I'm sure you've heard about the woman who was kicked off an airplane with her toddler last month? For a flight from Houston to Oklahoma, they actually turned the plane around to boot the mother and child. I can't stand when there are annoying kids on planes but I gotta figure turning the plane around and landing and taking off again would be a greater inconvenience to me as passenger. This kid had to be out of control. This is the most significant line:
Penland is considering legal action.
Of couse she is. One problem. Being the nuclear physicist that she is, she decided last week to try to gain some sympathy by bringing her kid on Good Morning America to show what a little angel he is. I'm betting she wants that one back. They had to kick the kid off the set.
Garren Penland, 19-months old, got so unruly during his mom's chat with 'Good Morning America' anchor Diane Sawyer, co-anchor Chris Cuomo had to take the toddler off the set.
While Kate Penland explained her child was well-behaved on the Continental Express flight, little Garren kicked, wiggled and squirmed out of his mother's arms.
At one point he climbed up on a coffee table and rifled through Sawyer's scripts.
Score one for the defendants.
The article is a little ambiguous, but I don't think the plane actually got airborne before they turned around.
Posted by: Art Vandelay | July 18, 2007 at 02:37 PM
Priceless video!
Posted by: Orange | July 18, 2007 at 03:26 PM
An unruly 19 month old? Whoever heard of such a thing? Sounds like a first in aviation history.
Posted by: Assman | July 18, 2007 at 04:18 PM
"An unruly 19 month old? Whoever heard of such a thing? Sounds like a first in aviation history."
And a batshit woman from Gwinnett County, Georgia in the national spotlight. How unique.
Posted by: Jack Klompus | July 18, 2007 at 04:45 PM
The best part of that video is when she discusses the return flight—in which the tot had a total apocalyptic meltdown! She says a sympathetic flight attendant offered to give the kid his juice and crackers ASAP, he ate, and he fell asleep within 15 minutes. This tells us two things: (1) This kid is a handful. (2) Maybe it would be helpful for his mom to make a point of feeding him before they board a plane, eh? (3) If she doesn't manage to do that, she could at least ask a flight attendant for a kid snack on the way to her seat.
Posted by: Orange | July 18, 2007 at 05:31 PM
um, aren't you supposed to give kids some sedatives or something before they fly...cold medicine or something?
Posted by: Babu | July 18, 2007 at 05:54 PM
"um, aren't you supposed to give kids some sedatives or something before they fly...cold medicine or something?"
Don't know one way or the other, but it'd be a damn good idea if you plan on bringing 'em on national television in this context, no?
Posted by: jackie | July 18, 2007 at 06:01 PM
I think I missed the chapter in Dr. Spock's book where he suggests drugging your child whenever they become inconvenient.
Posted by: daveNYC | July 18, 2007 at 08:23 PM
"I think I missed the chapter in Dr. Spock's book where he suggests drugging your child whenever they become inconvenient."
Apparently the Benoits caught that chapter.
Posted by: Jack Klompus | July 18, 2007 at 08:39 PM
what are the odds she sues abc, gma and diane sawyer?
Posted by: howard in nyc | July 18, 2007 at 09:52 PM
Awesome, children under 12 need to be banned from air travel. Period. Or at least they really need to have non-children flights. Anyone who has had to endure sitting near some ADD stricken basket case of a toddler on a long haul flight would agree. I would pay a premium for not having to sit next to some semi-retard and her spawn for hours....
Posted by: bluehorseshoe | July 19, 2007 at 01:20 PM
This little fucker will be in juvie before he finishes puberty. Mom clearly does not know how to deal with him, so he acts out. Shocker.
Posted by: TMan | July 19, 2007 at 01:49 PM
"Awesome, children under 12 need to be banned from air travel. Period."
Asian people, too. They're always pushing through lines and they routinely break the carry-on size limit. Then you gotta wait extra time to take off while the flight attendants figure out what to do with the fuckin' hope chest they brought onboard.
"Or at least they really need to have non-children flights."
They do. It's called flying later at night. Sure there a few that slip through the cracks but most will be sleeping at that point.
"This little fucker will be in juvie before he finishes puberty. Mom clearly does not know how to deal with him, so he acts out. Shocker."
Unless you have a deaf-mute I doubt you have any kids. And I also doubt you were some docile little mouse at that age. Even though they call them the terrible 2's, they actally start at about 18 months (and last for 18 more). Then tack on the fact that it's a boy and it means you got double the shenanigans. I'm not saying Penland is mom of the year, but toddlers are what they are. That said, if she's not prepared to keep him occupied during the travel process, then they shouldn't be flying (unless it's an emergency). It's not fair to anyone.
Posted by: Jack Klompus | July 19, 2007 at 03:13 PM
Even though they call them the terrible 2's, they actally start at about 18 months (and last for 18 more). Then tack on the fact that it's a boy and it means you got double the shenanigans. I'm not saying Penland is mom of the year, but toddlers are what they are.
I'd have given the kid Benadryl exactly for that reason. What 19 month old kid isn't going to act like that on a plane if he's antsy? What kid is going to get on a TV set and understand that he has to sit still if he's feeling feisty? When it comes to the greater good, I'm a doper.
Posted by: Assman | July 19, 2007 at 03:48 PM
What 19 month old kid isn't going to act like that on a plane if he's antsy? What kid is going to get on a TV set and understand that he has to sit still if he's feeling feisty?
Mine, for one.
I guess I can't speak for other people's kids but you're mass generalizing here, aren't you?
Posted by: Art Vandelay | July 19, 2007 at 04:06 PM
I guess I can't speak for other people's kids but you're mass generalizing here, aren't you?
