Dad encourages his kid to kick a stranger's chair on a plane because he wouldn't give up the window seat, then the traveler gets payback upon disembarking: 'Mr. Kicker just acts like I've inconvenienced HIM the entire flight'

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Jesse Kessenheimer • Writer and Editor
Jul 11, 2025 3:00 PM EDT

Kids learn some critical behaviors from their parents. Whether they're picking up little incongruencies or mannerisms, kids are like a sponge to their parents' actions—good or bad.

This traveler saw bad parenting in action during his recent travels, watching the demise of public decency get passed on from generation to generation over the course of a transatlantic journey. 

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  • asten Seat Belt While Seated
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  • Careful with your carry- on bags. I was on a flight. It was the first leg of a journey. I had preboarded and settled in to my seat. I had chosen a window seat. The flight
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  • was not full, so there was plenty of room. But, with open seating, you'd better grab the seat you want. I wanted a window seat, they're usually the first to go.
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  • Mother and 2 kids (looked to be elementary school aged) also preboard and chose the row behind me. The kids have carry on bags (knapsacks) with their gaming devices. (I had seen them in the airport)
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  • The mother makes eye contact with me. She asks me to give up my window seat so both of her kids could look out the window. I say no. I get an eye roll and a sigh.
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  • A few minutes later, general boarding is happening. Along come the father. He's standing at the end of the row I'm sitting in. He asks "Why aren't both the kids in window seats?" (he didn't
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  • ask me, but I felt like it was directed to me). I'm not moving. I don't want to sit in an aisle or center seat. (AND... why didn't he pre board with one child to ensure having a window seat for the child?)
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  • The father sits on the end of the row I'm in. The center seat was empty. The announcements are made. The kids are told that their bags must be stowed, but they keep their devices out to play with. No one seems to be interested in the window.
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  • The flight takes off, and the seat kicking starts. I ask the father to "please ask your kid to stop kicking my seat". Nothing happens. I loudly say, "please tell your kid to stop kicking my seat".
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  • The father tells me, "If you had given up your window seat, he wouldn't have to kick your seat" (905). I considered asking the mom, but she seemed to be checked out, and rather useless.
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  • Flight attendant comes over and tells the kid to stop. As soon as she left, the father tells the kid to kick the seat. The entire time in the air, this was a cyclical occurrence. Kid kicks (because
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  • father told him to) I LOUDLY ask the father to tell the kid to stop. Father doesn't. Flight attendant tells the kid to stop. Kid stops for a few minutes until dad tells him
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  • to start again. This was a good deal of the flight. I keep shifting in my seat to get comfortable. It's torture, but I'm not going to let it ruin my day. I have a plan. I had one small bag in the over head.
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  • An announcement was made. "If any one has a connecting flight scheduled to leave within the hour, please raise your hand, so we can get you out as quickly as possible so you can make your
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  • next flight". I had a connecting flight, but it wasn't for another 3 hours. I was meeting up with some friends between my flights. I noticed that the Kicker Family did not raise their hands. They
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  • were staying on the plane. I raised my hand. I really didn't need to, I wasn't in a rush, but they didn't need to know. The plane lands and taxies to the
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  • gate. Now I have to pretend that I'm in a hurry. The father (Mr. Kicker) at the end of the row just sits there. He makes absolutely no attempt to move so I can get
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  • out of the row. Just acts like I've inconvenience d him the entire flight. I'm sure he would have loved for me to miss my flight. I let the other passengers (who
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  • were obviously in a hurry) get off the plane first. I got out of the row, stood up, opened the over head bin. Pretended to have to move a few items around to get my carry on bag out. In reality, I
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  • didn't have to move anything. I unzipped their carry on bags (large knapsacks). I grabbed my small bag, and exited the plane.
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  • Now, when they go to grab their bags, all their stuff is going to spill out. That's going to be an inconvenience.
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  • ScienceMomCO ⚫ God, what a terrible family. They must be miserable in their every day lives.
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  • PaixJour The spillage scene is playing in my head. Over and over. Slow motion. Horrified faces. Flailing arms trying to catch stuff. Crawling under the seats to find stuff. It's delicious!
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  • When a kid is being bad, oftentimes we look to the parents to scold them. However, in the case of the airline passenger in this next story, the dad wasn't going to be much help in getting his kid's antics in order. In fact, this entitled dad was encouraging his kid to be a gremlin, just to get back at a stranger who wasn't willing to give up his well-deserved window seat. 

    Revenge begets revenge in story of traveler mayhem.

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dads kids plane parenting dad Parenting Fail parents children airplane Parenting FAILS flying
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