Jamie Davis Smith is a freelance journalist. She writes about travel and parenting, among other subjects.
Above all, she is a mother.
She likes to take her children to different countries, to see the world, for the children to open up their horizons.
But there's something he doesn't like about the requirements for air travel: "No matter how many times we flew or how far we went: I never paid for seats to make sure we sat together. And I never will".
On the Scary Mommy website, Jamie points out that some people think that these extra fees are part of the cost of having children and that mothers and fathers shouldn't expect special treatment - if they want to sit in that particular seat, they pay.
First of all, those people who have that thought aren't parents. At least, most of them aren't.
Secondly, she refuses to pay this "unfair tax" on families.
And she's been lucky: they've always managed to swap seats on trips. They've always been on the plane together.
Especially since, if someone refused, they would always be left with the responsibility of looking after the child for the whole trip. "I can see it in people's faces," she said.
And the only one who refused "quickly changed his mind before take-off, when he realized the consequences of his decision.
But asking a passenger to change seats is their last option.
In some situations, the airline employee himself is more considerate and changes the seats after check-in: "I suspect that these kind souls are parents; they act in solidarity."
At other times, Jamie asks airline staff to change seats.
But, he repeats, for now it's always worked. One day the scenario may change: "I know that my approach of not paying for seats and hoping for the best isn't for everyone. One day, my luck will run out - but I still refuse to pay to make sure I sit next to my children."
For several reasons: money (the travel budget is not unlimited), the plane trip is already an obligatory part of the family trip, it's even a small form of protest and, on the other hand, it makes less work for the airline staff.
And there's another reason, this one more curious: "I also believe that the common sense rules my children should follow at home don't apply in the sky. They can stare at a screen for as long as they like and eat as many snacks as they need to keep them happy."
For all this, the final message remains: "Until I find a convincing reason, I will continue to refuse to pay extra to ensure that my family stays together".
