Raising a child as a single parent is not an easy task. After all, you're responsible for this kid turning into a proper adult. And so, it's natural to expect occasional help in this journey from people in your life.
Like this single mom whose pilot brother used to give her flight discounts so her child could see the world. Yet, one day, the discounts became limited. And when her other brother, who is rich, voiced an entitlement to them, she felt like he stole from her.
More info: mumsnet
Single parenting is a hard journey, and it's realistic for single parents to expect at least a little bit of help from others
Image credits: Rafael Cosquiere (not the actual photo)
For more than 5 years, a woman's pilot brother used to give her discounts for flights with her child
Image credits: Paul Hanaoka (not the actual photo)
This way, her child saw a lot of the world, which wouldn't have been possible without her brother's help, as the woman is a single mother
Image credits: Ron Lach (not the actual photo)
But one day, the brother announced that the tickets were now limited, and she and their other brother had to decide who would be getting them
Image credits: Wayda
This other brother noted that it was his time to use the discount, as up until then, the sister flew on a lot of these discounted flights
The OP has a brother who is a pilot. For more than 5 years, he used to provide the author with discounted flights. To talk about pilot job benefits, Bored Panda got in touch with Susanna Sundberg. She said that typically many major airlines offer discounted tickets' benefit for their employees, even if they aren't a pilot.
Interviewee also revealed that the company she works for isn't an exception to this: "Basically what we get is reduced price tickets on standby basis (full flight means no flight, we can only travel if there an open seats left) on many different airlines in the world."
Speaking of perks that pilots get, reduced prices on tickets aren't the only thing they get with their job. Since to become a pilot one must go through extensive training, which not everyone can do, the profession is viewed as prestigious. So, respect and cheap/free flights aren’t the only things given to pilots. They get a pretty good salary. Typically, flexible work, job stability, health insurance, and many other things are also in the picture.
Yet, the only perk today’s OP cared about was the discounts for the pilot's family. She said that her child got a chance to see the world because of them.
Traveling is surely good for children. It is not only a fun activity, but it is also an educational one. While traveling, kids can experience the world through so-called play-based learning. It’s a type of learning that prioritizes education through hands-on exploration and discovery. And when is there a better time to do this than when traveling?
This improves kids’ social skills and creativity, not to mention linguistic development and even literacy. Overall, travel helps children's personal development, which can positively influence their academic performance and career in the long run. So, if they are capable of doing so, parents should always strive to show their younglings the world.
Image credits: Valentin Perret (not the actual photo)
Luckily, due to the brother’s profession, the OP was able to do this. Yet, all good things come to an end. The brother became serious with his girlfriend and wants to now give some of the discounts to her. The only thing is that he has 5 spots available and many people who want it, the author included.
This competition also includes another brother who isn’t a pilot. Still, he makes a far higher salary than his sister, and he doesn’t have kids. All of this combined lets him travel way more than the OP.
Despite quite a high salary, he claims an entitlement to discounts. It’s all because, back in the day, he loaned the pilot brother some money to live off during the training. So, when the siblings met up, he snarkily said to his sister, “You had a good run!” This implied that he would be the one taking the available discounts while she would get none.
This insulted the woman, as she thought that her family members would be compassionate to her as a single mother and she could continue letting her child explore the world. But that wasn’t the case. So, she came online to ask if her feelings were justified.
Well, let’s just say that she got mixed answers. A few kind of understood where she was coming from, but most of the people were disgusted by her entitlement. After all, she has been getting these discounts for many years now, and maybe it’s time for others to enjoy them.
Some also said that, technically, the pilot brother could simply remove both of his siblings from this perk and give it all to his girlfriend, parents, or anyone else. Or they could figure out some kind of rotation system. Either way, the main decision still lies within the pilot’s hands.
Well, maybe it's one of those situations where all of the parties are both right and wrong at the same time. After all, we only know the sister's side of the story. Maybe the rich brother also has a proper justification for why he wants the tickets. But we guess we'll never know.
The woman thought this was unfair since it was her only chance to travel, but many people online found this thinking way too entitled
