To think this man was rude on flight?

[Lionking1981]

On long haul night flight yesterday. My 5 year old would not fall asleep as she was quite excited and enjoying watching all the cartoons. After 5 hours, I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer and drifted off. I was awakened by the man infront shouting 'oh for fucks sake' and throwing his headphones on the floor. I realised my daughter had been kicking his chair, I apologised, got my child to apologise but he didn't even answer - just threw a glare and turned round. I of course stayed awake for the rest of the flight to make sure she didn't do it again. At the end of the flight, he stood up and said loudly that that was the last time he will ever fly with the cattle class. I know I should have theoretically made sure she did not kick his chair and I know it is annoying but surely this was just bloody rude ?

Why do I get the feeling that most people chastising the OP probably haven't flown anywhere longhaul with children before

Perhaps because you expect all parents to be as entitled as you, so it's a shocker to see parents think it's not ok to allow their dc to kick someone's seat for twenty minutes?

OP dropped the ball. It happened but she needs to own it.

IF she was that tired, chances are the man in front, who paid for his seat, was also tired, and didn't particularly enjoy being booted while OP has a little nap.

That would be enough to fuck anyone off.

He swore. Big deal. Her child won't die from hearing a swear word.

I'd love to get the mans version of what happened.

THIS - Yes me too. I still cant believe there are parents sticking up for a 5 year old seat kicker. This is the most ridiculous post I have ever read on NM. Parent sleeps, child kicks seat in front, bloke is not happy, child kickers mum thinks he is being unreasonable?? WTF!

This thread is becoming a joke

some of you seem to be seriously suggesting that an adult way of dealing with aggravation by a small child is not to talk to the child, the child's mother, or air crew, but to sit there fuming and jump up later swearing and making arsey comments.

"but why should he have to?", you ask . No he souldn't have to. But he could have solved his problem in a polite way.

Or. we could just scrap that and assume the OP made the whole thing up. In fact, let's assume all threads on AIBU are made up so we can argue the toss about things that didn't happen

Ahem MN not NM but yes agree with you

Oh yes! Sticky fingers!

He's rather entitled to react whatever way he wishes, Yoda.

He was pissed off, he swore. Not at OP. Not at her energiser bunny. He's perfectly entitled to do that.

Just as OP is perfectly entitled to fall asleep and leave her five year old to her own devices.

Not exactly covering herself in glory, to my mind, but we don't have to make her the hero of the piece, and this man the villain.

He was pissed off. He said for fuck's sake. It's not like he tried to push the child out of the emergency door.

And, I'll be honest, if I thought some kid was being a little shit while the mother had herself a nice little snooze, I'd find the cutesy five year old apology too grating to stand and would probably ignore it too, lest I do something horrible like tell her to fuck off!

He was pissed off. He said for fuck's sake. It's not like he tried to push the child out of the emergency door

And for that alone he should be commended. Who on Earth wouldn't want to push the kid out of the emergency door if he couldn't sleep on a longhaul, night flight because some brat kept kicking his seat whilst the mother slept? FFS wouldn't have been the words I would have uttered TBF!

Fluffy and MadMags I'm on the same page as you in fact I think he was restrained and refrained in his choice of displeasure/swearing. Won't scar the child in fact might make it clear that a nasty man will may not be too happy when you continuously kick their seat. Am sure op's Pfb got enough reassurance of "that nasty man swore at you my precious, ignore him and kick the seat harder next time my angel!"

tofutti except the op doesn't know the full story either.
She was asleep.
I'd be pissed/in pain if i'd been kicked for 20 minutes.

Also the man did not swear AT the child. He didn't go up and swear, he swore as he was getting up.
I'd prob have done the same.
It's miserable having someone kick your seat, without being in pain.

I wouldn't think the child was a brat either

Oh! My mistake! I'm so sorry! Lets call the random seat kicker a "Little, Darling, Cutie Pie, who deserves to be smothered in love and kisses, and kept away from the Big Bad Wolf, because she is soooo precious and the best thing that ever entered this World" instead. Does that sit better with you?

I appreciate I shouldn't have drifted off but had been awake for over 24 hours

Maybe he had also been awake for 24 hours, and was fed up with a kid kicking his seat and stopping him from sleeping. If I was knackered and fed up and a parent was snoozing while their kid was disturbing me unsupervised, I would be irritable too.

I think we have to chalk this one up to six of one, half a dozen of the other. Yes, he could have handled the situation better. But if you're going use tiredness as an excuse for your behaviour, then you have to give him the same courtesy and accept that tempers fray when people are exhausted and cooped up.

The whole situation is now over, and it was just a minor altercation. Just move on from it now and forget it. Dwelling on it isn't helping you.

Loving the chucking the brat out of an emergency exit, line. Oh my aching sides!!!

littlesallyracketyep your answer sums it up perfectly i think.
op gets to be upset about the reaction, but the man is entitled to be upset about the situation.

madmags FluffyPineapple

I take it you are not currently sitting on an aircraft with a 5 year old kicking your chair, so why the ire ? It really sounds like you do not like children, don't understand that they sometimes kick chairs (we are talking about a 5 year old), and think that if any adult annoyed about something it's OK to swear

That's fine if you really think that.

Glad I'm not talking to you face to face though. Sounds like you lack self-control

People keep saying "I'd be pissed off"

Yes, I'd be pissed off.

It's what you do about being pissed off that's the thing.

YY Yoda

velvian
"To all who have enjoyed telling everyone what they would do if they were in a position where they were responsible for preventing a small child kicking a seat; it's been an education for us wink."

You said you've never taken a child on a flight upthread. Maybe take your own advice.

On the train the other day, I was kicked three or four times by a girl of about 6. She was being careless, rather than doing it deliberately but still. I changed position a couple of times to try to move my legs out of range - she was opposite me - but in the end I just got up and moved. Didn't make an issue out of it, didn't swear or huff and puff. However, child's mother gave me the evil eye all the same.

I get that Navy. My point was primarily that the mother still gave me the evils, despite the fact that I behaved perfectly reasonably. Had I been trapped in that seat, I would have had to say something.