“A Family on a Plane Expected Me to Take My Child’s iPad Off Her!” – You Won’t Believe Why!
If you have ever travelled on a plane, you’ll know that sitting in a confined space with nothing more to look at than the seat in front of you for hours on end can be excruciatingly boring. If you’ve ever flown with a toddler or small child you’ll also know that keeping them entertained for the duration of the flight is in everyone’s best interest.
One mum, who was travelling with her 3 year old daughter, was approached by another mother who had a vey bizarre request.
“She Asked Me if it Would be Okay to Put My Daughter’s iPad Away”
I was on a flight with my 3-year-old daughter and there was a family sitting across from us with a kid that looked about the same age. The little boy noticed my daughters iPad and was trying to get at it and started crying when the mom told him no. My daughter and I both put on headphones and were just blocking it out. The woman got my attention after a while and said that they weren’t allowing their son to use his iPad on their vacation and would it be okay if my daughter put hers away, I said I was sorry but no. The kid cried most of the flight which was about 2 hours. The parents kept shooting me dirty looks which I just ignored. AITA?
That’s right! She expected OP to take the iPad from her quiet, well-behaved child in some misguided attempt to placate her own child.
Of course, Reddit commenters wasted no time in sharing their opinions on the strange interaction, with many people puzzled why the mum would choose a flight as the time to start restricting her child’s access to screens!
NTA.
The only time I DON’T hate seeing a child wearing headphones and staring at a glowing rectangle is on an airplane. You were prepared, you had a quiet, happy child who didn’t disturb the other passengers. You did everything right.
If the other child was unhappy, it was caused by their parent(s), who failed to prepare.
I know it seems crazy, but there was a time before the age of the digital babysitter, when parents handed their child a new colouring book and crayons, and expected them to stay quietly in their seat with the belt fastened and leave everyone alone.
You did a good job. Don’t second guess your choice. Their failures are not your responsibility. (MoonpieTexas1971)
There are great reasons to limit screen time. My kids have restrictions on how much screen time they get. Except there’s one time when they have unlimited screen time and that’s when they’re on a plane. Zone out my little duckies! I don’t care if you’re zombies for now, I just want us to get off this plane with the least amount of drama. (AdorableWorryWorm)
Related: Husband Boss First Class Plane Tickets While Wife and Kids Fly Economy
This. I’m all for appropriate use of screen time but if there’s ever a time to use it for good, traveling on a plane with a 2 year old is it! Limit it while at the destination if you want but why make life harder for yourself and everyone else when stuck on a plane? The only way the OP would be a bit of an AH is if the daughter was originally using the iPad with volume on and no headphones (it’s not clear if the daughter was using them in the first place or only after the conversation with the other mom).
When our kids were flying at that age we would have done almost anything to keep them calm & quiet and not crying or annoying anyone else on the plane (including ourselves!). (Dentist_Just)
The wisdom of flying without any entertainment for your toddler aside, can you imagine thinking you had the right to expect strangers to follow your parenting rules?!
NTA.
Lmao what? Very weird of this woman to ask a complete stranger to have them put away their kid’s electronic device. Just because her kid is throwing a tantrum because your daughter can use her iPad is not your problem (DJ_Too_Supreme_AITA)
Related: “A Mum Gave Her Kid Glitter and Glue to Play with on a Flight, and Got Mad When I Complained”
NTA. Expecting nearby parents to follow their own personal rules is frankly deranged. (NoSalamander7749)
NTA The fact that they decided to force a three year old to deal with a two hour flight without being able to watch a movie or something is not your fault. They can make as many foolish decisions as they want for their own kid but they don’t get to make other kids and parents suffer.
Don’t get me wrong going no iPad during activities and outings on the trip is totally great and healthy, but having the kid go cold turkey on the flight is so monumentally stupid.
(sarahmegatron)
What would you have done in this situation? What would you have said to the mum who expected you to put your child’s iPad away?
Jolene
Jolene enjoys writing, sharing and connecting with other like-minded women online – it also gives her the perfect excuse to ignore Mount-Washmore until it threatens to bury her family in an avalanche of Skylander T-shirts and Frozen Pyjama pants. (No one ever knows where the matching top is!) Likes: Reading, cooking, sketching, dancing (preferably with a Sav Blanc in one hand), social media, and sitting down on a toilet seat that one of her children hasn’t dripped, splashed or sprayed on. Dislikes: Writing pretentious crap about herself in online bio’s and refereeing arguments amongst her offspring.
