metal seats DP and I are sat on. No visible guardian about. Shrieking and running around before circling back to hitting our seats

Oh but, don't you know [crossthreading infinitely] that it's your fault OP for hating children, or being British and hating children. Or something like that.

Because British children are never ever badly behaved, nor are British parents never ever neglectful or careless. It's all because the rest of us hate children.

Seriously, YANBU, and I"d be asking them to stop it in my stern voice.

they shouldn't bang on your chair.

But airports are the last place where children should be sitting nicely! They will be stuck on their seats for however many hours the flight last, they should be running around and spend their energy before boarding. They don't need to inconvenience passengers, there 's usually enough space and empty lounges to jump around.

So yes, parents should stop them from annoying you, but they should also encourage them to run.

There should be soft plays, but in many airports there aren't. Even in Gatwick last time I was there a couple of weeks ago.

@MrsTerryPratchett “baby jails”

Turn round with your phone and say "Yes Father Xmas they are being very naighty...right...so you will take their presents off the shelf....ok thank you" works every time lol

Tranquilliser gun?

"I just wonder does no one even try to teach children to sit quietly and politely anymore? Sometimes it might not bloody work but at least look like you’re making the effort to parent imo"

I take it you don't have children, OP? My two, very energetic, little boys sometimes literally can not sit still. No amount of crafting, colouring books or stories (I rarely resort to screens) will keep them sat down for more than 2 mins when they're in that mood. I wouldn't let them kick someone's seat but don't judge parents because of their child's natural instinct to burn off energy .

That's not on.
I've been taking my children on long haul flights since they were a few months old and at no point would they be getting away with what you describe, how very bloody rude!

In other news, I bet pretending to film the kids will magically bring their parents out of the woodwork...

Move?

Give them a stern No thank you with a solid glare.

The little fuckers.

This is why I book the v.i.p lounges.They tend to have better behaved children in them

I just wonder does no one even try to teach children to sit quietly and politely anymore?

No. No-one does this. Absolutely not one parent in the whole world ffs.

There's no soft play in Stansted, unless you count the small branch of Hamleys. Despite this my 4 & 2 year olds have never been allowed to run feral and unsupervised.

No point wasting Valium on kids
Cough medicine or something would be better

OP is there a designated “quiet area” in this airport? They don’t seem to be well sign posted.

There is a small soft play at Doncaster/Sheffield airport

Cough medicine or antihistamine liquid...

But I agree that pretending to film them would bring the parents out the woodwork sharpish!

So glad we flew to nice places before it was considered a thing to take screaming children on long flights. I would trip the little darlings up the parents might stop them. I don’t fly anymore so no point is shouting at me!

I'd rather have kids sitting nicely in the plane and run around in the airport. I don't want my kids to sit nicely whilst they are there! I wouldn't let them kick your seat though.

The last time I flew, there was this delightful Dad playing with his son who I'm guessing wasn't NT, they found a little patch of floor and were rolling a couple of trains to each other. Later on I saw him carrying two backpacks on his back and the boy on his front, chatting away to him. I wanted to say to him what a lovely Dad he was but didn't want to come across as a patronising arse.
However parents like him are few and far between, most seem disinterested in their little oiks.
The teacher in me would do a death glare, if that failed a stern "Stop that now".

Put them in the hold!

"if you sit quietly until we get there, you can have a puppy at the other end"

You need to fix them with an uncompromising gaze and tell them politely to please stop hitting your chairs. The right look in your eye can be extraordinarily effective! Children are oblivious to etiquette but their parents shouldn't be.

I fly alone with my DC many times a year. I always keep them in a kid friendly restaurant or the soft play area until right before boarding time when we head to the gate. It tires them out so they rest on the flight and keeps them from annoying fellow passengers. I exhaust myself keeping them as unobtrusive as possible so it really irks me when parents can’t be bothered. Ask them to stop. Loudly.