I didn’t do a lot of air travel with my children when they were small, but when I did, it was nerve-wracking. I worried not just about the comfort of my kiddos, but also about the comfort of my fellow passengers. Kids can be iffy when traveling and there is the added worry about feeling like you’re being disruptive to other travels. Being in airports and on planes is boring even for adults, and for restless children, it’s a kind of torture, I’m sure. Anytime I’ve ever flown and had to watch other young parents struggle, I felt sympathy for them because I knew that they must be feeling what I felt when I had traveled with my children. And of course, I feel bad for the kids, too. In the joke below, an Air Force general intervenes when a kid is just being bratty. Enjoy this hilarious joke!
As a crowded airliner is about to take off, the peace is shattered by a 5-year-old boy who picks that moment to throw a wild temper tantrum. No matter what his frustrated, embarrassed mother does to try to calm him down, the boy continues to scream furiously and kick the seats around him.
Suddenly, from the rear of the plane, an elderly man in the uniform of an Air Force General is seen slowly walking forward up the aisle.
Stopping the flustered mother with an upraised hand, the white-haired, courtly, soft-spoken General leans down and, motioning toward his chest, whispers something into the boy’s ear.
Instantly, the boy calms down, gently takes his mother’s hand, and quietly fastens his seat belt. All the other passengers burst into spontaneous applause.
As the General slowly makes his way back to his seat, one of the cabin attendants touches his sleeve.
“Excuse me, General,” she asks quietly, “but could I ask you what magic words you used on that little boy?”
The old man smiles serenely and gently confides, “I showed him my pilot’s wings, service stars, and battle ribbons, and explained that they entitle me to throw one passenger out the plane door on any flight I choose.”
