Mother allows kid to bother exhausted airplane passenger throughout 2-hour flight, internet discusses the importance of effective parental oversight: ‘Not her child. Not her responsibility’

Author image for Lana DeGaetano
Lana DeGaetano • "Show me to me please."
Dec 14, 2024 8:00 PM EST

The last thing any exhausted passengers want on a somber flight to a family funeral is a kid begging you to let them play games on your phone and showing you the already-chewed food that they have in their mouths. One can absolutely adore children and be happy to entertain them throughout a short airplane ride, but many scenarios will make a situation like that less than desirable. At the end of the day, it's up to the parent flying with their kid to keep their child in check so situations like this can be avoided. The airplane passenger in this story wasn't so lucky, but the story prompted a much-needed conversation about parenting.

This exhausted passenger was traveling to a family member's funeral on Thanksgiving day when they were sat next to a child, whose mother was sitting apart from them. The original poster (OP) did not give an exact age for the child, but based on their behavior, one can assume they are under 10 years old. While the kid's mother was sipping on a glass of wine rows behind, the child begged for the passenger's attention and wouldn't let up for the entire flight. Commenters started a lengthy discussion about parenting, especially during travel-heavy holidays. Scroll to read.

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    Cheezburger Image 10441672960
    via Unsplash+ (Getty Images)

    This image is for illustration only, and the subjects are models; the image does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

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    Was My Mother the J for Not Wanting to Entertain a Kid on an Airplane when this Kid's Mother was Doing her own Thing for the Entire Flight?
    via The-Nordic-Panda
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    This story took place about a few weeks ago back in November. On Thanksgiving day, my mother and I flew to Texas for my uncle's funeral. It was very sad and [upsetting] circumstances, especially
    via The-Nordic-Panda
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    around the holiday season, so I wasn't really looking forward to the flight during the time. We boarded our connecting flight in Denver, and the moment I took my seat, I took out
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    my Nintendo Switch and started playing some Kao the Kangaroo while my mother was two rows of seats ahead of me. She was sitting in the aisle. seat, and in the middle. seat was a boy about
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    eight or nine years old. My mother wanted to take a nap right after the plane took off, but this kid decided that wasn't gonna happen. The kid poked my mother's shoulder and
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    asked her "Hey, you got any games on your phone I could play?". To which she answered "No, sorry kiddo". Which I knew was a lie, because she likes to play Angry Birds and
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    Stupid Zombies on her phone sometimes, but she's also pretty protective of her electronic devices and knows kids aren't exactly known to be careful with
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    technology. She tried going back to sleep after that, but he poked her shoulder again and told her "You look like the girl from Jurassic Park!". My mother then awkwardly
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    answered "Oh, you mean Dr. Ellie Sattler?" He just laughed and shook his head "No, the girl. The one running from the raptors!". She awkwardly thanked him for the compliment and tried
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    going back to sleep, but the kid just kept poking. her shoulder. This continued for the duration of the two hour flight from Denver to Austin. The kid then told my mother they were
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    gonna play a game of 20 questions without even so much as ASKING her if she wanted to play, but stating matter of factly they were gonna play. He even did something super gross, which was sucking on a gummy bear and then took it out of his
    via The-Nordic-Panda
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    mouth to show it to my mother and asked her "What do you think it looks like?". My mother gets grossed out pretty easily, so she tried her hardest not to retch at the sight of that but told
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    the kid to just put it back in his mouth and to not do it again. Now, I know you might be asking "Where was this kid's mother?". She was in the row directly behind them, watching "Crazy
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    Rich Asians" on her phone with earbuds and drinking some wine she had gotten from the flight attendant, not even making an effort to tell her child not to leave my mother alone. I knew my
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    mother was begging in the back of her head for this boy to just leave her alone, but her hopes went unanswered. I kinda felt bad for her, especially since I was so wrapped up in my switch to know what was actually going on at the time.
    via The-Nordic-Panda
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    After a long flight, we had finally landed in Austin. And the moment the doors to the plane had opened, my mom grabbed her carry-on and ran right off the plane and away from this kid. My
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    dad, was waiting for us at the baggage claim, and when we got into the car to my aunt's house, my mother told the entire story and I wrote it down on my iPhone's notes app.
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    So if there are any parents reading this story, please keep an eye on your children if you're on an airplane and bring something for them to do. Otherwise they will turn
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    to complete strangers to entertain them, all while that person wants to go to sleep on a plane ride to a funeral on Thanksgiving day. But with all that said, was my mother the j
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    for not wanting to entertain this child during the flight when all she wanted to do was take a nap?
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    Fickle_Toe1724 . 2h ago. Not the j . That boys mother sure was. I would have been switching seats. with his mom. No child should be separated from their parent on a plane. The flight attendant could have switched them, so the mother could be with her kid. I feel sorry for your mom.
    via Fickle_Toe1724
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    Tell mom, if it ever happens again, get the flight attendant. They can demand the parent deal with their own kid.
    via Fickle_Toe1724
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    Similar_Corner... 2h ago She wasn't the j and I would have been asking where his mother is. I am a mom and I made sure my kid didn't bother anyone else on the plane when we flew.
    via Similar_Corner8081
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    krazedcook67 • 1h ago . Not at all the j . Not her child. Not her responsibility at all
    via krazedcook67
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    MasterJunket234 • 1h ago Your mom wasn't the j she was the doormat for the boy's mother. The boy's mother could've gotten a seat next to her son if she'd wanted to instead your - mother had to deal with his demands for attention.
    via MasterJunket234

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entitled parents entitlement kids flight reddit story parenting entitled subreddit reddit thread r-entitled parent Reddit Parenting Fail parents children airplane entitled people Parenting FAILS
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