A father’s clever approach to dealing with a persistent child kicking his daughter’s seat on a plane has been hailed as ‘genius’ by many online users.
Air travel comes with its own set of challenges, even under the best conditions. The discomfort of turbulence, the stale air, and the unsettling feeling of flying in a massive metal container can be overwhelming.
Adding to that discomfort is the annoyance of someone repeatedly kicking the back of your seat without any signs of stopping.
This was the situation faced by a girl flying with her father when she was 14. A child seated behind her continuously kicked her seat during the flight.
Fortunately, her father had a solution.
Sharing her experience on Reddit, she explained: “It was a nighttime flight and everyone was exhausted. It was also a small, budget airline with limited legroom.
“About 10 minutes into the flight, the child behind me started kicking my seat. He wasn’t very young, maybe nine or 10.
“I informed my dad, and he politely asked the child to stop, which he did… for just 10 seconds. We asked again, more firmly this time, but it didn’t help.”
Realizing that words were ineffective, her dad took action by reclining his seat fully, depriving the child of any space to continue kicking.
She continued: “When they asked him to raise his seat, he refused. They called the flight attendant, and the child’s father spoke to him.”
Unsurprisingly, this did not end well when the attendant intervened.
The daughter recounted: “The attendant walked away, leaving the child’s father muttering angrily. It was quite amusing!”
She added: “The parents realized the situation and, after some stern words, made the child stop kicking. However, they continued to glare at me, my dad, and the flight attendant whenever she walked by.
“My dad kept the seat reclined for another hour but eventually raised it once he was sure the parents had learned their lesson.”
The father’s maneuver was met with admiration, and people took to social media to express their approval.
One person commented: “Your dad deserves an A+ for petty revenge. Some individuals only respond when they are personally affected. As long as the kid was bothering someone else, they didn’t care.”
Another suggested: “He should have waited until they had drinks—preferably cold—then reclined rapidly. Oops, sorry!”
Another added: “Well executed. It made them make the kid stop kicking and had the added bonus of making them look unreasonable. Two thumbs up.”