I want to join with the other voices who are adpplauing Air Tran for removing an unruly three-year-old and her parents from a flight recently. For those not familiar with the story:

Julie and Gerry Kulesza and daughter Elly were removed from the flight when the girl refused to take her seat before takeoff, airline officials said Tuesday. But her parents said they just needed a little more time to calm her down.

The Kuleszas planned to fly home to Boston on Jan. 14 from Fort Myers after a four-day visit with the girl’s paternal grandparents. She was removed because “she was climbing under the seat and hitting the parents and wouldn’t get in her seat” during boarding, AirTran spokeswoman Judy Graham-Weaver said.

Of course, the Kuleszas are now considering a lawsuit.

There were 112 other passengers on the plane whose sanity and schedules needed consideration. The flight attendants acted correctly by removing the tantrum-throwing toddler. Considering the behavior described, I have a feeling that others have had the pleasure of witnessing little Elly’s prolonged meltdowns in public places. Do all kids throw fits? Sure. But, I believe it is the responsibility of the parents to handle the child and not expect everyone else to bend to the emotions of a toddler.

I am hoping that my flawless discpline and boundary setting techniques will mean that Catherine will never act like a complete brat on any method of public transportation (except perhaps a ferry … because ferries bring out the wild beast in all of us, don’t they?). However, if such an unfortunate incident happens, Nathan and I will voluntarily remove ourselves from the transport device and deal with the consequences of reaching our destination later than planned. I will never expect others to suffer due to my daughter’s behavior.

Mr. Kulesza has indicated that he will never fly Air Tran again. Please remind me to book my next flight on Air Tran!