snakes on a plane

So apparently, some parents made little care packages for all of the fellow passengers on their flight.  They wrote a note on the the bags from "the baby" apologizing for crying and such and they offered anyone to visit their row to get some earplugs during the flight.  And now the news has gone viral and everyone on Pinterest is all like, "Oh aren't they the best?  That is the way to parent!  Everyone should do that."

And yes, they were thoughtful and they are probably wonderful people but...

I'm sorry but am I the only one who doesn't feel the need to apologize for my child's existence?  I will do my best to keep my baby calm and quiet but if she cries, well, it's a free country.

If we need to start dispensing ear plugs for crying babies, I would like nose plugs and air freshener from the person with BO and nasty airport food.  And I want tissues and hand sanitizer from the person who sneezes and coughs.  And also an apology from the person sitting next to me who takes up the armrest or the person in front of me who leans their chair back causing my tray table to flip back up.

Once the plane reaches its maximum cruising altitude, we're all just trying to survive the next few hours until the "fasten seat belt" light turns off and we can elbow and push our way off the aircraft like it's burning from the tail.

Babies are just as miserable on a plane.  So the next time you're on a crowded flight next to a crying baby, imagine you're a tiny human in a crowded unfamiliar environment with sore ears and no communication skills other than crying, all the while hoping that these dumb fools you call parents figure out how to help you.

Or better yet, imagine that you're one of the dumb fools and you'll wish you had brought a care package for them.