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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to be annoyed with child kicking my seat for seven hours on plane?

112 replies

Jonnyfan · 15/04/2011 21:16

Just returned from Dubai. On flight a young child persisted in kicking/pushing feet into the back of my seat for much of the first couple of hours. Eventually politely asked mother, who was seated beside him, if she could try to stop him. She was most put out and replied that it was a long flight and difficult with children, (she had two other adults with her as well as two boys). She then moved him so that he was behind my DH, who then had severel hours of the same before politely commenting that it was very irritating behaviour. Mohter gave me the evils through the disembark/baggage reclaim. I travelled extensively with my children from four months onward and never felt that others should be made uncomfortable by them

OP posts:
LoveLeonardCohen · 15/04/2011 21:17

YANBU, it would be irritating

dementedma · 15/04/2011 21:17

of course YANBU. I would have mudered the little bugger!

GypsyMoth · 15/04/2011 21:17

why didnt you mention it to the flight attendents?Confused

nancy75 · 15/04/2011 21:17

Yanbu - My Dd is 5, we have travelled all over the world with her. I would never allow her to kick the seat infront for 5minutes let alone hours

Bananamash · 15/04/2011 21:17

YANBU.

In this situation I prob would have have spoken to cabin crew if no joy with the mother.

MoonGirl1981 · 15/04/2011 21:18

Seven hours?

I'd have ripped her head off after seven minutes!

Not acceptable at all.

dearyme · 15/04/2011 21:18

just one of the pleasures of plane travel

Bringonthegoat · 15/04/2011 21:18

YANBU to be annoyed - how irritating

Hardandsleazy · 15/04/2011 21:18

yanbu - I know its difficult travelling with children (dd travelled a lot and I dont pretend she wouldnt dearly love a game of kick seat if given the chance). I do sympathise a little bit with mother as its awful when people say stuff re kids and your travelling and it does make things awkward but in this case it was not on (as opposed to the hungover man on the eurostar who complained that could hear my daughter tapping on an iphone..and I mean tapping not other noise).

MissJanuary · 15/04/2011 21:19

Yanbu. I travel a couple of times a year by plane with my little one and he does not get to kick, or fold up and down the food tray on the chair in front, as I realise would be highly annoying for that person.

The mother should have done more.

GiselleS · 15/04/2011 21:22

No, YANBU. I travelled when young and was taught by my parents to behave. They said if I wanted to be treated like an adult and go on lovely trips abroad then I had to act like one. I was only 3 when I went and a long haul flight and would never have dared to do that.

Some parents need to teach their children that they are not the centre of everyone else's universe!

thederkinsdame · 15/04/2011 21:23

Nope, I had this once on a ten hour night flight. The parents told me it was my fault as I was sitting by the emergency exit and had "loads of room" He was about 10 so I told the parents that if they didn't stop him I'd swap places with the people in the row behind them Grin

lexxity · 15/04/2011 21:24

YANBU. I'm a regular flyer with my DS1 and no way would I let him get away with behaviour like that. The Mother was totally out of order.

bubblecoral · 15/04/2011 21:26

YANBU. I would have told the child myself, and I have done in the past. Failing that I would have spoken to cabin crew.

mypersonalfavourite · 15/04/2011 21:26

I endured this all the way from Vancouver once. The parents were completely wet and the little darling shot me evil grins every time I asked her to stop because she knew her parents wouldn't make her. YANBU!

jellybeansontoast · 15/04/2011 21:34

I probably would have put him in the overhead lockers. Possibly the mother as well.

Vallhala · 15/04/2011 21:37

YANBU. I like jellybeans idea. Most satisfactory. :o

I'd have rounded on the child and scared the little brat into behaving if asking the mother to stop him brought no results.

AuraofDora · 15/04/2011 21:41

yanbu
horror and like others would have told the mother before then complained to flight staff loudly

thederkinsdame · 15/04/2011 21:42

jellybeans, that's brilliant!

ChairOfTheBored · 15/04/2011 21:45

YANBU.

My mum was a teacher for years and had a great 'death stare' which could stop a child a 30 paces. It was also multi-lingual, working in a number of nations.

I've asked her to train me in her jedi ways.

tulpe · 15/04/2011 21:46

YANBU and jellybeans has the perfect solution Wink

I had this on a flight recently. I asked the mother to stop the child from doing it. She leaned in to her DD and said in a really sickly sweet voice "darling, please do stop. The lady doesn't like it" to which her DD shouted at full volume "no. Tough". Mother just shrugged her f*cking shoulders in response!

We have flown regularly with our DCs since they were tiny. I always ask them to be careful of the seat in front - even if they are just taking something from the bag they have stowed beneath it, it is sooooo annoying to have your chair constantly bumped and kicked.

Blu · 15/04/2011 21:46

YANBU.
We have taken numerous very long flights with DS since he was tiny and NEVER let him kick the seat in front.
Unbearable.

exoticfruits · 15/04/2011 21:46

I think that you were far too polite. I would have spoken directly to the DC.

PonceyMcPonce · 15/04/2011 21:48

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

MillsAndDoom · 15/04/2011 21:49

YA so NBU