What You Need to Survive the Flight from Hell (Featuring a Screaming Baby)

Way #3 – Reach out and sympathize

The heroes of this flight, to me, were the people who were making a point to be kind. Who leaned across the aisle to smile and tell the mom and dad, “It’s okay, we get it.” Or the ones, as soon as the seat belt light was turned off, made a point of getting up to go to the restroom and tell the mom and dad in passing, “My kids did that too, don’t worry about it.” Or, “Oh, that is such a sweet age, but so hard when they don’t understand,” or some other semi-meaningless comment or smile, simply to let the parents know they weren’t alone.

There wasn’t much anybody could to do help… but actually there was. And this was it. Overt kindness was the best (really the only) way to serve the parents and improve an awkward situation.

I really think if just a few more of the “ignore the situation” people would think through “how could I be KIND in this moment?”, the gripers and complainers might – just might – have been given an opportunity to think about another way to handle it. Because they would see role models right in front of them.

Bottom line: as I am getting my eardrums blasted right this minute, I think that the lessons of the shrieking-toddler-on-a-plane situation are far more about us and our need to default to kindness, patience and contentment, than they are about how or whether to confront the parents of (supposedly) poorly-behaved children.

Helping people thrive in life and relationships is Shaunti Feldhahn’s driving passion, supported by her research projects and writing. After starting out with a Harvard graduate degree and experience on Wall Street, her life took an unexpected shift into relationship research. She now is a popular speaker around the world and the author of best-selling books about men, women, and relationships. (Including For Women Only, For Men Only, and the groundbreaking The Good News About Marriage).

Her newest book, The Kindness Challenge, demonstrates that kindness is the answer to almost every life problem, and is sparking a much-needed movement of kindness across the country. Visit www.shaunti.com for more.