Read this through first before you make judgements.
Here’s the story:
Recently, the Williamson Family was on flight from Fiji to Sydney with their 17-month-old son, Riley. According to reps from Virgin Blue, one of their flight attendants noticed the young boy playing a game of peek-a-boo with his father and decided to join in on the fun. In an act we assume was without the parent’s permission, the flight attendant hoisted the boy into one of the overhead compartments and closed the latch. Outraged, mother Natalie Williamson started yelling at the steward to release her son, which he did under a matter of seconds.
Now, the steward has been fired and Natalie is telling sources that their whole family is traumatized by the ordeal. She insists that her son was locked in the compartment for up to 10 seconds in complete darkness and now is suffering from anxiety and withdrawal because of it. The airlines released an official apology to the family, as well as offered three free flights for the family to use. However, Natalie said she was too “shaken” to accept.
Now, we’re not arguing that this guy didn’t cross a line. He had no business handling a child that young without the parent’s permission. With that said, the dude sounds like he was just trying to be friendly. Kids get fussy on planes. He was probably just trying to get the kid to laugh. Besides, if the parents were in view of this happening, then they were well within reach to stop him at any time before he put Riley in the overhead.
Honestly, they might be overreacting just a tad.
What do U think?
[Image via Herald Sun.]