The "fake" cry

I have logged enough miles on airplanes to spend HOURS in the vicinity of children crying. Enough to make me question my own want to ever have kids...ever. Or at least ever take them on a plane before the age of 15.

Now, let me be clear. I am not complaining about kids crying. There are cases where I know it simply cannot be helped, including but not limited to:

• Small babies who react to the changes in pressure
• Small children who have been sitting on a plane delayed for HOURS (hell, I want to cry too!)
• Kids who freak out when they wake up and realize they are not home and see a bunch of weird people around them in close proximity, like me.

However, there is one particular scenario that I absolutely HATE....

The FAKE cry.

We have all seen it. The kid is old enough to know what buttons to press to make mom/dad/grandma/Uncle Bob do XYZ. They can turn the cry on and off on a dime and vary the pitch based on what reaction they get.

Honestly, I have no idea about parenting and how it works and all that stuff. Until Lulu explained that a manual does not come with being a parent, I thought they surgically injected some new brain cells or something when you get knocked up. Guess not.

Last night was classic. Little girl was 3, maybe 4 years old. She WAILED for about an hour about how she wanted this and that and this. Mom and dad finally gave up on her and let her run away... in the airport. I hear them say to each other that they were giving up. The little girl was out of their sight before some random older lady went after the girl and brought her back.... girl still screaming at the top of her lungs.

Grrr....

Hey, I use the fake cry too... I just reserve it for I see the blue lights flashing behind me and the cop knocks on my window.