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I have always felt the same way. Flying with other people's children is infuriating. (So is dining with other people's children, or taking public transit with o
by braythwayt 7y ago
I have always felt the same way. Flying with other people's children is infuriating. (So is dining with other people's children, or taking public transit with other people's children. Or a car-share pool with other people's children...)
Conclusion: Sharing an environment with other people's children statistically sucks. We may win some victories here and there with tact, diplomacy, and/or luck, but that's the reality.
And I am especially sensitive to this, as when I fly to Europe and am stuck in this cacophony for six to eight hours, I usually have a presentation or essay I'm working on and could really use a distraction-free environment.
So I'm both irritated and feeling stressed that I can't work effectively. This is suboptimal personally and professionally. So what are my options?
I chose to fly economy. I could have gotten rich and bought my own plane, but no. I could have spent money flying first class (which filters a LOT of families out). But no. I chose to fly economy, where the price of my ticket was low PRECISELY because families are also flying economy, subsidizing my ticket.
If an airline offered an "Absolutely no kids allowed" flight for anything except a vacation charter, the seats would be more expensive. So instead, they offer first class, and "comfort economy," and if I want a seat not subsidized by unruly toddlers and crying infants, that's what I purchase.
It's harsh, but the universe is no more "fair" to me than it is to people who want affordable housing in San Francisco.
- mikeash 7y agoSounds like your best option is to stop procrastinating so badly that you have to get work done in one of the least work-friendly environments out there.
- braythwayt 7y agoAlso true :-D
- stevekemp 7y agoEven on long flights without children it's hard to imagine them as being relaxing/productive hours. My personal bug-bear is neighbours spilling over my seat. Having wider seats would help but some people really do need to be using two seats not just one.
- 762236 7y agoWhen you live in a balanced society that frequently exposes you to interactions with kids, you don't get annoyed by their chaos. I can't feel sorry for anyone that isolates himself/herself from this part of normal life and then gets annoyed.
- braythwayt 7y agoI'm actually not that annoyed by kids doing age-appropriate things. I have a couple myself, and I was a child once-upon-a-time. If I need to be comfortable, I upgrade to comfort economy. If I need to save money, I think about my cost saving and remind myself that these children (in Canada, at least) will grow up to pay for my health care. The last thing I need is them growing up to think that old people are irritable and annoying to them!
- clairity 7y agoyou've got a choice in the matter. other people's children can be wonderful travel companions who distract you from the drudgery of your economy seat existence. or you can wallow in your own annoyance and inability to focus on something else. happiness and contentment come from changing perspectives, moreso than changing circumstances or other people. i (try to) remind myself of this when i get annoyed with other people on both roads and walkways.
- braythwayt 7y agoMost definitely. Sometimes when I ride public transit, a fellow passenger will confide in me that some child is making an "inappropriate ruckus." I usually reply with mild sarcasm, "Shame we both picked today to give our chauffeur the day off." But for the most part, children being children are entertaining.
- magduf 7y agoIt depends on the child. If they're well-behaved children, then yeah, they can be very nice to sit next to. After all, you don't have to worry about them taking up much seat space. If they're American kids, on the other hand, prepare for hours of sheer misery as they have zero discipline and their parents refuse to curtail their horrible behavior.
- jmpman 7y agoNoise isolating headphones, not noise cancelling, are the trick. Throw on some white noise and a screaming toddler one aisle back won’t even register. I’m a fan of the Shure’s (although their lightning cable sucks and their bluetooth option isn’t much better, and the microphone isn’t what it should be from company that specializes in microphones)