A mom says she is in “disbelief” over a recent negative travel experience, claiming she doesn’t “ever want to travel” with her 2-year-old son again.
The woman — who admitted she needed “to vent” — detailed her story on Reddit’s Parenting forum, explaining that she, her husband and their three children had just returned from Mexico and were scheduled to take one more short flight to their final destination.
The Redditor says it had been a “long day,” and they wound up “having to sit on the tarmac for half an hour due to a maintenance issue.”
“My littlest was getting restless and I’ll admit it was tough,” she continued, adding, “He was doing pretty good with toys and songs but started screaming for about two minutes, and [I] was panicking because everyone on the plane was already annoyed and obviously a screaming toddler doesn’t help matters.”
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That’s when the drama unfolded.
“I heard an older woman behind me say, ‘[Will] someone shut that kid up?’ ” the original poster (OP) wrote.
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The woman says she tried to ignore the comment, but that the older woman — who the OP said was already vocally complaining about numerous things on the flight before her son ever started crying — then said, “Oh my [God] take that kid to the bathroom!”
The woman says her husband turned around and told the older woman that she should go to the bathroom, at which point the older woman said, “Fine! Your kid is f—— obnoxious.”
“I was livid,” the Redditor continued, sharing that she, in turn, called the other woman obnoxious.
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The OP says that several people on the plane came to her and her child’s defense, at which point the older woman “flipped us off.”
The woman says that flight attendants ultimately spoke to the rude passenger, but said she still found the experience “maddening” and that it left her feeling “pretty defeated.”
Reddit users were quick to come to the OP’s defense, reassuring her that she had every right to feel outraged in this situation — while also telling her that she should try not to let someone else’s bad behavior get to her.
“I’m so sorry you had to experience that. Your baby is 2 and in no way has the developmental abilities to regulate his emotions,” one person said, adding, “She’s old enough to know better and is old enough to control herself and still failed to do so. I’m happy you have such a supportive husband that stood up to her, and that the rest of the crew assisted as well.”
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“To yell at someone bc [their child is] upset takes a very damaged person, who either didn’t treat their kids in a healthy way or never had kids and has no clue what the hell they’re talking about. You didn’t do anything wrong. […] Screw that person, their life is likely sad and pathetic, and they’re not worth your time,” wrote someone else.
Another commenter agreed, noting, “NOBODY is having a worse time on a flight with a screaming kid than that kid’s parents. People need to have a little empathy. I think your assessment is spot on. Terrible mother to her own kids or has never had them. Still no excuse to behave like that.”
