Entitled parents on any transport: it's time to get over yourselves

"If your kid not getting their preferred seating is the worst thing that happens that day, consider yourself very, very privileged," writes Sydney mum, Nama.

It seems like every week a story about an entitled parent on a plane, bus or train goes viral.

I notice this as a parenting editor - this phenomenon of (mostly) mums asking strangers to accommodate their precious cherubs - and usually, unreasonably so.

Last week, it was a dad whose begrudgingly made his three-year-old move plane seats because the one she wanted to sit in (the window seat) belonged to somebody else. Of course, she had a tantrum, and the woman who had booked and paid extra for the seat felt terrible.  

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The week before that, a mum literally made a TikTok account for the sole purpose of posting a clip of her small son crouching on a train floor, because he didn't have a seat. She was astounded that no one in the priority seats would give up their place for her darling child, when in truth he looked perfectly fine.

And this week... well, there's a mum who asked a man in a wheelchair on a bus to move so that he and her daughter could sit together. (More on that below.)

Seriously. The entitlement of these parents is gobsmacking, but what's truly scary is what kind of future adults they are raising (many of whom will likely become entitled parents themselves).

Nama Winston is calling out entitled parents when they're travelling. Source: Supplied/iStock

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"Uncomfortable and tiring"

The story about the woman who asked a man in a wheelchair to move on a bus is a Reddit post that's gone viral this week. When she saw there was only one seat for her five-year-old, she suggested that the man move his wheelchair so that she and her daughter could sit together.

He declined.

In her post, the mum wrote, "I was taken aback and frustrated by this response." He was not persuaded by her child safety argument (which she insisted upon), either.

The woman shared that she "ended up having to stand for the entire ride with my daughter in tow, which was uncomfortable and tiring for both of us." 

Dear God, no - not tiring.

I wondered if the experience was as 'uncomfortable' for them as it was for the man? Of course not.

As one commenter wrote, "Imagine being so entitled that you genuinely think standing up on your perfectly good, working legs is so awful and tiring that you ask someone who is physically unable to stand to get out of your way."

I swapped my plane seat for a baby

I have first-hand experience of this entitlement from the time when I had to swap from my booked plane seat for a baby. We were on holidays when I got the call that my dad had died in a violent car crash.

We needed to get on the next flight home, but I still had the presence of mind to ensure my son (five) had a window seat to entertain him, and that we were sitting together.

Qantas even kindly ensured we had the third seat in the row blocked out, to give me some space in my quite frankly hysterical state.

Next thing I knew, a gobsmackingly entitled couple with a baby boarded, and requested that we move so they could sit together as a family.

I was so distracted, I just did it knowing it was the 'right thing' - with some significant consequences. (Read about it here.)

I still remember that couple in all of the stories that have flooded the internet recently, and realise they have become more the rule, than the exception.

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If that's the worst that happens to them that day...

I get that it's hard to see outside of the parenting bubble when you have little ones. The responsibility to ensure their safety and comfort is huge, and the instinct to prioritise them in all situations is innate.

But here's what I always think, and this is even what I say to my now-teen son: if that's the worst thing that happened that day, that's a brilliant day.

If the worst thing is that they don't get their preferred seating, that's a privilege.

Even in my case, moving seats to accommodate a family wasn't the worst thing to happen on that day. Not by far.

So, entitled parents; get a grip. It's not all about you.

Originally published as Entitled parents on any transport: it's time to get over yourselves