I Refused to Un-recline My Seat on An Airplane After a Mother With a Baby Asked Me to

A small but telling incident unfolded when a mother traveling with her baby politely asked a woman seated in front of her to return her reclined seat to the upright position for the child’s comfort. The woman, seemingly unfazed by the mother’s request, refused to adjust her seat.

The woman explained what happened.

I had a fifteen-hour flight that began at 8 PM and had been planning to sleep throughout the flight to help the time go by, as well as catch up on sleep after traveling for 24+ hours. On the flight, there was a mom, dad, and a child that was about three years old (older than the under 2 limit for a child to sit in a parent’s lap for free, for sure).

Throughout the first two hours, the child kicked my husband’s and my seat, stood up on their parent’s lap to grab my hair and pull on my shirt, and shoved the papers in the back of the seat in between our seats, poking us with the papers.

Occasionally, I got a break from the child kicking me when she switched to her father’s lap, though at that time she began kicking my husband’s seat. We remained quiet as we know it probably is difficult traveling with children.

Finally, when the child was sleeping, about four hours into the flight, I decided I, too, could rest. I reclined my chair, about three-quarters of the way, not fully, but enough to be comfortable for my sleep. But, since the child was larger than the normal under two years old for lap-sitting, it wasn’t as comfortable for the mother.

Immediately, she tapped my shoulder asking me to move my chair up so she could be comfortable. And I’m sure having a child in your lap is not as pleasant, especially when they’re larger and on a long flight.

I, however, remained in the reclining position, as I felt that I had put up with her child making me uncomfortable for hours and preventing me from sleeping when I needed it.

However, in doing so, I made the mother more crammed in her seat, as she needed space for both of them. Was I wrong for refusing to move up my seat?

People thought she was in the right.

• No one is comfortable on normal commercial flights and you have already sacrificed a lot for that random family. Parents feel they are entitled to more comforts way too often. Simply for having children. nottheblackhat / Reddit
• If you can’t control your kid in a plane then don’t travel. If she wanted comfort, she should have bought a seat for her kid. And you have been nice enough to not fully recline your seat, yet she had the nerve to complain! Throwaway2442244224 / Reddit
• While I understand that it’s expensive to do so, the parents should have purchased a seat for their child for a long flight. Any discomfort is the result of their own choices. teresajs / Reddit
• You sound like a saint. I would be mortified abs apologize profusely to you if I couldn’t get my kids under control on the plane! People are allowed to put their seats back gimmesome-ofyour**** / Reddit

Even a parent explained why she wasn’t in the wrong.

• I have two kids that I have done a lot of air travel with. Can traveling with kids be difficult? Definitely. Should other people accommodate me because I travel with kids? No. It is my job as a parent to make sure my children are entertained and comfortable for the entire duration of the trip.
  
  This means that I will stock up on snacks and load my tablet with their favorite movies and shows. I have never allowed my children to disturb any other travelers unless they approach me and my kids themself. If they had started poking the persons in front of me with magazines or kicked the chair they would have been stopped.
  
  I appreciate it if a fellow traveler wanted to talk to me and my kids as both them and I are very social. But we leave people alone and try to not be “one of those parents” and keep the kids entertained. It isn’t everyone else’s job to entertain my children. I’m the one with the kids. Geiir / Reddit

In a heartfelt and empowering stand against online negativity, a prominent “Bridgerton” actress has come to the defense of her costar, Nicola Coughlan, following a slew of body-shaming comments. The actress passionately condemned the harmful remarks, highlighting the importance of body positivity and self-love.