Back in January, AirTran Airways got some negative press after kicking a couple and their 3 year old daughter off a flight from Orlando to Boston.

The flight had been delayed fifteen minutes already when the little girl refused to sit in her own seat. The couple had asked the attendants if they could hold her on one of their laps, but were denied. The flight attendants explained that FAA regulations state that any child over the age of 2 must sit and be seatbelted into a seat of his/her own during takeoff and landing.

An airline spokesperson said that the little girl was climbing underneath the seat and hitting her parents during any attempts to put her into her own seat and that, in fairness to the other passengers on the plane, they asked the family to leave the aircraft so they could takeoff. The airline reimbursed the family the almost $600 for their tickets and put them on a flight home the following day. The airline also gave the family three roundtrip tickets anywhere AirTran flies. The couple was upset, claiming the airline offered “too little, too late” and said they would never fly with AirTran again.

I have a problem with this. Maybe I'm insensitive to the struggle of another young family. Maybe I'm just lucky that my kids enjoy flying. I don't think there was any reason for AirTran to receive negative press for removing a family who would not comply with the rules. I don't think there was any reason for AirTran to give this family another vacation for free. I can understand reimbursing the cost of the original flight, though I don't know that even that much was necessary, but to then give the family free tickets for use at another time? Isn't that rewarding people for breaking the rules?

I do think it's a parent's place to be able to command some control over their child. We are bigger than these little people, why do we give them such power? Pick up your child and buckle her seatbelt around her. If she's hitting you, remember that she is only a young child, she's lashing out, but you are not actually taking a beating. Sure, there will be screaming involved. Some may be from you. It will be embarrassing, but you will remain the one in control and tell your child indirectly who is boss.

Our society seems to have created a sense of entitlement. So many times, we feel the rules should be bent for us. And, when they aren't, we are outraged. AirTran was backed into “buying” this family's affection in order to look less harsh, in order to preserve their customer base, for simply insisting a passenger comply with federal safety regulations.

As moms, we are all in powerful positions. We have the power to create a generation of people looking to earn and deserve things. It's not easy to instill those values. Bribery is usually a very effective method when dealing with our children. You know the routine, you're in the middle of shopping, your kids start melting down and you tell them they can choose a treat if they just stop misbehaving. We've all done it…but what we need to remember to do is to reward our children when they have gone without the meltdown. I'd like to think enough rewarding good behavior will help ward off the meltdowns, but I'm not quite that naïve! Hopefully, though, it will leave a long-lasting impression on them as they grow into less “entitled” adults.