One woman had to decide whether to follow social norms or stand up for herself. There was social pressure to be kind, but she was determined to put her own comfort first on an airplane flight, which led to a moral debate. This is the story of why she wouldn’t give up her extra seat to a child, understanding the consequences and remaining firm in her choice.
She told her story:
I’m overweight.
Over the country for Christmas, I’m going to see my brother and his wife. Since I’m fat, I booked an extra seat so that everyone can be more comfortable. I understand how annoying it is to have to pay extra for a seat, but that’s just how things are.
At least at first, everything goes smoothly from checking in to going through security and getting on the plane. She comes over to my row with a boy who looks about a year old. I had to squished into one seat so her son could take the other one. She told me, not asked. I told her no, that I bought this seat because it had more room.
The flight attendant notices her because she makes a big deal out of it. She told the flight attendant that I was taking her son’s seat. I then showed my boarding passes to show that I had paid extra for that seat. I told the flight attendant I didn’t want to try to squeeze in because I paid extra for a seat across from me.
It was time for the boy, who the mom said was 18 months old, to sit in her lap and do that. In the end, the flight attendant told the mom to sit down with her son. For the whole flight, she gave me mean looks and made passive-aggressive comments.
Click image below to read more…