I was on a relatively short flight, sitting in coach behind a family with a father, mother, and a boy of perhaps seven. A few minutes into the flight, I feel a kick to the back of my seat.
Kick. Kick. Kick.
“All right,” I think to myself. “There’s no sense being unpleasant. Surely one of the parents will notice their child is kicking the seat and ask him to stop.”
Kick. Kick-kick. Kick.
Patient, get-along person that I am, I suffer through nearly an hour of this before I finally turn around and say, politely but firmly, “Excuse me, could you *please* keep your son from kicking my seat? Thank you.” I turned back.
There’s a low-pitched, irritated conversation behind me. Then I’m jabbed in the back of the shoulder, none too gently.
“Hey, buddy,” snaps the father, leaning forward, “It was *me* who was kicking your seat.”
The parents then proceed to snarl to each other about how “rude” people can be.
To this day, I regret that I was too astonished to say the obvious.
“Sir? Madam? I must sincerely apologize to your son. I assumed, of course, than an adult would know better!”
210
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
Well, I guess you showed you, huh? How dare you complain about someone kicking your seat. I assume he (or someone) stopped kicking the seat? If so, take solace that you were the better person.
My answer would have been, "Good to know – I'd hate to have broken your kid's leg when it was YOURS I should break." (No, I've never broken anybody's leg. I just imagine it sometimes when dealing with rude jackasses!)
I do not understand how parents can react this way to a justified complaint.
ah, testosterone fueled rage episodes by indignant dads. too bad he didn't try to physically attack you so you could sue him.
Agreed with Laura Cardwell.
???? You said you were sitting behind this family, how could they have kicked the back of your seat?
I think Laura Cardwell suffers from an overload of estrogen.