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 ?

And neither are you.

The op has stated she was sleeping lightly. All I said is that it's totally plausible.

I've only read the first few pages and the last couple on this thread. I agree that it sounds like a massive over-reaction and swearing in front of young children should be controlled. I can't understand why you wouldn't turn around and look to find the parent to talk to and if not call a steward to deal with this.

BUT the thing that I really really can't understand is all these people saying "you shouldn't have slept". Have any of you actually ever travelled long haul?!!?? Long haul flights are not about being able to "enjoy" the flight, sleep is essential, and no you can't coordinate when you are able to sleep with when your child will manage to sleep, you need to take what you can get when you can. Child in window seat next to you, will disturb you quick enough when they need help. Stewards really should be able to help if a child is causing problems - but they won't if noone tells them there's a problem before being unnecessarily and excessively unpleasant.

[experience - travelled Australia to UK four times as a child, numerous times as an adult including some with my own children]

He was rude! He could have handled it a lot better, he could have woken you or asked attendant to do it. Instead he acted like a tantrumming toddler.

We know the op slept lightly because she has told us so!!

"There is no need for a grown man to have a tantrum"

Who are you people who equate a man saying for fucks sake and throwing down his headphones as a tantrum? You clearly haven't seen adult properly lose their shite if you call that outburst a tantrum. I've seen bigger tantrums thrown by adults faced with a jammed copy machine and a deadline.

The adults I know don't behave like that. Certainly not in front of a 5 year old.

What I don't understand is the dismissal of the ops account and he conjecture on the part of the rude man. So the op is lying when she says 20 mins asleep, slept lightly, man didn't speak to child but the rude man has been awake more than 24 hours, had his flight turned into a living hell (!), asked child many times to stop and tried to wake op, only swore because he'd dropped his headphones...

Thank you bad

Pythonesque re op needing to sleep lightly etc well of course she needed that but if it was such a long haul flight like uk to Australia then this can require more of the carer being awake as your child is also maybe going to be awake.

I've got an Australian mum friend who lives in Switzerland and if she travels back with her DC (haz fine since they were small) she either goes alone (one time with just her and one child) or with her DH and both DC. I asked her what and what she did and she said the flight was bearable but doable flying solo with an 18 month old but far easier 2 of them with 2 DC.

If it's eg London to New York provided you time flights ok you take a night flight so your child is more likely to sleep.

If you can't do that or ensure child is looked after or amused I really think you should think about traveling with young kids who can't behave.

You also really really need to factor in extreme tiredness (op states she's been traveling 24 hours awake so after 5 hours dropped off... That's no way to travel really is it?

To be honest I would have felt the same as the guy and I wouldn't have woken you up. I don't know what kind of parent you are and I have seen enough of parents who think their kid is a snowflake and will quite happily give people a vulgar mouthful of if they dare criticise their offspring.

Whether I would have said something or not , I don't know. No ones perfect and put tiredness and grumpiness into the mix and it's a nasty cocktail.

grizzlybloomers why would he react this way??
Been awake many hours ( maybe longer than 24 hours) and someone is kicking is chair ( would drive me up the wall)
Anxious flier
Will say again i have pain problems, someone kicking my seat leaves me in agony i may well swear if someone had been kicking my seat and the parent had been asleep resulting in my pain.
Op has said she's been awake for 24 hours, could have slept a bit harder than she thought.

Pythonesque tonald can you really not see why someone wouldn't ask a parent to stop their child doing something?
I wouldn't anymore! Reactions you get now!

Surely if you have such bad back problems that the back of a seat being kicked leaves you in pain, you'd select a seat with no one behind you

YANBU he totally over-reacted! This happened to me once but I wasn't asleep. I was flying on my own with 2 young children (3&7) when the man in front turned around and shouted at me for allowing my son to kick the seat. I didn't even realise he was doing it, and told him off straight away.

On the way off the plane, a woman who had sitting behind me commented what lovely well behaved children I had, she must have seen what happened earlier, and probably seen me getting stressed!

He could have just asked nicely, there was no need to be so aggressive.

For the love of all that's holy, someone kill this thread off!!! How are you lot still going!!

Mummies are so used to toddler tantrums that they cannot make the leap to utilising another term to describe when other people are irritated. They use the word "tantrum" to describe adult behaviour, too.

I don't know. I'd say that swearing and throwing your headphones on the floor rather than using your big boy words to address what's bothering you seems pretty similar to a toddler tantrum.

"Definition of tantrum in English:

NOUN

An uncontrolled outburst of anger and frustration, typically in a young child.
‘he has temper tantrums if he can't get his own way’"

The key word is uncontrolled.

Bonobosown 575 to go