A few weeks ago I was flying home to California, by myself, with two of my four children, after visiting my mother in Florida. When the Dallas-Fort Worth airport was closed because of inclement weather, we were routed to Arkansas where we deplaned and waited for almost seven hours. I stood in the waiting area with an infant strapped to my chest and a toddler by the hand for SEVEN hours and not a single soul offered up their seat. I was very tempted to lean a fully fed baby over a well dressed business man who was checking e-mail on his fancy lap top, and give a little squeeze. We were then sent to DFW, only to learn that our flight was canceled and the soonest we could fly home, was in TWO days. Because so many flights were canceled, there were no hotel rooms available. Which, wouldn't have helped even if there were, because I had no carseats ... which would be necessary for transporting a three-year old and an eight-month-old. Because so many flights arrived before our flight arrived, all of the cots that the airport had for stranded travelers were taken. Although we passed scores and scores of people, many who were young college students on their way to some place tropical for spring break, not one offered their cot to a woman with two small children. Nor did people offer up their cots to elderly people (some with O2 tanks) who were scattered around the terminal trying to sleep on chairs. So. We slept on the floor of the airport and we managed. I doubt I would have accepted a cot if someone had offered, but it really disturbed me that people were so oblivious to those in greater need. Not only is chivalry dead, but basic respect is severely endangered. It's terribly disheartening.