Comments on: For those who say we should have flown with our daughter…

By: little gator

little gator — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 00:31:35 +0000

“The unaccompanied minor program is described by the airline as an extremely supervised and secure process in which the child is never alone (which ours was not)”

That’s something like what they said when I flew as an unaccompanied 11 year old in 1968. It was not a nonstop flight. At 2 stops of about an hour each everyone got off the plane but me and they told me to stay on the plane. I did, but I wonder what might have happened if I hadn’t been a timid and obedient child.

I was grown up before I though to tell my mother, who was shocked. At the time, I thought grownups in charge were usually right andf I didnt even think to tell anyone.

By: Karen

Karen — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 17:18:08 +0000

People who criticize your decision to allow your daughter to fly in the unaccompanied minor program obviously don’t know how it is supposed to function. As you point out, the child is safer than in many other situations in which we routinely allow 10-year-olds to find their way alone. Unlike playing in the park, walking to a friend’s house, etc., children who fly UM are always supervised by an adult. I think some of these critics think that you allowed a 10-year-old to navigate an airport alone, and she got on the wrong flight! Also, even with Continental’s colossal, inexcusable screw-up, your daughter was never in danger. I understand your panic at not knowing where she was, but she was safe at all times. Many parents would react to an occurrence like this by never letting their children out of their sight again. The fact that you are able to keep things in perspective is wonderful and means that this will not be a traumatic incident for M…. Kol hakavod.

By: Tammie

Tammie — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 22:48:57 +0000

I love your wife! You are both obviously good parents and also surround your family with morals and values. The airline was wrong and grossly negligent. In saying the word negligent, that does not mean all people sue to point out negligence. Some just want to prevent further incidents and possibly a worse outcome. You already ‘won’ in having your child safe at her destination (finally) and back home – now it’s time to make sure it doesn’t happen again.

By: Leo

Leo — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 19:46:34 +0000

Agreed with Jik and his wife. Thank you.

And on the lighter side: Should be nagging your kids more “watch where you’re going”

By: Paul W.

Paul W. — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 14:51:00 +0000

Wow, talk about getting to the heart of the matter. Bravo!!!!!! I’m positive that your children are going to be very self-confident and an ability to think for themselves in a rational manner thanks to the manner in which are showing them how to interact with the world. You both sounds like parents who most definately ‘get it’.

By: Kelly

Kelly — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 19:36:48 +0000

Amen to both the wife’s comments and to Ben! I am not a parent, but I can imagine it takes great courage to let your children grow and gain independence. I am very thankful that my parents allowed my siblings and me to spread our wings without hovering, smothering, or otherwise hindering our growth (and fun!) I started traveling alone as a child at a young age. I have a brother who is one year older than I am, but my parents held back on allowing him to solo travel for a few more years. They knew their children. I was a confident child eager to get out in the world, respectful, but also able and willing to speak up if I were in danger, trouble, lost or confused. My brother was not as responsible and was shier, so not as likely to speak out if he needed help. Back then, there were no unaccompanied minor services. If you had divorced parents and had to fly to visit, often you were alone or with siblings, as we were.

As this mother suggests, it is important to supervise your children when possible and to teach them the skills they need to be able to protect themselves when it isn’t.

By: Ben

Ben — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 19:18:28 +0000

Thanks for taking the time to post this. There’s a generally irrational attitude towards kids and parents these days – one where you never, ever let them out of your site and protect them from all dangers.

Sure as parents we try to keep our kids safe but we also need to let them grow, have experiences of their own and learn.

Walking to a friends house, traveling the air through an airline’s program, staying a week at a camp can all be valuable to building a child’s self esteem and allowing them to experience the world on their own terms.

Hovering over your kids every hour of the day is not valuable to anyone.

-Ben