It’s hard being a parent in society today. With the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, we’re constantly having to monitor our children and toddlers no matter what we’re doing or where we’re going. While being a parent is hard normally, under these new conditions, being a parent is a whole new state of chaos.
Let’s face it — kids hate wearing their masks.
Most kids barely want to put their pants on when you ask them to, let alone their masks. Most of us don’t want to wear our masks as adults, so just imagine how our kids must feel.
It’s also hard for kids to truly understand what the coronavirus is.
As adults, we understand why we wear masks and how it keeps other people safe, but kids don’t really get it. No matter how much we try to explain it to them, it’s difficult to comprehend this new rule at a young age.
Some situations and topics are hard to get through to kids.
Trying to have them understand what a global pandemic is can be complicated. Not all parents know how to talk about sickness, death, and loss with their toddlers.
So, when our kids refuse to wear their masks, sometimes we can’t help but give in.
But, not everyone in society is understanding of the parental woes that come with our kids and their masks. One mom recently learned that the hard way when she was removed from a flight because her two-year-old refused to wear a mask.
Chaya Bruck, 39, was flying with her six children on August 19 following a trip to Disney World.
After the family boarded their JetBlue flight from Orlando, Florida to Newark, New Jersey, three crew members told Bruck that her youngest child, who is two-years-old, needed to wear a mask.
A since-deleted video of the incident posted to Facebook went viral. It showed Bruck arguing and pleading with a JetBlue crew member who told the mom of six that it was “unacceptable” for her child to not wear a mask on the flight.
Bruck was begging the flight attendant to understand that her child is, “only two.”
In a Facebook caption, Bruck wrote, “Shame on you, JetBlue, for harassing me and kicking me off with my 6 children.”
She also explained in her Facebook post that on JetBlue’s website, it had stated, “… young children who are unable to wear a mask are exempt…” from the airline’s mandatory mask policy. However, JetBlue had updated this policy on August 10, making masks mandatory for all passengers including children age two and up.
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Ultimately, a crew member told Bruck she and her six children had to deplane.
“Should I tie her hands? What should I do? Should I hold her hands?” Bruck asked the crew member in the video. Instead, she was asked to exit the plane with her children. People in the video can be heard saying that Bruck did, “Nothing wrong.”
After the video went viral, JetBlue issued a statement maintaining on their firm stance.
JetBlue spokesman Derek Dombrowski, stated that safety was their first priority. He also said the airline has introduced new safety protocols including that all children age two and up must wear a mask.
Bruck and her children were able to get on a later flight, but she hopes the airline will consider children more in the future.
The airline said anyone who refuses to follow the new mask policy can rebook their flight, or risk a travel ban if they do not comply with crew members’ instructions.
“We have a flexible rebooking policy for those who are unable to meet this requirement, and customers who refuse to follow these standards after requests from crew members will be reviewed for further travel eligibility on JetBlue,” Dombrowski stated.
h/t: NBC New York
