Flying is a ton of fun! There’s very little that comes close to the happiness we feel deep inside our hearts when we take off and watch the world shrink, as the plane enters the Kingdom of Clouds. The other passengers are always great to talk to. The flight staff is incredibly polite. And maybe the captain even comes out to say a quick ‘hello’ to everyone. If you haven’t noticed yet, Pandas, some of us might have a very romantic view of flying even though some of us might be super afraid of heights. And YES, we LOVE having the window seat.
However… so does pretty much everyone else. That’s where redditor u/Sillymau5’s story comes in. They asked the AITA community for a verdict about a situation that happened on the plane. You see, the OP finally racked up enough points to get a free first-class seat. They chose the window seat. Naturally.
However, on the flight, a woman from first-class came over and asked them if they’d be willing to switch seats so that one of her kids could sit near the window. The redditor refused. Scroll down for the full story and to read what other members of the AITA community had to say. Meanwhile, share your own thoughts about what happened in the comments, Pandas. What would you have done in this situation? Do you enjoy flying? What would make you give up that super special window seat? Let us know what you think!
Flying can be a lot of fun and many people feel like sitting by the window is the best place to be
Image credits: Paul Hanaoka (not the actual photo)
One passenger shared what happened when a kid wanted to take their window seat, in first class
Image credits: Hanson Lu (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Steven Coffey (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Sillymau5
In all fairness, redditor u/Sillymau5 was perfectly polite and simply refused to give in to someone else’s guilt-tripping attempts. They’d booked their seat well in advance. Something that everyone can do.
They also pointed out that they’d be willing to switch seats if it’d been someone from economy class who’d asked. However, seeing as the mom and her two kids were also in first-class, the OP thought it was privileged enough for them to stand their ground.
However, some of the author’s friends thought that they behaved like a jerk. Which is what prompted them to reach out to the AITA community in the first place. The AITA crowd overwhelmingly supported the OP and said that they did nothing wrong.
Very recently, Bored Panda spoke about the importance of boundaries with Suzanne Degges White, Ph.D., from Northern Illinois University. The professor told us that it’s very helpful to have clear boundaries in all aspects of our lives.
“When we continually ‘give in’ to others’ requests, we set up the pattern and expectation that we are willing to sacrifice our own needs and resources for that person,” she explained what happens when we—and others—are willing to give up our boundaries for one reason or another.
She pointed out that we may sometimes have to be flexible with our boundaries in order to accommodate others’ requests. Especially if they’re close family members. However, as a rule, there’s nothing wrong with needing privacy, focusing on your emotional well-being, so long as it’s not the only thing you’re doing. Part of communicating new boundaries to someone may involve starting out with a small disclaimer, that it’s not about them: the boundaries are meant to fulfill your own needs. This, in turn, can make it easier for the other person to accept your terms.
Though the vast majority of people are likely to be neutral or even nice when they interact with you, you have to accept for a fact that sooner or later you’ll run into someone rude and entitled. Whether it’s at work, on your commute, or while you’re out on the town. Bored Panda had a chat about this with Alexander Kjerulf, from Positive Sharing, a while back. He noted that not everyone who’s rude is a bad person; though some individuals definitely use it as a weapon to get what they want.
“Keep your cool and remember that whatever abuse they’re giving you is no reflection on you as a person. That customer doesn’t even know you, so there’s no way it could be. But on the other hand, don’t be subservient. Don’t be afraid to stand up for yourself and tell customers that abuse is not tolerated. And if it persists, hand them over to a manager as soon as you can and let them deal with it,” he explained how someone who’s facing rudeness in the workplace would ideally react. Of course, this is applicable to most other situations. Whether someone’s rude to you on public transport, on the plane, or even at a store.
“You have to remember that in many cases a customer who behaves badly is not necessarily a bad person—it can be a good person having a bad day and that’s why they’re acting out. But the sad truth is that some customers act this way because they’ve learned that it works and will get them discounts or preferential treatment,” Alexander told us that the least that anyone can do is to try and be nice to everyone they meet throughout their day.
Most AITA community members were unanimous in how they felt about the travel drama
The post “Am I A Jerk For Refusing To Give My Window Seat To Someone’s Kid?” first appeared on Bored Panda.
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