Methinks there should be an addendum added to the preflight announcements when boarding an airplane.
"…We at XXXXXX Airlines understand you have a choice when it comes to flying, and we appreciate you choosing XXXXXX today. Oh, and do remember that it's 2015 and we here in the United States live in the most wonderfully progressive society in the world. So if you see a woman breastfeeding her infant, please be mindful, respectful and tolerant. This has only been going on since, oh, we don't know, THE DAWN OF TIME! Thank you in advance for your understanding. Also, to my fellow crew members, please realize this applies to you too, you Neanderthals. Have a pleasant day!"
Seriously… why are we still having this discussion?
By now you've probably seen the news reports or read the story online about the umpteenth instance of a young mother breastfeeding on a plane and the reaction of others. This time, though, the surprising thing was that a flight attendant flipped out and the woman's fellow passengers were understanding.
In short, here's what happened.
New mom Kristen Hilderman was flying from Houston to Vancouver on a United Airlines flight on Sunday and started breastfeeding her 5-month-old son. As she recounted on social media, a male flight attendant named Keith came over and asked the male companion seated next to her if he was Hilderman's husband. When he said yes, the flight attendant tossed a blanket at him and said, "Then HERE, help her out."
Hilderman said she asked Keith, the flight attendant, what that was supposed to mean and a fellow passenger said, "Because you're breastfeeding … he wants you to cover up. That is so offensive."
Ugh. SMH.
For the uninitiated, that's web abbreviation talk for Shaking My Head.
In disgust. In amazement. In confusion. In bewilderment.
Fortunately, other than that one passenger, others understood.
Hilderman told the Huffington Post that she was happy with the "swift and positive response" from her fellow passengers. "I was relieved to see that the people around (me) weren't bothered by me breastfeeding, in fact, most didn't even know until the flight attendant called attention to it."
United did reach out to Hilderman to apologize, and the airline told The Huffington Post that "United welcomes nursing mothers on board and we ask that crew members do their best to ensure their comfort and safety as they do with all customers."
Look, flying is stressful. We all know that. From delays to cramped seats to sitting apart to fees to delays to crying babies to reclining seats to … did we mention delays? But in the big scheme of things, a woman breastfeeding her baby is about as low on the "offensive" totem pole as you can get compared to other behavior.
Especially in this day and age.
And if you are still bothered by it, I have extraordinarily profound advice for you:
Don't. Look.
There seems to be this insistence on shaming mothers who breastfeed in any place other than their own home, which seems insanely and spectacularly stupid. That's why, other than Keith the flight attendant and the one passenger who piped up, I applaud the fellow passengers who sympathized with and encouraged Kristen Hilderman through the remainder of the flight.
This is a natural part of life, and an important part. What's not to understand?
Please. Don't leave us all SMH.
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