Parenting pet peeves: Know where to draw the line.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)

Byline: John Rosemond

As I begin this column, I'm in an ornery mood, so here's a short list of things that truly bug me:

Infants and young toddlers screaming incessantly on airplanes. Why are they screaming? Because they're not in car seats. They're being held on their parents' laps, which discomforts both child and parent and, because of the almost inevitable screaming, other passengers.

Why are they being held on their parents' laps? Because the airlines are more interested in making a buck than they are in passenger comfort, much less the safety of infants and toddlers. I am not allowed to hold a 20-pound, soft-sided briefcase on my lap during takeoff and landing. Why is a parent allowed to hold a 20-pound toddler on his or her lap during takeoff and landing?

Because if the child's parents had to buy a seat for their child, they might choose not to fly. I doubt that, but okay, how about if the airlines raise the price of everyone's tickets by $3 to compensate for the lost revenue (which I suspect isn't going to amount to a drop in the bucket anyway)? I'll pay it! Gladly! A child who should by law be in a car seat in an auto should be in a car seat on an airplane.

Parents who introduce other adults to their children by their first names. Let me clear this up: I am John to other adults, not to Mr. and Mrs. Wilson's 6-year-old, thank you.

To the latter, I am Mr. Rosemond, and by gosh, call me a stick-in-the-mud, but I resent it when Mr. or Mrs. Wilson introduces me to their child as if I were his peer.