It is really hard to travel with small children. They’re bored and antsy and cranky on long flights. So we should honestly all be a little kind to them and their parents. But it’s on the parents to try and keep their kids occupied. Bring games, toys, books — whatever you think will occupy them for a bit.
One Redditor who was seated near a mom and her son on a flight discovered how desperate and entitled some parents are in the quest to placate their traveling children. When this mom basically demanded the OP give her Nintendo Switch to her child, the OP was shocked.
“This just happened the other day and after sharing this story with friends and family, a few of them suggested that I share it here. The scene is a Southwest Airline flight. I was sitting in a window seat next to two lovely women, and directly horizontal from us was an empty seat, a mom, and her son. The flight was taking off. For those who don’t know, you are required to stay seated and keep your seatbelts on for the beginning of the flight until the captain says otherwise. I was strapped in my seat and decided to take out my Nintendo Switch from my carryon beneath my feet,” the OP writes.
“Excuse me? Ma’am?”
“I didn’t realize at first that the mother in the seats horizontal from me was trying to get my attention. She unbuckled her belt and moved to the empty seat by the aisle, closer to me.”
“Ma’am! With the video game!”
“I lifted my head, but the stranger next to me nudged me as well. ‘That lady wants to get your attention…’ the woman next to me muttered.”
“I turned my head to see this woman leaning across the aisle with her hands on the armrest of the aisle seat in my row.”
“‘Sorrrry,’ she began. ‘I just wanted to know if there was any way that my son could use that game for a little while.'”
“‘I’m so sorry,’ I began. ‘My Nintendo Switch is just really important to me. I don’t feel comfortable giving it to anyone I don’t know. I don’t even let my sisters play with it-‘”
“I was going to continue but the woman cut me off. ‘Oh my sons not like most kids,’ she replied. ‘He’s not destructive, his cousin has one of those and he knows how to play.'”
“She smiled and set her hand out. The two women seated next to me looked at me, as if they were also in disbelief.”
“‘I’m sorry,’ I said again. ‘I just don’t feel comfortable. I brought it for me.'”
“‘How old are you?’ The woman said with a huff, retracting her hand and slapping it on her lap.”
“‘I’m 25, but I don’t see how that matters,’ I replied, growing exceptionally uncomfortable.”
“‘Well,’ she began, clearly sounding agitated. ‘My son is 8. This is an hour and 45 minute flight and he just wants something to do. He can’t see it for a few minutes?’
“‘No. I am not comfortable with that, I’m sorry, but I’m expecting you to understand since this is my property.’ I put my head down and I unpaused my game, as to ignore anything she had further to say.”
“‘Are you serious?’ She seemed genuinely livid. ‘Well (insert child’s name here), sorry buddy. Not everyone knows how to share,’ the woman said to the kid next to her. Her child started whining and kicking the seat in front of him. ‘Thanks for this!’ She said to me. ‘A sweet kid just wants to share with you and you’re being ignorant about it.'”
“Before I even opened my mouth, one of the ladies in my row snapped back at her. ‘How dare you bring that energy on this plane. She told you so kindly that she doesn’t feel comfortable with passing her electronics to a stranger!'”
“The mother wasn’t having it. ‘She’s an adult and can’t share with a child for a few minutes of a nearly 2 hour flight?!'”
“‘YOU should’ve brought something for him to do then,’ the woman in my row responded. It shut her up good.”
“At the end of the flight, the woman collected her luggage from the overhead bins and said ‘I hope you’re happy going against gods word, not sharing with a child.'”
“Some of the people around us giggled. I’m sure that they all overheard the drama at the beginning of the flight. I’ve come across some entitled people in my life, but this strange lady took the cake.”
That’s really something else! Redditors shared their impressions of the story and their own experiences.
“I’ve flown frequently with my kids and grandkids. Each of them wore a little backpack full of toys and games and books. If nothing else, there’s always storytelling,” said
“The perfect comeback at baggage would have been to ask the chapter and verse where this was going against God’s word,” suggested
“I probably would have been put on the ‘no fly list’ if this lady did this to me. Good for you for remaining calm! ‘My child isn’t destructive’ as he then throws a huge temper tantrum and kicks the seat in front of him. I can’t with these types of parents,” noted
“In future, don’t explain yourself or entertain further harassment; ‘NO’ is a complete sentence,” said
“Wow what a terrible person. Also, now I kinda feel bad for regularly sharing my Switch on flights. I tend to pick window seats, cause I like the view, and single guardians usually stick their kids in the middle with them on the aisle. I always make sure to bring an extra controller on flights because I know that if a kid right next to me sees me playing games they’re gonna want to play too, and I’m cool with that and totally understand (plus I also work with kids, so I don’t mind). Now I’m worried I might be an enabler lmao? But like, all the way across the row??? She must have been seriously scanning the plane for someone to harass. Ten bucks says if you had let her kid use it she would have made off with it too after the flight before you could catch her. The audacity. It’s one thing if someone offers. It’s another to demand access to a stranger’s things,” shared
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