I once forgot a box of chocolates in a train compartment – the expensive, handmade chocolates were a gift which I usually would refuse to share even with family. I regret it to this day. We've all forgotten or left behind a bag or other item in a plane or train, haven’t we? So, it’s understandable when a woman forgets something at the airport terminal while boarding a flight… except that the ‘something’ is a little baby!
In the clip, we hear a conversation between the pilot and air traffic controller. "This flight is requesting to come back, a passenger forgot her baby in the waiting area, the poor thing. May God be with us. Can we come back or what?" says the pilot.
When it came to light that the woman had forgotten her child in the waiting area of the terminal, the Saudi flight on its way from Jeddah (Saudi Arabia) to Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) was forced to return. This was a “totally new one for us,” according to the operator who cleared the flight to return.
People were shocked and amazed and incredulous that someone could forget their little baby at an airport terminal, board an aircraft and only later realise what they had done.
The mother did realise that there was something missing… eventually.
…How does one forget a whole baby!
How did no one at the airport terminal realise that there was an unattended baby hanging around? They tell us to be vigilant about unattended packages and bags, but babies are OK?
Remember the film Home Alone and its sequels? Sometimes parents forget their kids… it can happen!
It isn’t just reel life, this can happen in real life as well!
There were some who were indignant that a mother forgot her child. They wanted that the child should be taken away from the mother and that the parents be made to pay costs. Many assumed that the irresponsible mother was either busy shopping or immersed in social media; thereby forgetting her own child.
This unconfirmed explanation says that the incident occurred because of family misunderstanding, language barrier and first-time air travellers. Now this could actually be the true story; in which case people calling the mother callous, careless, negligent, stupid etc. should be the ones feeling really stupid! It could be that the mother was unwell. So, the moral of the story? Let us all not jump to conclusions; let’s not label those who aren’t us in unflattering terms. The world would be a better place if only we used a bit more empathy in all that we say and do.
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