Flying with my 5-year-old daughter, Ella, was usually uneventful. She’d watch cartoons on her iPad, headphones on, while I relaxed. But this flight turned into a nightmare thanks to another mom’s entitlement.
Across the aisle, a boy around Ella’s age kept staring at her screen, whining louder and louder. His mom, who I’ll call Entitled Mom (EM), finally tapped my shoulder. “We’re avoiding screen time for our son during this trip,” she said. “Could you please put the iPad away? It’s upsetting him.”
I was taken aback. “I’m sorry, but Ella’s calm and enjoying her show. I’d rather not take it away from her.”
EM’s smile vanished. “Wow, so you’d rather ruin our family trip than give your kid a break from screens?” she said loudly. “Some parents just can’t say no. No wonder kids are so spoiled.”
I ignored her, but the situation escalated. Her son threw a tantrum, and then EM “accidentally” knocked over Ella’s tray, sending the iPad crashing to the floor.
“Oops, so clumsy of me!” she said, smirking. Ella burst into tears, and I was furious. But with EM playing innocent, there wasn’t much I could do. I focused on calming Ella down, hoping karma would handle the rest.
And it did. Shortly after, the flight took an unexpected turn.
