As the father of two, I have a great deal of experience with markers on walls, floors, clothes, and just about everything else. Even in an act of desperation on a longhaul flight, it is not okay to let a restless (and bratty) kid draw all over an airplane seat, window, wall, and tray table. There is no justification, even if the marker theoretically wipes off.
Bad Parenting 101: Letting A Kid Draw All Over An Airplane To Keep Her Quiet
A mother posts “real life advice” on Instagram, explaining that letting toddlers use markers freely to mark over anything and everything is a great way to calm down a child on a longhaul flights.
“These are a great tool to pull out when the iPad has run its course. I prefer to let my toddler use these when I want him to go to sleep, because the iPad stimulates him and I find it’s harder to get him to sleep. And we all know a sleeping toddler on a long flight is a MAJOR WIN.”
She includes video footage of her daughter marking all over the wall, tray table, and seat of both a Qatar Airways and Delta Air Lines flights, explaining:
This footage is on our Delta domestic leg. I was proactive to tell the flight attendant they wipe off. She gave me a sigh of relief . However, Qatar Airways didn’t even bat an eye when I used these! I do find that international flights are much more kid friendly and tolerant.
Maybe the Qatar crew did not say anything to you because they were simply shocked?
View this post on Instagram
Sometimes I take positions on Live And Let’s Fly simply to promote discussion, but that is not my intention here. To the mother: shame on you and your horrible parenting. You are creating a monster that is unfit for society.
If the tradeoff is a screaming child versus respecting the property of others, perhaps many would rather the child scribble away and stay silent. But that’s selfish. It’s not okay. Imagine if she scribbled on your computer or your bag or your shirt to stay quiet.
I know this is a tough issue because if you walked into my daughter’s room just a few months ago you would have seen scribbling all over the floors, desk, chair, dresser, wall, window, bed, books, and toys. She even managed to tag the ceiling (don’t ask me how…).
Rather than affirm her artistic creation, we disciplined her. And made her, even at the age of two years old, scrub it up.
Now she’s three and guess what? She doesn’t do it any longer. She knows that markers and crayons and colored pencils are only for paper.
And as I’ve been showing you in my current trip report, she also stays busy and calm during flights…without having to resort to drawing all over the aircraft walls and seats.
The challenge with parenting is the careful balance required in utilizing consistent discipline while not breaking the spirit of the child. Both are manifestations of love and both work with each other to create a person that respects authority and recognizes the world does not revolve around them. This is true even at an early age.
Notice that when she wipes off the marker from the tray table, there is still green residue on it? Certainly that would come off with some bleach, but it creates a headache for the ground cleaning staff. Also notice that she has written on the tray table as well (look at the well-developed letter sand numbers). She is modeling for her child how to misbehave!
And notice on the Qatar Airways flight (red seat) there is scribbling on the leather armrest and cloth seat itself? Same is true on the Delta flight on the blue leather seats. Those “washable” markers are not coming off easily.
CONCLUSION
Letting your kids draw freely on an airplane is a poor form of parenting and does not teach respect for the property of others. I’m disgusting by this mother (my wife is too, for what it’s worth), and find no justification for this behavior.
Yes, drawing is a great alternative to screen time. But the solution is simple: you draw on paper.
(deleted image: @momhighclub / Instagram // H/T: View From The Wing)
UPDATE: As an act of grace toward the mother, I have removed the picture of the scribbling child.
That would have been a mega spanking back when I was a child.
Back when there was something called PARENTING. Today, too many parents insist on being their kid’s friend
IT WIPES OFF! ZERO PROPERTY DAMAGE!!!!
Who wipes it off? Because I can tell you the mother certainly didn’t and that means to very busy, minium wage cleaners will have to take time out of the allied cleaning time to clean up hey kids mess.
A very selfish way at looking to entertaining kids.
it’s like someone started drawing on my car, but hey! it’s wipes off!!! right? what kind of low iq logic is that.
Another candidate for Mother of the Year. I guess paper was too expensive? Kids also can’t distinguish permanent and washable markers so one day this mom just might find the living room redecorated. Enjoy
Similar reaction to the baseball player / popcorn story. Children can’t make a mess in public spaces – airplanes, restaurants, whatever. If they do, either the parents or the children themselves are responsible for cleaning the mess up. Unless the mother was wiping down the area herself, it is bad form. Parents – don’t let your children disrupt public spaces. Keep them at home until they know how to behave in those spaces.
