Airplane passenger calls out mom conducts reading lesson with her child at 8:30 PM, tells them to be quiet: 'That’s ridiculous'

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JR Atkinson • Writer and Editor
Sep 26, 2026 4:30 PM EDT

Is it wrong to talk during a flight? What if you're a child?

Planes are tough places for those of us who are particularly sensitive to noise. We're all praying for a quiet, peaceful existence and for nothing to go wrong. Tensions are already high on an airplane. You probably paid a lot of money to be there, and it's not the most comfortable experience. Plus, there's always so much in the news about things going wrong on flights, whether it's passenger drama or mechanical failings with the craft itself. Plus, some people are a little bit nervous about flying, even in the best-case scenario. So when you get a bunch of people in one tiny crowded space who all have different reasons to be a little bit stressed out, then things are about to go wrong. It's a wonder that things don't go wrong more often. It's such a powder keg of stress and experience. That's what was coming to the four when this passenger called out a mom and her child for the noise during a flight.

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  • A mom reads to her child in an airplane seat
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    Featured likenesses do not identify those mentioned.

    A mom reads to her child in an airplane seat

  • Am I in the wrong?: Reading Lesson With Child on Fully Booked Flight

    I was on a plane when a mother and her child started doing out loud reading learning exercises. The cabin lights were off and it was evening, maybe 8:30p. After about 30 minutes I asked the parent if it would be okay if she and her daughter could take a break as people in the cabin are trying to rest.
    via Obvious_Relative5877
  • The mother felt affronted that I asked if they could take a break. She pressed the staff call button and said 'there are probably spots available on the plane to switch' I replied that I doubt there were 2 available spots, since they told us the plane was at full capacity with passengers.
    via Obvious_Relative5877
  • Then when the staff member came, the mother explained that she was asking if / could be moved to another seat since I found their lesson disruptive. The employee told the mother that if anyone were to move it would need to be her/her daughter since she's making the request, but that it was a moot point since the plane is full.
    via Obvious_Relative5877
  • There were other children on the plane and they seemed to be either doing quiet activities, or if they were crying it was something that couldn't be helped. My perspective is that while children crying can't be helped, that a plane isn't an ideal place to do an out loud reading lesson with your child when the plane is full and people may not want to listen to the reading lesson for an extended period of time. AITA?
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  •  Kids are a risk on flights, especially long ones. They're not used to having to sit still for so long, to be quiet, and to live in such a cramped space. They fight against it at every return. Plus, kids are noisy in any situation. Put them in any room, and they don't always know how to modulate their volume. That's a skill that comes much later in life. So it's no wonder that adults get annoyed when there are kids on planes sometimes. Tensions are already high, and then you add in a noisy, unpredictable force such as a child. That's what was happening here. But it wasn't the classic case of a child crying and nobody being able to do anything about it; it wasn't much of an offense. In fact, they were just speaking at a volume that most of us would speak at. But that didn't fly with one passenger. They've reached out to the Internet to get a little perspective on their story and see who was in the wrong and who was in the right. Keep reading to see what you think. 

  • Commenters gave their opinions on this story.

    Own_Mention9372 How would this be different from two people just having a normal conversation? You basically told them they needed to stop talking. You can't expect to sit in silence on a plane and have no one speak. That's ridiculous. Next time bring ear plugs if you don't want to hear people talk during a flight. YTA
    via Obvious_Relative5877
  • twelvedayslate Would you have told a mother and child simply talking that they needed to stop talking? What if it was a couple chatting happily? YTA. It was 8:30pm, not 2am.
    via Obvious_Relative5877
  • A woman in an airplane seat looks at her phone
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    Image shown for illustrative purposes; person depicted is a model.


    A woman in an airplane seat looks at her phone

  • adudefromaspot YTA. That child could've been screaming, crying, being a pest. You're lucky that mother was putting in the effort to teach her - of all things to read. - If it were me, first, I would've smiled and been like - wow, what a great mom.
    via Obvious_Relative5877
  • Then I would've put on headphones or earplugs in and klonked out. People exist around you; especially on full airplanes. If you don't want to hear them, come prepared.
    via Obvious_Relative5877
  • surewhynot610 Who is traveling without noise canceling ear buds?! They're $25 on Amazon. Would you have asked two people to stop talking? Also it was 8:30pm and not midnight. YTA.
    via Obvious_Relative5877
  • beardophile INFO did the reading lesson involve some kind of loud technology (like an iPad) or was it just the mother and child speaking?
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  • lizzybell2019 YTA, 8:30 at night is too early to be asking then to be quiet. If it was a video without a headset, sure. But people talking together? Maybe next time bring some noise canceling headphones.
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  • witchspoon So at 830pm you are upset that someone was teaching their kid to read? Not that a kid was fussing or screaming. Not that kids these days are glued to devices... but because a parent was reading with their kid? Put in your AirPods and go to sleep.
    via Obvious_Relative5877
  • PmMeLowCarb Recipes YTA. Maybe the reason this child wasn't crying was the mother was interacting with them and entertaining them. In public transport you need to accept other people are
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  • there. By the sounds of it, they were just talking at a normal volume? Would you have been as annoyed with a pair of adults having a conversation out loud? Would you have told them to take a break? This is why you bring headphones on a flight.
    via Obvious_Relative5877
  • Aggravating-Dig 8500 While I agree with headphones I never been on a flight with people talking except for one or two words here and there or if they are managing their child if they are crying or stressed. But I have never been on a flight
    via Obvious_Relative5877
  • with full on conversations happening around me even at a reasonable volume and to be honest it would annoy me too. While yes you are allowed to talk you should also be aware of social clues and read the room.
    via Obvious_Relative5877

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