I Refused to Travel With a Man Who Treated My Kids Like Baggage

A mother decided to back out of traveling with her fiancé after discovering he had arranged first-class tickets for himself and his children, while leaving her two kids to fly in economy class. This sparked a major online discussion, with many supporting the mother for standing her ground on behalf of her children.

Here’s the full story.

My fiancé has 3 kids from his former marriage, whilst I have 2. I made the choice to step back from work and <strong>pursue my degree full-time, while he became the primary financial provider. However, I still contribute to the household financially with my savings, and I take on most of the childcare and household chores.

He wanted me and my kids to attend Thanksgiving with his family. We were set to leave yesterday to get to a rental place early. He booked our tickets and everything, but later, before the flight, I found out that he, his kids and myself were put in 1st class whilst my 2 kids were put in economy.

I was stunned, he acted like it was a no big deal and told us that it was just a few hours and the kids could “deal with it for a little while.” I was shocked and asked him how he thought that was acceptable. He got angry and told me that since he was paying for the tickets, we would follow his rules.

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing, so I took my kids and left the airport. He followed us, shouting for us to come back, but I told him I wasn’t going to spend Thanksgiving with his family anymore. My youngest was upset because it was her first time flying without me.

He ended up going with his kids, and my children and I stayed home. Since then, he’s called repeatedly, trying to berate me, even having his mother text me that I needed to “get over myself” and stop teaching my kids to be spoiled and entitled. She said that missing Thanksgiving over something “so trivial” showed my true character and mindset, or lack thereof.

I haven’t responded, but I feel awful. Did I make the wrong choice by walking away?

In the comments, many people sided with her.

• He needs to realize it’s not about first class plane tickets, it’s about viewing your kids as lesser than his. This will be a common theme in your marriage if you go through with it. Queen_Aurelia / Reddit
• First strike: Wrong for him to segregate your kids downward. Second strike: wrong for him to seat minor children away from a parent without that parent’s knowledge. Last strike: that he and his mother have teamed up against you. TrainingDearest / Reddit
• Your fiancé seems to be missing the point: It’s not that you expected your kids to be in 1st class, but that once everyone else was in 1st class, it was not okay to put them in economy. My brother’s widow is remarried to someone who makes a lot of money. I can assure that he treats her kids exactly as how he treats his own. DemainTomorrow / Reddit
• Either all kids fly one way or no dice. If you can afford first class for 4, you can afford first class for 6 or all fly economy if you don’t want kids to feel entitled. He has clearly shown where your kids rate to him, especially over his kids. Independent-Top3524 / Reddit
• His kids in first class, your kids in economy? That’s a bad sign for the future. Then his response is to berate you and future MIL, calling your kids spoiled and entitled? Even worse. It would not have ended here. I would be done with that relationship. corgwin / Reddit

Update.

I’m currently packing to stay with my mom, taking my kids with me. This isn’t the first time something like this has happened, but I kept thinking I should overlook it since I’ve invested so much into this relationship.
Now I realize I need some distance and time to think things through. My kids come first, and I hope I don’t lose sight of that.

In a surprising turn of events, a woman’s steadfast refusal to recline her seat after a mother with a baby made a heartfelt request has ignited intense debates online. This captivating story dives into the tense confrontation, examining the viewpoints of both passengers and the larger implications for proper airplane behavior.