A parent's nightmare: crying baby on a plane
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Whether she took a screaming baby from a mother who slapped the child or offered to hold the baby to calm the situation, a Southwest Airlines flight attendant's actions this week has sparked a debate on how to handle something that frustrates passengers and airline employees alike:
The crying baby.
Pittsburgh child advocates who have launched programs to help quell family conflicts in public places say their coping strategies can also help on planes -- perhaps the most challenging venue.
"As a parent sitting on a plane, I'm humiliated because my child won't stop crying. I'm in panic mode," said Christine Patterson, a trainer for intervention programs at Family Resources, the largest nonprofit agency in the area dedicated to child abuse prevention and treatment.
"It's a very stressful situation no matter where you are."
The latest incident took place Monday aboard a Dallas-to-Seattle flight. Flight attendant Beverly McCurley told police in Albuquerque, N.M., where the flight had a scheduled stop, she saw a mother hit her screaming 13-month-old on the face with her open hand. Ms. McCurley described the mother as agitated and also saw the woman slap the baby on the legs and tell the child to shut up.
The mother later told police she "popped" the tired tot after the child kicked her, because "when she's screaming and she can't hear me say no, that's the only way I can get her to stop."
Ms. McCurley, 53, a 20-year veteran with Southwest, told police she took the baby and walked to the rear of the plane. She said the father came back, took the child and stood there with her until she fell asleep. The child had a bruise on her face that the parents said resulted from a dog bite.
Paramedics checked out the child in Albuquerque, and the family boarded another flight. No charges were filed.
First Published August 21, 2010 12:00 am
