Parents Who Let Their Child Jump All Over Tray Table During An 8-Hour Flight Receive Online Backlash

While public transport is a very convenient way of getting around, chances are the majority of you have witnessed anti-social behavior at least once or twice.

Drunks, noisy teenagers, tantrum-throwing children and their unconcerned parents, people who rage at others for not moving down enough, or those who get frustrated if you ask them to move their belongings so you can rest your bottom – whatever it is, we’ve seen it all.

Be it a bus, a subway, a train, or a streetcar – you know that you can always get off at the next stop if someone’s conduct is bothering you or makes your journey plain uncomfortable. However, what about a plane ride?

Traveling by plane is a tedious, physically challenging endeavor for almost everyone. Just think about it, you’re stuck in a flying tube in the middle of nowhere with no chance of getting off for the next couple (if not several) hours, meaning that if any disruption occurs on board, you’ll either have to endure it or inform the flying crew, which is, frankly, bound to stir up a conflict.

More info: Reddit

“Letting children run wild during an 8-hour flight” – this netizen turned to one of Reddit’s communities – one that is dedicated to people freaking out, melting down, losing their cool, or simply being weird in public areas – to share a video of a little girl who was caught jumping about on a tray table on a long-haul flight. The post managed to garner 18.2K upvotes as well as 1.9K comments discussing the situation.

No one is protected from unruly passengers, especially if they are children, but most of us can usually overlook such conduct simply because, well, they’re children.

The majority of us understand that little kids cannot remain compliant and well-behaved for over a certain period of time; little ones have big emotions and frequently have no idea what to do about their feelings. They experience behavior outbursts when they’re excited, angry, worried, or bored, and while it is a good idea to show some compassion, this doesn’t mean that you should sacrifice your comfort.

It is, nevertheless, a very delicate matter. Many of us will avoid confronting someone until we’re irritated to the point where our eye is twitching – however, sometimes, when the parents are uninterested in the fact that their offspring is getting on the nerves of the entire flight, a situation calls for a solution whether you like it or not.

There are a number of possible outcomes: some people may lose their cool and yell at the adults in charge or the culprit of the problem, while others may involve the cabin crew in an effort to resolve the situation as quickly as possible.

Still, any response is fair, no matter how polite or angry it might come off as. Of course, we all like to feel comfortable while being strapped down to our seats, but we’re all different and it’s truly a matter of how unbothered one can be to survive sitting next to a screaming or seat-kicking kid.

Now, time for a fun fact! According to this travel report from 2018, “62% of millennial parents are traveling with kids under the age of five,” which indicates that if you were lucky enough to be present on flights that went rather smoothly, you’re bound to encounter a child monster much sooner than you probably anticipated.

While it’s totally up to parents to manage this behavior, as was mentioned previously, sometimes folks simply don’t give a fig – however, there are a couple of tips for those who are concerned about their kids’ antics and the other travelers themselves.

For instance, if you happen to be a parent of a seat-kicking rascal, remove their shoes. They will have nothing to protect their toes with, which will lessen the force of the kicks. Another tip is, if you’re traveling as a family, book to sit in the seat in front of your kid; that way a parent will get kicked instead of a poor stranger. You can also go for a good old story about a big scary pilot that will turn the plane around if they won’t compose themselves. Honestly, there are truly a thousand and one ideas on how to control a kid on a flight, but when you’re in a passenger’s shoes, that’s when things become much trickier.

Ultimately, if a kid is being difficult, all you need to do is involve the crew, who will either upgrade you to a new seat or will threaten the parents with an air marshal. Needless to say, if you’re a super sympathetic person you could also try to distract the little one and play with them – because, let’s face it, boredom drives much of their behavior.

What strategy do you use to discipline unruly children?