Air travel is complicated, a miracle of engineering and human logistics, to such a degree that often enough, the number one irritation is how other passengers behave. The rowdy travelers, the night time snorers and the person seemingly has never been on a plane before are common irritants, but nothing strikes more fear into a traveler than a child.
A man asked the internet if he was wrong to tell a loud, spoiled and obnoxious child to shut up after he wouldn’t stop yelling on a flight. We reached out to the man who made the post via private message and will update the article when he gets back to us.
Sometimes passengers manage to be louder than the multiple jet engines on a plane
Image credits: Dragana Stock (not the actual image)
So one man had enough and he decided to tell a child to just shut up
Image credits: romanshyshak (not the actual image)
Image credits: ASphotostudio (not the actual image)
Image credits: Mytzu
Flying can often be uncomfortable even when everything goes right
Air travel brings out the best and worst in humanity, usually within the same cramped row of seats. Everyone has their list of common irritations, the person who claims both armrests like a territorial emperor, the seat-kicker who thinks the back of the chair is a footrest, the neighbor who believes airplane mode is optional, and the mysterious passenger who somehow manages to unwrap a vile-smelling sandwich with the sound of industrial-strength bubble wrap. Add in crying babies, overhead bin wars, and the eternal struggle of the reclining seat, and a flight becomes less a journey and more a crash course in patience.
Among the most discussed inflight challenges is the presence of young children. Babies cry because their ears hurt, toddlers wiggle because sitting still for hours is impossible, and older kids sometimes discover the joy of tapping the tray table at rhythmic intervals. None of this is malicious, kids are just being kids in a situation that even adults find uncomfortable. That said, there is a balance to strike. Parents on planes have both the toughest job and a certain responsibility, to do what they reasonably can to minimize disruption to fellow passengers. For example, if a child is kicking the seat in front of them, like in this story, the parents really should intervene.
That responsibility doesn’t mean producing angelic silence for eight hours straight (no human under the age of twelve is capable of this). It means preparation and effort: bringing snacks, toys, headphones, and maybe even the magical tablet loaded with cartoons. It means a quick apology if little feet start pounding the seatback, and a friendly attempt to redirect the energy. It means being visible, other passengers are far more forgiving when they see a parent trying than when they see one scrolling blissfully while chaos unfolds.
Image credits: Dragana Stock (not the actual image)
Parents should actually parent their children
Most travelers understand that kids will make noise, but what tests patience is when parents make no attempt to prevent it at all. The flip side, of course, is that passengers without children have a role too, offering a little empathy and remembering that everyone was once the screaming baby on the flight. A smile, a helping hand with dropped toys, or simply resisting the exaggerated sigh goes a long way toward easing the tension. After all, some adults break the regular rules of airplane etiquette and a select few even record themselves doing it.
It’s also worth remembering that it could be worse. A child being loud is annoying, but at the very least, they can be given the benefit of the doubt. For example, instead of a crying baby or loud child, the disruption could be some fully grown adults throwing down in the airplane isles. This is commonly called “air rage,” a phenomenon where people are unable to hold back their emotions and decide that thousands of feet above the air is the best place for a brawl.
At the end of the day, planes are shared spaces where dozens or hundreds of strangers are stuck in a metal tube with limited legroom and questionable coffee. Small irritations are inevitable, but they’re also survivable, especially if everyone remembers that courtesy runs both ways. Parents who make the effort, and passengers who meet that effort with patience, keep the skies just a little friendlier.
Image credits: dmytro_sidelnikov (not the actual image)
The man chatted with some of the readers in the comments
Some folks thought he was being reasonable
A few thought he was perhaps too harsh
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