Aibu on flight

[perroy]

I was on an plane today. Family of four were travelling. One child with father in the seat in front of me and mother with another child in the seat behind me. Children were shouting, beeping a fictitious horn, making motor noises all through the flight. The parents were tickling them and making them squeal with laughter. It was a plane full of children and this family was noisy throughout the flight. All the other children had settled down in some time.

After the fifth time the child with the mother had got up on his seat and squealed in my ear I turned around and said SSSh quiet to the child.

The mother used profanities, showed me the finger and told me her child was only two.

Was I wrong to address the child when the parents were not taking any efforts to settle the children?

Meh! A 2 year old was asked to 'shhhh', so what?

I don't know what's wrong with parents nowadays or at what point they became so precious.

It would have been a total non event if I were the parent.

How do you squeal in someone’s ear in a plane seat if they are behind you? Seat backs are too high surely?

You’re not unreasonable, kids an ill reared little brat.

I don't think you were being unreasonable, and I say this with a decent amount of experience of flying with my kids.

If mum and dad are happy for their kids to interact with strangers on a plane then they're happy for those strangers to react however they like. And on a plane it's usually some degree of "fuck off." Those tiny pieces of personal space are precious on planes and most people are already a little keyed up on a travel day.

YWBU.

I wouldn't have shusshed a toddler. If the noise really was that bad I'd have either asked if they wanted to swap seats (if possible) so they were seated a bit more together or have asked to move myself but tbh, having a child myself and knowing how hard it can be to keep them entertained on a plane, I'd let them do pretty much whatever it took to get through the flight and just suck it up. A plane is a mode of transport, it's not a holiday in itself.

The mum was probably using all of her box of tricks resources to keep her kids happy and settled, probably felt like she was doing a fair job at it and you shushing them punctured that effort and illusion. Sounds like she was overcompensating in her parenting to counteract her anxiety at traveling with small lods, was pulling out all the stops and you criticized that and got her short shrift.

Lesson. Be more compassionate. It's a short flight and you were in a public space.

YWNBU. The mother sounds delightful. I'd have been sorely tempted to give it a sharp pinch in your shoes. Shushing it was positively mild.

You were not being unreasonable.

It’s not the child’s fault their parent was inconsiderate.
They were being rude, but so were you.

Seat backs are high but children can stand on a seat and and lean over.

It was a full flight I did look for an alternate seat.

I think you sound very patient tbh

Compassionate??

Think the mother could have tried that. Especially as her children had to hear the vile language and actions.

You had a shite flight through no fault of your own. Have a good time.
I once tried speaking to the crew ,but got nowhere.

Blimey, you can still be compassionate and ask a child to shhhh.

It doesn't have to be one or the other.

You definitely were not being unreasonable.

What has actually happened so that people think it's acceptable for children to stand on a plane seat and squeal repeatedly in the ear of the passenger in front? I've got Ménière's disease and tinnitus, had a child have done that to me it would have caused me pain and made me ill so they'd have been told to shhh before the 5th time.

YANBU in my opinion. I have 5 kids and I don’t let them yell across people. Those parents sound like slobs.

@perroy you know what for the first time ever I'm stumped! I totally agree with you, that would drive me INSANE
however if you shushed my kids I'd karate chop you in the throat

Why not just speak to the mother?

Because you would have got a mouthful of abuse anyway. Anyone who gives the finger to a complete stranger is an unfit parent

Would you mind if you were, for example, talking and someone said “SHHHHH” to you?

Goodness.

It's not okay to let your child squeal in another passenger's ear.

Cannot believe how many people posting think that's acceptable.

You were totally within your rights to hush the child.

Just because being noisy and squealing is better than tantruming doesn't make it okay.

That's like saying if the child only kicked her seat 5 times she should be happy as it's fewer than 10.

Goodness.

It's not okay to let your child squeal in another passenger's ear.

Cannot believe how many people posting think that's acceptable.

You were totally within your rights to hush the child.

Just because being noisy and squealing is better than tantruming doesn't make it okay.

That's like saying if the child only kicked her seat 5 times she should be happy as it's fewer than 10.

yanbu. Trebla Is though!

Talking, yes. Shrieking at the top of my voice, no, I'd probably feel very embarrassed and shut up.