There was a time when lounge access was reserved for only certain groups of people. Passengers flying first or business class. Those with status. Being able to get into a lounge meant you had “made it” and it was a relatively exclusive club.
Ch-ch-ch-changes…
Over the years, though, lounge access became easier. You could get in with lower-level credit cards. Some lounges didn’t even require you to be flying on a certain airline; as long as you paid, you could get in. And that’s when (tongue placed firmly in cheek, since my husband and I are part of this not-so-elite group)) “The Great Unwashed” (RIP, AdvClub) started crowing airport lounges across the U.S.
The extra people wouldn’t be so bad; I mean, lounges generally had enough seating. And when they eventually didn’t, they’d simply say they were at capacity. The problem was that, with the influx of, well, almost anyone, lounges also became the harbor for some people who either didn’t know how to act appropriately in public settings, or who just didn’t care.
It’s not the same
So lounges were now chock full of people FaceTiming. Or doomscrolling TikTok videos without earphones on. Or having entirely too loud conversations with each other that echoed throughout the once-hallowed spaces.
And worst of all? Their children. The crying babies. The toddlers who dropped their goldfish everywhere and their parents didn’t clean it up. The grammar school-aged ones playing tag in the lounge. Or the tweens who were apparently never taught to take a cookie with the tongs, not their fingers.
The family
So when I saw the family of 6 enter the already-crowded Club MCO lounge at Terminal A of Orlando International Airport, my heart just sank. It was mom and dad, identical twin girls who looked like they were about 8, a boy who seemed to be about 5 or 6, and a toddler, probably around age 3.
They meandered in, and I figured this would be the end of the relative quiet; the twins, I hoped, knew better. But I fully expected the younger 2 to start going ballistic at any second.
The sextet went to the lounge’s breakfast bar. We were far enough that I couldn’t hear most of their conversation amongst themselves, but I could still see everything they did.
At first, the kids were milling around the food, not taking anything themselves but accepting what their parents gave them. The twins were talking to each other, and the 6y/o talked a lot; I couldn’t understand what he was saying, but I could hear the lilt in his voice that suggested he was asking a lot of questions. The youngest one wandered to the window, about 5 feet from the breakfast bar, and the mom immediately told him to, “Come back here.” She didn’t have to repeat herself; he did.
Once all the kids had something in their hands, Mom and Dad looked for a place to sit that could accommodate six in one area. There wasn’t anything – just 1 or 2 seats spread out here and there. However, the work table for people who wanted to use their laptops was wide open. I saw the parents look at that table for a moment, and in my head, I thought, “Welp, there goes anyone who wants to use their computer at an actual table; they’d take up all six seats.”
But I was wrong.
Dad said, “Let’s go,” and all of them, both parents, followed by all 4 kids (each with a napkin-wrapped waffle in their hand), left.
What a pleasant surprise!
Frankly, it’s rare today to see kids (especially the younger two) who are so well-behaved. And mom and dad’s decision to leave when they couldn’t find seating (as opposed to them taking up the entire work table or the parents sitting on 2 chairs and letting the 4 kids splay all over the floor) was excellent.
Of course, the food in the lounges is supposed to be for eating inside the lounge; it’s not meant to be “to go.” And maybe that was the family’s original intention, had there been enough proper seating for them. But as far as I’m concerned, the parents appear to be doing things right – raising quiet kids to behave and listen – so their brood doesn’t disturb others. Good on them!
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