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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

See all MNHQ comments on this thread

To refuse to un-recline dd's plane seat...

804 replies

MerryMarigold · 12/08/2014 23:24

Dh reckons I am. I reckon I am not.

So, long haul flight. Up at 3am to get to airport. 2 flights, 4 hour transit, bit of a hideous trip.

Anyways, on second flight, dd aged 5 FINALLY falls asleep. Thank God. Recline her seat so she is more comfortable and will hopefully sleep longer. 5 minutes later lady behind pokes my arm and asks me to put the chair up. Not very politely. I tell her my dd is asleep. She says she can't open her table with the chair reclined. (I have done this many times, so know it is entirely possible). I kneel on my chair and help her open table. Says she can't see TV screen. I adjust TV screen angle for her. She then proceeds to kick Dd's chair several times, whilst I get annoyed but decide to ignore.

10 mins later drinks come round and she speaks to the air steward in local language. He says to me. "Can I raise the seat?" and I tell him dd is sleeping. He says, "I'll do it gently" and just leans over me and does it. Thankfully she didn't wake up and managed to sleep in a contorted way for a lot longer.

I am usually the sort of person who doesn't stick up for myself and who doesn't like putting other people out (I didn't recline my own chair for the entire 9 hour flight as her large dh was behind me). I was very tired, I think that's why I was a bit arsey. I am also not being PFB. I have 3 children, but the others were not as tired and were fine.

Dh said it was her 'right' to have the seat up at least until the food is cleared up (this is probably at least 3 hours into the flight as it's a long flight). I said, "Says who?" Does her right to eat more comfortably trump my dd's right to sleep more comfortably?

So who is right?

OP posts:
LittleBearPad · 13/08/2014 00:04

Well you don't do you Noddy. Children are less expensive than adults...

zipzap · 13/08/2014 00:04

I'd have been on the buzzer and complaining to the flight attendant the moment that she first kicked my child's seat - reclined or not!

WorraLiberty · 13/08/2014 00:06

And I should add that actually, I wouldn't complain about a sleeping 5yr old reclining their seat in front of me...I would actually suck it up.

But I would stick up for the rights of anyone who felt differently to complain, because they were really uncomfortable.

Your child's right to comfort (not that she woke up when the seat was put back in position) does not trump anyone else's right to comfort.

Pickelback · 13/08/2014 00:06

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

MerryMarigold · 13/08/2014 00:07

Well, really I just wanted dd to get a bit of sleep as she'd had so little the night before. But call me selfish. I know I'm not generally in life. And had this happened on the flight out, or under different circumstances, I would immediately have done what the other person wanted.

I just couldn't understand why her needs trumped dd's but do now see the meal etiquette thing (though this wasn't a meal) and how strongly people feel about it. I have never been that bothered by people reclining infront of me, but I am a short arse.

OP posts:
MrsWinnibago · 13/08/2014 00:08

I hate people reclining seats unless it's time to go to sleep as indicated by stewards putting lights out!

There's no need. Your child's comfort does not trump anyone elses! YABU!

browneyedgirl86 · 13/08/2014 00:08

Yabu. I agree with your DH. Your child was asleep before you reclined the seat. It's bad manners to the person behind you to recline your seat. Why should someone else suffer for your Comfort? I think it's selfish.

Mitzimaybe · 13/08/2014 00:08

YABU.

Pickelback · 13/08/2014 00:09

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

MrsWinnibago · 13/08/2014 00:09

Children of 5 are small enough to sleep in all sorts of odd positions without any damage to muscles or tempers.

MerryMarigold · 13/08/2014 00:09

Pickel, I wish it were a lot cheaper. Sadly, I think it was around 90% of the adult price.

OP posts:
freyaW2014 · 13/08/2014 00:10

Ywbu and rude. Why didn't you just swap seats with your DD?

MrsWinnibago · 13/08/2014 00:10

Yes, DC tickets are stupidly expensive but the price is beside the point

Wonc · 13/08/2014 00:10

Yanbu.

MerryMarigold · 13/08/2014 00:13

freya, I couldn't swap seats with dd as the very large husband was behind me. Also, that would definitely have woken her up!

OP posts:
YellowTulips · 13/08/2014 00:18

Snapes - I have travelled lots both with family and business. I travel every 3 months min internationally (transatlantic) at least to the extent i hold premium status for a major airline.

So stop please making assumptions.

I have never seen anyone being de-reclined whilst sleeping apart from reasons of safety.

MerryMarigold · 13/08/2014 00:19

...so long as your flight is made more comfortable by your child sleeping longer, fuck anyone else's comfort?

Tbh, I think her sleeping longer was for EVERYONE'S comfort as on the flight out she discovered Katy Perry's Dark Horse on the music videos and kept singing along with the headphones accompanied by my virtually constant 'shush'ings.

OP posts:
Hup · 13/08/2014 00:20

You were not being helpful you were being sanctimonious.

WorraLiberty · 13/08/2014 00:21

Why do you keep referring to her husband as being 'very large'?

YellowTulips · 13/08/2014 00:22

I'm going to take a wild stab in the dark - because he was very large? Grin

trixymalixy · 13/08/2014 00:23

Yes, I would call you selfish.

WorraLiberty · 13/08/2014 00:23

Tbh, I think her sleeping longer was for EVERYONE'S comfort as on the flight out she discovered Katy Perry's Dark Horse on the music videos and kept singing along with the headphones accompanied by my virtually constant 'shush'ings.

No I don't think it was for everyone's comfort, because remember you said....

I have to say that all my children were impeccably behaved, made virtually no noise, didn't cry, didn't go to the toilet a gazillion times. Her poor ds (I'd guess around 9yo) had the window seat and I notice he didn't go to the loo for the whole flight. Poor kid was probably too scared to make her move.

MrsWinnibago · 13/08/2014 00:23

Worra I assume so we understand that he would have suffered more if he'd had a reclined seat in front of him.

MerryMarigold · 13/08/2014 00:25

Worra, on the flight out the kids were great - except dd was high maintenance at times (cf. Katy Perry). On the flight back, they were all great because dd slept mostly!

OP posts:
wobblyweebles · 13/08/2014 00:30

Poor kid was probably too scared to make her move.

What a nasty comment.

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