Just throw them off!

Have you all seen the story about Southwest throwing a 2 year old and his mother off a plane yesterday because the toddler was shouting "Go, plane, go!" and "I want daddy?" I've tried to post a link, but it's not working. I'm sure if you google it, you'll find it easily.


I've read several versions of this story so far, and I don't know what makes me angrier about it: the fact that it happened, or the rude and ignorant comments readers have posted after the story (including, my favorite, "toss them off at 30,000 feet!")


One has to look no further than this story and its reader comments to realize what is wrong with this world. We have no compassion, no tolerance and no understanding for others anymore.


I know how this poor woman must have felt, because I had quite the flight last weekend to Minneapolis. Connor and I had sat on the runway for over an hour because our plane was delayed. He got a little upset toward the end and started crying. I was well on my way to calming him when the flight attendant FROM HELL approached me and started yelling at me to get my child under control. She also yelled at Connor to be quiet. I calmly told her Connor has autism and he was overstimulated (even showed her the letter from his doctor), and screaming at me and him did not help, but rather made it worse. Still, she kept on. It actually took another passenger to tell this flight attendant to back off for her to do so. But she harassed me the entire flight, even after Connor was calm, sitting in his seat and being well behaved while watching a movie. It was amazing.


The flight home was better, but thanks to that one flight attendant, I likely will not fly agian for a long time.


No one wants to hear a cranky child, but chances are, if people had offered some help and kindness, the whole outcome of this event could have been a lot different. What a sad, sad world we live in.