Family with Naughty Child Asked to Leave Airplane

Unlocking Word Meanings
Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.

1. misbehave (v.) [mis-bi-heyv]  – being naughty or acting badly

Example: Parents often scold their children who misbehave in public places.

2. toddler (n.) [tod-ler] – a young child

Example: The toddler loves to play with stuffed toys.

3. tantrum (n.) [tan-truhm] – expression of uncontrollable anger or frustration, often in a childish way

Example: The child’s tantrum caught the attention of people nearby.

4. pacify (v.) [pas-uh-fahy] –to make someone calm and quiet

Example: The mother tried to pacify the crying boy by singing him a song.

5. overreact (v.) [oh-ver-ree-akt] – to say or do something unnecessary because of strong emotion

Example: Teachers should avoid overreacting by shouting at students when they make a mistake.

Article
Read the text below.

A family’s vacation was canceled after Alaska Airlines told the family of a child who was misbehaving to get off the airplane. Mark Yanchuk, a salesman from Washington, along with his wife, mother-in-law and children were supposed to be on a flight from Seattle to Miami. It was the first part of their planned trip to the Virgin Islands. Daniel, Yanchuk’s 3-year-old son, was with him in the plane’s main cabin, while the rest of his family stayed in first class. The toddler was playing with an iPad when flight personnel asked passengers to turn off their gadgets to prepare for takeoff. Yanchuk took away the iPad, which caused the child to throw a tantrum. As Yanchuk was trying to put a seatbelt on his screaming son, flight attendants offered to help pacify Daniel. Paul McElroy, spokesperson for Alaska Airlines, said the flight attendants were concerned because the boy would not sit properly. The boy’s seatbelt ended near his neck at one time and the attendants were afraid he would choke. Because of the danger, the airline staff said it had no choice but to request father and son to leave the plane. The rest of Yanchuk’s family was allowed to stay, but they decided to also leave. Yanchuk believed the staff overreacted. He reasoned that a crying child was hardly a dangerous situation. The airline offered to rebook their flight the next day, but the Yanchuk family said it no longer wanted to fly with the airline. McElroy said that the family would be receiving a refund.

Viewpoint Discussion
Enjoy a discussion with your tutor. 

Discussion A 

·         Do you agree with the airline’s decision to make the family leave? Why or why not?

·         How do you think similar incidents can be prevented in the future?

Discussion B

·         What do you think causes a child to misbehave?

How can parents and guardians discipline their children properly?

この記事が気に入りましたか？