Folks have interesting ideas, I know I would not allow a child to destroy property, but not everyone thinks the way I do.
Recently, I was at the IAD BA lounge and I watched two parents sit and relax while their two children started to run around the lounge.
When of the children decided that his sibling hurt him, he threw his sibling into the glass wall that overlooks the concourse.
Mom and Dad were oblivious and another passenger ran over to make that the boy who was thrown into the glass was okay because he was crying and holding his head.
I told the parents who both rolled their eyes and then debated who would handle it. Dad eventually got up and walked over to his two sons and said, we told you this is Mommy and Daddy time, so you all had to leave us alone and entertain yourselves.
Now I have to supervise you and that doesn’t make me happy, so you both are going to sit on the floor in front of me and not move.
Dad shepherded his kids back to their sitting area, told them not to move, sat down continued sipping on his Champagne and went back to his tablet.
When one son got up, Dad said I said don’t move, he said that he needed to go to the potty and Dad said hold it.
Parenting is not for everyone, but if you don’t want to have deal with your children either hire someone to babysit/nanny or don’t have any.
I don’t think the kid is bratty, it’s just that the parent didn’t set any boundaries for the child. It was terrible for her to post this because it just invites unsolicited attacks and it’s a bad idea to begin with.
My only disagreement with you is calling the child bratty. The poor child is a victim of appalling parenting. In fact, it’s absentee parenting. Give the kid an iPad so I don’t have to engage with them, and then when the iPad runs out, let them run wild, so I don’t have to engage with them. As you show, and as many parents manage to show, it’s perfectly possible to give a child freedom whilst ensuring they are respectful of everything and everyone else around them.
The child is going to have a tough enough life as a result of their parent. And we wonder why we have so much entitlement in the world and assertion of “I have the right to do “
LOL. Blacks.
Blacks Whites and their kids are 10x worse. I seen your kind purposely shit on walls and floors. Kids spitting and hitting their parents. You have leashes on your children.
Some people put kids in the world without knowing what that means. Some just get pregnant without planning. Others plan to have a kid just for social status. Yes, I know parents that love their kids when it is time to go to social events and parties but not when they have to take care of them. Here the kid has nothing to do with the situation. It is the mother that has to take the blame. If I were the airline I would call the police and let them know she supported property destruction and she should be held accountable. At a minimum, she should have to pay the cleaning fees to clean that mess and I doubt they can clean all of that as the seat covers may need to be replaced. Hit her with a large bill and ban her from flying on those airlines and she will take parenting more seriously.
Why have people/adults become so disconnected from reality that they let this stuff happen.
Both airlines should bill the parent for the extra cleaning costs. That might just prevent a repeat performance.
Unless they do, this parent will assume that is acceptable practice for her and her brat.
Whether it’s COVID, Economic stress, Wars in Europe, etc. some people seem to have lost their grip on reality and what constitutes good behaviour.
Please do not blame Covid, economic stress or war for this behavior. This is simply lack of respect for others. Nothing else. This mother was born before all these things happened and it shows this behavior has been part of her life for a long time. Maybe this is a new generation but respect has been in decline in America. That’s a big problem.
You failed to mention that they Instantly Wipe Off. But what else to expect from You…
I would hope they are…
Are you kidding me? It is not the fact it wipes of or not but the fact that she allowed the kid to do that on someone’s else property? This kid will probably get permanent markers and do the same in another place because it feel right since nobody told him not to do it. How would you feel if someone covers your car with shit? All you have to do is to wash off, right?
Donald, I specifically mentioned that they DO NOT in fact wipe off. Watch the video a little more closely.
So true. Many surfaces ( fiberglass, leather and anything with a seam) might never be completely cleaned without damages. Just check with our pet white rabbit that got a “makeover”.
Totally unacceptable behaviòur from both the kid and the so-called mother.
Doesn’t need any further comment.
Send the parents/passenger of that seat, a FEE-BILL for the cleanup of that seat (AND a Big fee if there will be a delay of the next flight to clean up the seat) if it’s a turnaround flight.
See what happens on Spirit.
Wow, I would have gotten a good swat in the gluteus maximus or a leg vice grip pinch from my parents if I did that. I also “fondly” remember a bar of Dial soap in my mouth when my I got “smart.” Spare the rod, spoil the child…..
