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An unruly child put an end Tuesday evening to a plane trip by a family flying from Long Beach, Calif., to Vancouver, B.C., authorities said.
A young child refused to stay seated during an Alaska Airlines flight, according to Port of Portland spokesman Steve Johnson, and neither the parents nor flight attendants were able to control the child.
The pilot radioed ahead to have police waiting at the gate in Portland to remove the family of four from the plane.
Officers spoke with the family but did not arrest or cite them. They were not allowed to get back on the flight to Vancouver. Johnson said the stop in Portland was a scheduled stop for the flight.
He was unsure of the exact age of the child.
Comment: How does a child 'refuse' to be seated? Parenting is not a Democracy!
I prefer not or threaten or hurt (smack on the butt) a child, but I think a parent should have a healthy set of boundaries set for their child(ren). And when those boundaries are crossed there should be consequences. Punishment should not be dealt based on emotion or level of (real or imagined) embarrassment, but more in terms of level of boundary crossing. That might sound vague.
I think there are occasions where a good scolding or a firm pat on the butt is needed. And I don't think it is inappropriate (unless it is cruel..) publicly or privately. Any thoughts?