leave the kids at home

I am up in Sydney for the week after having flown up on my own with the two boys on the weekend. While I was pretty concerned with flying on my own with 2 kids, the flight itself was fine and the boys were well behaved, although I was hoping that a flight during nap time would mean a nap, not squirming on my lap, but at least he was quiet.

So it was a coincidence that this week Fairfax Newpapers ran an opinion piece on screaming kids on planes. In the article, the author, Erice Challis, explains that things would be much easier for everyone if airport facilities included more family friendly areas (play spaces, parents rooms etc) so kids could get their energy out without the need to run around in waiting areas and send other passengers batty, while giving the added benefit of tiring them out before boarding the plane.

Aaahh, the joys (Image EverymanTri.com)

I agree with the idea, and that it would benefit all passengers, not just the families using the facilities. What did concern me were the comments after the article. They were 50/50 for and against the idea, but the negative ones! When did Australia become so intolerant of children? I understand people having a gripe about kids who are running amok while a parent sits oblivious with the earphones in, but surely to paint all kids as precious little brats who are sure to make 'my' plane trip uncomfortable is a little discriminatory.

It was not just this article either that drew the wrath of pissed off passengers everywhere, this article about a woman suing Qantas over a screaming kid (ridiculous) and also this article about a survey of travellers who suggest a family only area on planes, both had the same vicious comments basically expressing their hostility toward children and lazy parents who chose to have them. One comment laughingly explained that it was the parents who decided to inconvenience their lives by having kids so the rest of us should not have to put up with them as well! 'Hey babe, let's inconvenience ourselves by starting a family'? Seriously?

I spoke with my mate Cookie about this and she mentioned she did feel the same about other people's kids before she had them, and I would have to admit that before I had kids I to could get pretty grumpy about the screaming baby in my vicinity on a plane, but this is the question I am asking, when did Australia as a society decide that kids were an inconvenience, they should be seen and not heard and we'd all be happier if they were left at home?

Travel to some destinations (Italy, Japan from what I hear...) and the bambinos are a delight to all and sundry, I reckon you might be treated better and with more respect if you DO have kids with you, so when did all this kiddy hatred creep in on our 'tolerant' and 'fair go' society? Shouldn't that fair go be extended to kids as well?