Suryalytix

Recently, I travelled by aeroplane.

For many of us, flying has become much more accessible than it was a few decades ago. There was a time when air travel was considered a luxury—something reserved for special occasions or people who could afford it. Today, for many people, it has become a practical mode of transportation, sometimes chosen simply because it saves time or because the situation demands it.

Travelling outside India is still a dream for many people. Some achieve that dream through higher education, some through jobs, and others simply by planning a vacation. There are also people who eventually decide to settle in another country, hoping to build a better life.

But this isn’t a story about how affordable air travel has become.

It’s about something I noticed during my recent journey.

The child sitting nearby

Before booking a flight, we are usually asked to provide information about children travelling with us, including their age. There is a practical reason for this. A child on a flight can sometimes become uncomfortable, restless, or start crying.

And when that happens, everyone hears it.

For passengers sitting nearby, a crying child can quickly become an irritation. People may look around, put on their headphones, or wonder how long it will continue.

But there is another side to that situation.

The parents.

Parents travelling with a small child often spend a significant part of the journey trying to make sure their child doesn’t disturb anyone.

They carry toys.

They show videos.

They give snacks.

They try to make the child sleep.

They walk around when possible.

They try different things just to keep their child comfortable and distracted.

And sometimes, despite everything they do, the child still cries.

That’s the part we often forget.

A few minutes can look very different

During my journey, I noticed airline staff briefly approaching parents and advising them to keep the child quiet.

From the outside, it may look like a simple situation.

A child is crying.

The staff asks the parents to handle it.

The parents try to calm the child.

The flight continues.

But for the parents, those few minutes can be much more difficult than they appear to everyone else.

Imagine sitting in a confined space, knowing that dozens of people around you can hear your child crying.

You are already trying everything you can think of.

You know people are looking.

You may feel embarrassed.

You may worry that you are disturbing someone.

And at the same time, you still have to take care of your child.

There is no magical button that a parent can press to make a child stop crying.

Maybe we should look beyond the noise

As passengers, we experience the sound.

Parents experience the responsibility behind that sound.

That’s an important difference.

A crying child doesn’t necessarily mean careless parenting.

Sometimes the child is tired.

Sometimes they are frightened.

Sometimes their ears hurt because of the change in air pressure.

Sometimes they simply don’t understand why they are sitting inside a huge machine thousands of feet above the ground.

And sometimes, they are just being a child.

We don’t know what is happening inside another person’s life from a few seats away.

A little patience goes a long way

I’m not saying that passengers should ignore everything. A long flight can be exhausting, and continuous crying can genuinely be difficult to tolerate.

But perhaps we can respond with a little more patience.

Instead of immediately judging the parents, we could remember that they are probably trying their best.

Instead of thinking, “Why can’t they control their child?”, perhaps we can think, “They are probably having a difficult time too.”

Because sometimes the person sitting next to us isn’t creating the problem.

They are trying to solve it.

The journey is shared

An aeroplane is a strange little world.

For a few hours, hundreds of strangers sit together in a limited space. We don’t know their stories, their worries, their destinations, or what they are going through.

We only see a small part of their journey.

My recent flight reminded me of something simple:

Not every disturbance deserves judgment. Sometimes it deserves understanding.

The next time we hear a child crying on a flight, perhaps we can put on our headphones, take a breath, and give the parents a little space.

For us, it might be an uncomfortable few minutes.

For them, it might be one of the most stressful moments of their journey.

And a little patience from a stranger can make that journey just a little easier.