After a toddler seated near her became inconsolable on a flight calling out for her mama, one passenger took it upon herself to comfort the little girl.
Even though she initially assumed that the mother wasn’t on the flight since the little girl’s cries were not being answered, she was surprised to learn that the mother was onboard the entire time.
A woman comforted a screaming toddler on a plane who was looking for her mother, only to find out that her mom was just two rows in front of them.
The woman shared her flight experience on X (formerly known as Twitter), attracting over 7 million views.
According to the passenger, she was seated in a row next to a father and his toddler daughter. The toddler was throwing a violent tantrum, screaming and crying for her mama. Her father tried to calm his little girl down to no avail.
That’s when the woman, who claimed that she was trying to get some work done on the flight, stepped in to help the dad get her settled.
The passenger helped a dad calm the toddler’s tantrum that had the little girl screaming for her mom.
“I calmed her down for the most part and she was fine ten minutes later,” the woman wrote.
Since the little girl was crying out for her mom, she assumed that her mother was not aboard the plane and that her daughter just missed her and wasn’t used to traveling without her.
However, she was shocked and rightfully a little annoyed when she discovered that the mom had been on board the entire time and simply ignored her daughter’s pleas.
“SHE DIDN’T EVEN FLINCH OR GET UP TO HELP ME & THE WHOLE TIME I’M THINKING THE DAD WAS STRUGGLING SOLO!!!!” the woman shared. “We found out she was the mom when we were deplaning and she left the husband on the plane to grab FIVE ROLLER BAGS BY HIMSELF.”
While the woman didn’t mind helping the struggling dad, she said the mom should not have relied on strangers to take care of her child.
She theorized that the mom was possibly mad at the child’s father and made him deal with their child on his own as a form of punishment.
However, it ended up being a punishment for the 172 other passengers on board.
“The mom had every opportunity to let us know she was there and we would’ve figured something out. But to actively neglect your chaotic children because you’re mad at the father is unacceptable. Y’all also know nothing about the aviation industry and that airlines do not play when it comes to a ‘quiet cabin,’” the woman added.
“If you or your family are causing enough disturbance on an aircraft, we have the right to request you all to be removed to the next flight. Especially if PAYING PASSENGERS are distressed about it.”
“And I’m not about to let ANYONE disturb not only my peace but everyone else around on a damn METAL TUBE when they didn’t sign up or pay for that. BOTH parents were unanimously wrong for separate reasons.”
The woman has received mixed reactions regarding her opinions.
Some people agreed that the mom had an obligation to step up and help out with her own child.
“I’m not the mom that can hear my child screaming and I do absolutely nothing. I would’ve at least yelled shut up and she should have too,” one X user commented.
“I don’t care how mad I am at my husband, I cannot ignore my screaming child… especially on an enclosed flight. Some women are different,” another user shared.
However, many people believe that there is a version of the mom’s story that we aren’t hearing.
They suggested that perhaps the mother simply needed a few moments of peace and left her toddler in the care of her father, who is equally responsible for looking after the child.
“Good for her. Y’all clearly don’t have children,” one user wrote.
“Totally understand her. Toddlers are horrible little humans. Mommy did whatever she did to have some quiet time,” another commented.
Others noted how people are often so quick to help struggling dads with out-of-control children, but mothers typically just get judgmental looks and no offers to help out.
Unless we truly understand the situation between the mother, father, and their toddler, we cannot judge.
Irina Wilhauk | Shutterstock
Being a parent is not for the weak, and sometimes you have to pass the reins to someone else for a bit.
However, there is a time and place to call a time out on parenting, and a plane is not one of them.
Some parents often forget that other passengers on board likely do not want to hear their children screaming the entire time if they can help it.
Even if you want to have a peaceful flight without your toddler’s disturbances, so does everyone else.
The break can wait until you land. Do not rely on some poor stranger to settle your child just because you don’t feel like it.
Megan Quinn is a writer at YourTango who covers entertainment and news, self, love, and relationships.
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