An entire generation of kids are being raised by parents who lack the word “no” in their vocabulary.
Raising a delinquent, I see
People with no kids should stay quiet
“Doctor don’t tell me you know how to treat this broken leg if you’ve never had one” shut your brainless cretin mouth you utter gormless prat.
hey…when folks are PROUD of not figuring out their own sex and engaging in deviant sexual relations and a significant % of folks aren’t bothered by it nor question WHY……..well..what’s a few scribbles on an airplane? Oh by the way…7 of 8 Ivy League schools have Jewish presidents….and this all started around the same time 1990-ish……and what % of textbooks and media outlets are presided over by Jewish? ..oh yeah…Tel Aviv — LGBT capital of the world too….hmm….education for the masses…cause & effect….then there’s the tech angle…but let’s leave that for another brainwashed, microwave brain damaged day.
Enjoy the scribbles until the final fireworks of Armageddon go off…late 2020s…
Why is this vile comment still here?
Forgot to take pills? Be careful maybe there are some jews hidden in the toilet and theu can jump out.
I enjoyed Matt’s philosophical statement on the importance of balancing discipline of a child while not “breaking their spirit”. It requires such thought, personal growth, you name it, to pull that off. Just as we, as adults, have to balance our interests against that of society, as parents we need to mentor and guide our children to be decent, empowered human beings.
When I took my daughter for her first plane ride, we went to the airport a week before to train her. I showed her around the planes, the security lines, the importance of manners, and then gave her a donut and drink and she was excited to go. She was a darling on the flight and is largely well behaved (one time we did a timeout in the lavatory.). I want the fellow passengers and FA’s to see my child as a delight to fly with. She entertains herself, she’s polite, and others around her don’t feel imposed upon.
A relative bought us these crayola invisible ink markers which look like dry markers, but only work on special paper otherwise they’re transparent. They’re great and I took those with us on the flight to prevent any “accidents”. I’m a cheapskate (government bureaucrat, so limited budget!) and used the laserprinter to print out templates onto blank crayola marker paper. She had a great time and no walls, tray tables, or seats were hurt.
Nah. While I appreciate these markers because they allow you to protect surfaces from stray marks, doing this intentionally is bad form.
Not a bratty kid… just a cunty parent
Still a bratty kid, even if not the fault of the bratty kid.
Why blame the child? The fault is with the parents.
Maybe Mom is a graffiti tagger.
Yet another “time-out chair” success story!
Breeders going to breed
If it wipes off a most child marked do those days and nod damage is left behind, how is this bad parenting or a bad idea? A long as she cleans it up after I see no problem here. People gotta use critical thinking more. Nothing wrong here.
So let them pee or sh*t anywhere on the plane because according to your retarded logic, hell it can be cleaned so it’s ok. SMH
The kid is getting practice as a future graffiti tagger !
It took me 2 seconds to figure out why, after looking at the second picture.
A monster unfit for society?! Could your dog whistle be any louder?
I have a very heavy disagreement with you because while you may not think it’s appropriate for a kid who is rambunctious and energetic. Not everybody wants to raise someone whose creativity isn’t allowed to spark anywhere. Instead of preventing them from drawing everywhere, show them the specific places they can draw AS YOU SUGGESTED WITH THE PAPER, but instead direct them to the tray or the walls, where the markers wipe off easier.
Those corporations that make those and operate those airplanes do not care about you or your comfort or even your survival quite frankly. They care about the stats and how that affects the money. I may sound pessimistic but it’s reality. And I don’t like hearing you degrade someone’s parenting because YOU DONT AGREE. That is abysmally disrespectful to your fellow human. There are so many better ways to handle this situation besides “don’t let your kids get to be kids”.
Now before you take my words out of context, I’m not saying let your kid have free range of everything. I’m just saying DON’T force your kids to respect a company that doesn’t respect you or them. DON’T prevent your kids from having fun and letting loose. BUT DO correctly teach them how to behave like a normal person in public. I don’t want my kids to be another mindless human who isn’t allowed to behave as freely as they want.
LET THE CREATIVITY FLY AND FLOW. Seriously guys THEY ARE KIDS. Stop trying to force them to behave like adults, let them be kids now otherwise they will let themselves be kids when they can.
With respect, I disagree, primarily because the markers leaves residue, no matter what this mother claims.