A mother with a sense of entitlement believed that smashing my daughter’s iPad would pacify her son’s outburst.
However, what unfolded next left her more shaken than I could have ever anticipated. Karma truly does operate swiftly… even at 30,000 feet!
My name is Bethany, I am 35, and I never envisioned that a two-hour flight would transform into a narrative that would stay with me forever.
As I settled into my seat with my five-year-old daughter Ella by my side, I let out a sigh of relief as the plane began to taxi. Ella was joyfully engrossed in watching cartoons on her iPad, her headphones on, completely at ease.
“Are you feeling comfortable, darling?” I inquired, softly tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
Ella nodded, her gaze fixed downwards. “Mm-hmm. Can I have some juice later?”
“Absolutely,” I replied with a grin, reaching for my book. “Just tell me when you’re thirsty.”
As I settled in to read, movement caught my eye across the aisle. Seated there was a family of three—a couple and a boy around Ella’s age. The boy appeared restless, loudly complaining, “I’m bored!” while kicking the seat in front of him, as his mother attempted to soothe him.
“We specifically instructed you not to use screens during this journey. Behave yourself,” she stated. However, his irritation escalated upon seeing Ella’s iPad. I prepared for a lengthy flight ahead.
Approximately twenty minutes later, I felt a tap on my shoulder. The mother from the opposite seat was leaning towards me with a forced smile.
“Hello! I couldn’t help but notice your daughter’s iPad. We are responsible parents, so we have chosen not to allow our son any screen time on this vacation. Would you please put it away? It’s distressing him.”
I was surprised and blinked in response. “Excuse me?”
She continued, “It’s just… it’s not fair to him, you know?”
With a deep breath, I responded, “I apologize, but my daughter is using it to maintain her composure during the flight.”
Her smile instantly disappeared. “Seriously? You’d choose to disrupt our family trip rather than give your daughter a short break from the screen?”
I sighed, maintaining a courteous tone. “She’s quietly occupied with her own activities. Maybe your son could do the same if he had something to keep him engaged.”
The woman, whom I’ll refer to as Entitled Mom (EM), appeared enraged. “Some parents these days can’t refuse their kids. It’s no surprise they’re all spoiled.” I returned to my book, hoping to end the conversation, but I could feel her piercing gaze on me.
“Mommy, is everything alright?” Ella inquired, glancing briefly from her cartoon.
“Yes, dear, everything is fine. Just continue watching your show.”
The next hour was filled with tension. The boy’s tantrum grew louder, and his parents continued to give us hostile glances, as if we were somehow at fault. “I want that!” he cried, pointing at Ella’s iPad. “It’s not fair!”
EM leaned in and whispered, “Some people are simply selfish.” I clenched my jaw, trying to concentrate on my book. Meanwhile, Ella remained blissfully unaware, engrossed in her show.
All of a sudden, there was a disturbance beside us. EM leaned over the aisle, ostensibly rummaging in her bag, but her arm accidentally bumped into Ella’s tray. I watched in shock as Ella’s iPad slipped off and crashed onto the floor with a loud crack, the screen fracturing. Ella gasped, then burst into tears.
“Oh no! I didn’t intend to!” EM remarked with insincere concern, yet I could detect the satisfaction in her gaze.
“What’s the matter with you?” I whispered angrily.
She shrugged, looking pleased with herself. “Mistakes happen. Perhaps it’s a signal that she should reduce her screen time.”
I was on the verge of confronting her when a flight attendant appeared, noticing the damaged iPad.
“I apologize for the inconvenience, ma’am, but unfortunately, there is limited action we can take during the flight,” she said empathetically.
As I turned to console Ella, I sensed that the situation was far from resolved. However, fate had its own agenda. With Ella’s iPad no longer functional, the boy’s outburst escalated. He began kicking the seat in front of him, pulling on his tray table, and growing increasingly agitated.
“Please calm down,” the boy’s mother implored, but he continued to cry louder. “This is the most terrible trip ever!”
I observed discreetly, torn between feeling sorry for the boy and experiencing a slight, guilty pleasure at EM’s frustration. At the same time, Ella, still in tears, pulled on my sleeve.
“Can you fix it, Mommy?”
I embraced her. “We will have it fixed once we reach our destination. How about we read a book together?”
As I rummaged in my bag, pandemonium erupted once more. The boy, still flailing, accidentally knocked over EM’s coffee, causing it to spill onto her lap and into her open bag.
“No, no, no!” she cried out, desperately trying to salvage her belongings. Her passport slipped out and fell onto the floor. In his tantrum, the boy stomped on it, grinding it into the coffee-soaked carpet.
The expression on EM’s face was invaluable as she seized her now-spoiled passport.
A flight attendant came over, casting a quick glance at the damaged document. “Ma’am, I must inform you that a damaged passport might lead to complications upon arrival, particularly for international travel.”
EM’s eyes widened with alarm. “What should we do?” she inquired her husband, who simply shrugged.
As the aircraft began its descent, she kept dabbing at her ruined passport, muttering quietly to herself. Her son had at last drifted off to sleep, exhausted from his outbursts.
I glanced at Ella, completely absorbed in her book. “Are you prepared to leave, darling?”
“Can we grab some ice cream at the airport, Mommy?” she inquired, her previous disappointment now forgotten.
“I believe we deserve it, don’t you think?” I laughed.
Upon disembarking, I glanced back to witness EM discussing her passport issue on the phone, visibly upset about the travel delay. It served as a reminder that karma has its own way of working. It wasn’t just Ella’s iPad that was damaged—EM lost something much more precious.
Strolling alongside Ella, I made my way to the baggage claim, appreciating the fact that valuable lessons can often arise from unexpected circumstances. Have you ever experienced a travel nightmare? Feel free to share your story in the comments!