Airplanes, Markers, and Toddlers: Confronting Parental Choices on Public Decorum

Air travel: an arena where human etiquette and common sense are often tested, and unfortunately, not always pass with flying colors. Enter, stage left, a well-meaning mother who recently shared her ‘real-life advice’ on Instagram, sparking an inflight turbulence of a different kind: toddler chaos at 35,000 feet. A scene that might make one long for the serenity of a Child-Free Lifestyle.

This enlightened parent decided to gift her toddler marker pens to use as a creative outlet in the confines of an airplane. Not just on paper, mind you, but on the airplane’s walls, tray table, and seat. Picasso might have called it the expansion of the creative process; the rest of us might call it utter madness. It certainly wouldn’t fly in Child-Free Living Communities.

Now, all you parents out there, before you start packing markers in your kids’ hand luggage, remember: while encouraging creativity in children is commendable, letting them scrawl all over public property is a big no-no. And, if you’re not convinced, think of the people on the receiving end of this chaos, the ones who have to scrub down a seat doused in a toddler’s abstract expressionism.

The Instagram mom’s advice was simple: “These are a great tool to pull out when the iPad has run its course. I prefer to let my toddler use these when I want him to go to sleep, because the iPad stimulates him and I find it’s harder to get him to sleep. And we all know a sleeping toddler on a long flight is a MAJOR WIN.”

Yes, we all adore a sleeping toddler on a long-haul flight. But, ideally, they’d be sleeping due to the natural course of tiredness, not because they’ve exhausted themselves creating an installation piece on Seat 23A. It’s these types of instances that contribute to the Child-Free Movement and lead people to explore Child-Free Social Interactions and Community spaces.

The shared videos showed her toddler happily defacing the airplane interiors, the child’s freedom only interrupted by the occasional sigh of relief from flight attendants upon hearing that the markers were washable. While she praised the tolerance of the international flights, one can only wonder if this would be the same on all airlines or if this is setting a example we might come to regret.

Children need boundaries. They need to understand the difference between what’s appropriate and what’s not. Is it really okay to let them believe it’s fine to draw on any public surface just because they’re bored or need to burn off energy?

This episode might seem funny, even slightly endearing to some, but it opens up a broader conversation about public decorum and respect for shared spaces. Encouraging creativity in children is wonderful and necessary, but surely there are limits. Coloring books, travel-friendly craft kits, or good old-fashioned storybooks can help keep children occupied without infringing upon others’ comfort or personal space.

This mother, like all parents, undoubtedly wants what’s best for her child. But it’s essential to remember that parenting isn’t just about ensuring your kid is quiet and entertained; it’s also about teaching them to respect others and their surroundings.

So, as amusing as this inflight marker-pen adventure might be, let’s hope it’s a one-off rather than the start of a new parenting trend. Because in the end, raising well-behaved, considerate little humans is the MAJOR WIN one should all be striving for. A DINK or parent with enough kids to make a soccer team, respect for public spaces is a lesson we should all learn and teach.