A bit. Especially since my kid wouldn't do the exact same. Personality and temperment go a long way.
But I'm generalizing the idea that kids of that age act like that a lot. It's not like that kid is a particular monster or anything. Especially if the kid gets antsy.
Posted by: Assman | July 19, 2007 at 04:11 PM
"Mine, for one."
Might be the only one.
"I guess I can't speak for other people's kids but you're mass generalizing here, aren't you?"
Of course he is. Because the overwhelming majority of kids that age are antsy. It's just a fact. If for some reason you have a well-behaved, focused 19-month old -- your one of the lucky few. But you shouldn't expect that from everyone else's rugrats.
I just took my 19-month old on a 2.5 hour flight two weeks ago. And while she wasn't unruly, I had to have an arsenal of food and activities to bombard with her at all times. It was a lot of work and wasn't enjoyable by any stretch. You have to keep them busy or they'll go bonkers -- as will everyone else. Or as Assman suggested, a little Benadryl to slow things down. I swore I never would do such a thing -- until her first flight. It's really not as bad as it sounds.
Posted by: Jack Klompus | July 19, 2007 at 04:23 PM
Oh I wasn't suggesting that I don't bring things on planes to keep my kid busy...I most certainly do. A big ass knapsack full of shit as a matter of fact. If I told her to just sit there and stare at the seat in front of you for 3 hours, we might have problems. That's just common sense though.
Posted by: Art Vandelay | July 19, 2007 at 04:32 PM
"That's just common sense though."
Um, are you new here?
Posted by: Jack Klompus | July 19, 2007 at 05:02 PM
see, I was right about drugging kids!
Posted by: Babu | July 19, 2007 at 05:14 PM
see, I was right about drugging kids!
I guess on principle it feels like its something you really shouldn't be doing, but, before taking my kid on her first flight:
a.) my pediatrician was like, "Come on - it's okay. No bad effects."
b.) my parents were like, "Seriously - we drugged you at least 4 times a year. You crazy assed baby."
c.) my daughter was like, "You can choose to not drug me, but I reserve the right to be a real bitch if I get bored. And, by the way, I plan on getting really bored, really quickly."
Posted by: Assman | July 19, 2007 at 05:25 PM
IMHO, young Kids dont need to be on the plane anyway. Are they travelling to an important meeting? Travelling to savour the delights of a Tuscan villa or Island Holiday? Jeez the little bastards are too busy screaming, throwing up or shitting themselves to know WTF is going on. Parents should do everyone a favour, including themselves, and leave em at home.
If air stewards were empowered under the Homeland Security Act 2002 to unilaterally spike the all kids with Xanax or something before they got on the plane, then that would be a fair compromise.
Posted by: bluehorseshoe | July 20, 2007 at 08:44 AM
IMHO, young Kids dont need to be on the plane anyway. Are they travelling to an important meeting? Travelling to savour the delights of a Tuscan villa or Island Holiday?
I dunno. Maybe to visit relatives? Maybe they're moving from the east coast to te west coast and don't have the stamina to sit in a car for 4 days?
Parents should do everyone a favour, including themselves, and leave em at home.
And wait for hijinks to ensue, like in the Home Alone movies? Or maybe just wait for Family Services to arrest you when you get back?
Posted by: Assman | July 20, 2007 at 08:57 AM
Klompus, no, I don't have kids, but I do have two godchildren for whom I provide regular care, as well as several neices/nephews. And, the ones whose parents have their shit together don't act the fool at every opportunity.
As for this moron and her offspring: No, don't drug them. Yes, do feed them before the flight. Like adults, kids get sleepy after they eat. This is not a well-kept secret. And if Mom can't contain him on the set, no way she contains him on a plane. And I for one don't want to get hit in the head with a two year old when the flight hits turbulence simply because Mommy can't get Junior to sit the fuck down and put on his seatbelt. Children should not be banned from air travel. But ones whose parents are incapable of controlling them should be.
Oh, and Klompus, I was taking commercial flights by myself by age 5, no problem. I knew that if I fucked up, my Pops would be waiting to whip my ass when the plane touched down. Funny how that thought kept my little brown ass firmly planted in my seat.
Posted by: TMan | July 20, 2007 at 05:23 PM
Um, are you new here?
I know I'm late with this, but awesome.
Posted by: steveh2 | July 20, 2007 at 06:40 PM
I know I'm late with this, but awesome.
Is it ironic that I assumed people have common sense on a blog that's existence lies around the fact that people have no common sense?
Posted by: Art Vandelay | July 21, 2007 at 09:44 AM
"Oh, and Klompus, I was taking commercial flights by myself by age 5, no problem."
Were those business trips?
Posted by: Jack Klompus | July 22, 2007 at 10:23 AM
As for this moron and her offspring: No, don't drug them.
Yes, drug them.
Yes, do feed them before the flight.
Do that too, but, please, also drug them.
Like adults, kids get sleepy after they eat.
Or they get hyper, have to poop, get antsy, etc. Depends on the kid, just like with adults.
Drugging the kid is practically doing them a favor, IMO. Asking them to have the attention span to sit still and play with crayons for 3 or 4 hours at 19 months old is like asking an adult to get on a 12-hour flight without getting fidgety.
If you could fall asleep on the 12-hour flight, you'd do it. Why fuck with the kid? Knock 'em out. Everybody wins.
Posted by: Assman | July 22, 2007 at 12:12 PM
Better yet, drug me.
Posted by: M. Butler | July 22, 2007 at 10:12 PM
I'm just catching up. This woman is an asshat. Like you say, score one for the defendants.
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