You think you can do better?

This goes out to all of the folks who are not blessed with child due to their own choice. If you think you could do my job better, then have at it. It is not easy being a parent nor have I ever thought my parenting skills are A+ ratings. However, what I do not approve of is when one of you attempts to tell me how to do my job.

What I am getting at is, on our flight home (#2 flight of 3) my child was a little over stimulated. Hey it happens ask any parent. Before take off, LM laid in my lap and attempted to sing the ABC song and ask his mommy numerous questions as kids do. I stroked his gentle blonde head and talked back, in attempts to get him to nap. During the middle of my conversation a testy passenger reached over tapped my shoulder and rudely remarked, “Miss, I have a horrible headache and YOUR CHILD is not helping. You need to get him under control.”

He made it sound like the words "YOUR CHILD" was something dirty.

As I sat there dazed and confused I tried to get my child to quit talking and refrain from making any noise at all. However, the delightful little thing thought I was playing and began to get more vocal. Just lovely, I thought. The gentleman and lady beside me looked over telling me not to worry about it that LM was just fine. I smiled a half smile and thought well at least it is not the whole plane.

I continued to do things to occupy him, which nothing worked. At this time, the lovely jackass of a man in row 5 seat F called back the stewardess and tattled on my boy. Now, who is the mature one here? She was more then professional telling him, “Sir, he’s a little boy, what would like his mother to do?” She proceeded to give my child snacks and make him laugh and try to comfort me.

I kept thinking we’re getting kicked off this plane as this all happened before we even took off. As we all know that airlines have done this. Now, do not get me wrong, I certainly understand the ups and downs of travel, trust me I have had my share of flying whoa’s, but I have never in my life told a mother to control her child. There are times when a child does have a mind of their own believe it or not.

I sat on a four hour flight from Cancun where a new born sat behind me and screamed for three of the four hours and this was BEFORE I had a child of my own. Any respectable person would have waited or blocked it out. However, this jackass could not give me until the plane was in the air to put my child’s movie in. Once the movie was in you did not hear a word out of LM.

So my message here is screw all of you who do not have children nor have ever travelled with them. I give my son a lot of credit for being as good as he was for the long travel day we had. I also applaud all the passengers on that flight who told that guy he was an asshole as we landed in Pittsburgh and walked by him.

It is hard enough being a parent without the scrutiny of everyone else.