open wide!

There was an interesting article in the Wall Street Journal today, about a debate brewing over whether it is ethically wrong to "sedate" children for flights....on one side, parents who didn't want a screaming, whining, over- tired child, crying and kicking seat backs for hours... on the other side, people who think it is irresponsible to "drug" a child.... Well those who know me probably guess I am on the pro sedation side... The child gets a nap, other passengers are not disturbed, and the crew is obviously happier. I imagine some parents could feel guilty over doing this... the same parents who think any amount of tv will decrease their child's IQ, and have their baby preparing for their SATs before they cut teeth.
For goodness sake, nobody is saying to give them Xanax or Valium! Heck no! save those precious pills for yourself! Just a little children's Benadryl or Dramamine will do the trick. If they still feel guilty giving their child a little chemical advantage, they can easily alleviate that guilt by justifying it with the knowledge that these same drugs will lessen ear pain, or motion sickness, depending on which you choose.

If you don't want to use drugs, I don't know, maybe Grandpa was a raging addict, and you fear a genetic predisposition for little Johnny,,, try deception. On my flight yesterday was a very resourceful man who had his little girl, around age 6 with him. He took a F/A from my crew aside and said "I told my daughter flight attendants give prizes at the end of the flight if children are exceptionally good" and then handed my co-worker a little snow globe to give her! Sure enough, she was as sweet as pie, more please's and thank you's than were heard in all of first class during that 2 hour flight, from the much larger children up there. I think it is a great idea. For any smug judgmental parents reading this and thinking deception is wrong... tell me this... Do you not have santa or the tooth fairy visiting your home? Both are a much less likely story....

So, as a flight attendant and former nanny, I do suggest a healthy dose of Benadryl or deception inflight.

The photo is of my friend's precious baby Myah. Daddy is a pilot, so Myah is already a seasoned traveler. Her mama, a good friend of mine, not only endorses baby Benadryl, but also probably a binky dipped in brandy as a chaser!