I cannot understand why society in general is so intolerant of children (Picture: Getty Images)
I really thought the days of children needing to be seen and not heard were behind us – but apparently not.
In fact, these days, it appears, they’re not even allowed to be seen, as an airline is introducing child-free zones on their planes, where passengers can pay more to sit in seats exclusively for adults.
I cannot understand why society in general is so intolerant of children. After all, we were all children once. The majority of us go on to have one, if not more, of them. So why do so many people turn their noses up at being in their general vicinity, especially while travelling?
Turkish airline Corendon is introducing 93 seats that are purely for over 16-year-olds on its flight from Amsterdam to Curacao in the Caribbean. There, for roughly an extra £39 each way, you can sit at the front of the plane, separated from the other, younger, passengers by walls or curtains.
Well, isn’t that just wonderful?
Do people travelling alone or with other adults not realise that every parent who is boarding a plane is hyper aware that none of their fellow passengers want to spend the whole of their flight listening to a baby cry or a child whinging in the seat behind them? Believe me – neither do we!
There is no need to make us feel worse by introducing child-free zones – what are we, the modern-day equivalent of lepers?
Having spent a lot of their lives in lockdown, my two children – Theo, five, and Immy, three – have only been on a couple of holidays abroad.
But on the few occasions we have boarded a flight, my husband Tom and I were fully prepared. We’d loaded up with plenty of snacks, colouring and sticker books, a bag full of toys and – for if everything else failed – a tablet full of films to plug them into.
My two children have only been on a couple of holidays abroad (Picture: Sarah Whiteley)
As in any occasion where our children are physically close to other people, we did everything we possibly could to make sure they were on their best behaviour and the least disruptive possible.
Rather than switching off and enjoying the start of our holiday, we were on high alert, ready to leap into action if either Theo or Immy so much as raised their heads. To use our soothing voices to calm them. To help them start another in-flight film.
And we’re not the only parents who behave like this.
Everyone has read news stories of parents handing out ear-plugs to the people around them, to apologise in advance if their baby dares to make a single sound on the flight.
And parenting forums are full of questions about the best ways to entertain children on flights, long or short haul, to ensure they don’t disturb other people.
But of course, that isn’t enough, is it?
There has to be literally a whole other area of the plane for these people, who cannot bear to hear children getting excited for their holiday, to retreat to.
What baffles me is that children are hardly the most disruptive passengers onboard – what about stag dos or hen parties? Or adults who have had too much to drink?
You don’t hear of flights having to be diverted because a child’s tantrum got out of hand, yet I can’t count the amount of stories I’ve read in the news about flights being held up due to drunk and abusive passengers.
But there’s no special seat to keep them away, is there? For people who are drinking versus those staying sober – just in case one of them has a few too many?
Why are fully-grown adults being accommodated, while our children aren’t? (Picture: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
Equally, I’ve been on long-haul flights where men have spread their legs into my space, lazed their limbs over the joint armrest, while I’ve been forced to lean uncomfortably into the window to avoid them. Where’s the women-only section?
Why can’t people realise that for a few precious hours out of our lives, we are going to be closely confined with other people and we simply have to make the best of it?
Why on earth do we have to set ourselves against one another, right from the offset?
In a press release about the upcoming child-free zones, Corendon said they would create ‘a shielded environment that contributes to a calm and relaxed flight,’ and has been designed for business travellers ‘who want to work in a quiet environment.’
Might I suggest that a busy flight may not be the best place to work? And it also begs the question why fully-grown adults are being accommodated, while our children aren’t?
Corendon founder, Atilay Uslu, says the new service will benefit both parents and child-free passengers alike, stating that the zones will ‘accommodate travellers looking for extra peace during their flight’ but it will also mean that parents ‘can enjoy the flight without worrying if their children make a little noise.’
To me, that is the one good thing to come out of this whole sorry situation – that not having to sit near someone who tuts and rolls their eyes every time my children want to talk to me, may make my life – and flight – slightly more pleasant.
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Kids are hardly the most disruptive passengers – what about stag dos or hen parties? Or adults who have had too much to drink?