Boo to Child Free Zones

So I am going through my normal routine of getting ready for work this morning when my ears are bombarded by what I can only describe as logical ignorance. Have you heard of these so called "child free zone" seats airlines are doing? Apparently for a little extra money you can purchase seats in a special zone guaranteed to be free of children and all the "headache" that comes along with flying next to one. You know the headaches:

1.                  Tantrums

2.                  Kicking of the seats

3.                  Incessant crying

4.                  Parent and/or child constantly getting up or switching seats

5.                  Food/Drink spills

I get the headaches and why people want to avoid them. As the parent of the child I want to avoid them too. I mean if you think your headache is big after dealing with any of the above imagine mine. I called this whole idea or new offering logical ignorance because as someone who has flown on a plane and as someone who has had to endure the incessant crying or tantrums I don't know anywhere on the plane you can go and avoid that. Now I believe the biggest plane I have been on was the Boeing 767-the one where each of the side aisles seat two to a row with the middle seating three to a row. I felt it to be a fairly nice size plane. Even on that plane I could hear the crying and there wasn't a child near me for rows. Children have mastered the shrill and ain’t no escaping it.

Now this is what really threw me for a loop and sent me off the deep end: the wider seats and extended leg room. I forgot to mention that earlier but apparently this zone comes with slightly wider seats and extended leg room. If anyone should need wider seats and extra leg room it would be the passengers flying with small children. I’ve flown with my toddler and I would've paid a little extra money to have both of those. It would have made for a more comfortable flight which in turn could have made for a more enjoyable toddler. Instead we were both cramped into what is already space designated for slugs. Oh and for those that do not have children do you know how much extra stuff you have to lug around with you to appease your toddler. I had so much stuff crammed under the seat in front of me I thought the person sitting there was going to lose it. Who cares if my son isn't kicking your seat when you have the mother digging under your rear end all flight to retrieve diaper bags, blankets, snacks, and movie videos.

So airlines I say to you that what would have been smart and the most logical route was to create parent safe zones. Maybe the seats could be colorful and decorated like a pediatrician's office. Maybe you give out kid friendly snacks in those zones and have special kid appropriate movies. Maybe that zone comes with blocks or little toys to entertain the kiddies instead of a pillow and blanket. I don't know because I can't speak for all parents. So why don't you survey some parents and hold some focus groups to see how you can make our flights more comfortable which in turn would make EVERYONE's flight more enjoyable. I don't know it just seems to me you are solving the wrong end of the problem.