Mum declines to sit with her own kids on a plane to teach a stranger a lesson

"We need to stay in our assigned seats," mum Cindy told cabin crew as she "peacefully" sat rows away from her young children.

Image: iStock

The interwebs has been saturated this year with outraged people recalling tales of travel woe, mostly because someone's wayward child was near them on a plane.

They've endured screaming, been glitter-bombed, and even witnessed a poop nappy being changed on the tray table.

So, is it really any wonder that a mum has now gone viral for declining - nay, refusing - to sit with her own young kids?

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"It was so peaceful"

The mum, comedian Cindy Arena, posted a clip on TikTok, sharing that when she discovered she wasn't assigned to sit next to her four- and six-year-olds, she didn't kick up a fuss as so many other parents would have.

Instead, the mum of two obediently retreated to where she was meant to sit - far away, at the back of the plane.

Cindy explains that she did ask the person seated next to her kids to swap - but the woman refused.

When that happened, Cindy saw a golden opportunity and grabbed it with both hands.

"Okay, no problem. I'm not going to argue," she told her fellow passenger.

She then went to the back of the plane and sat in the seat on her boarding pass.

"It was so peaceful," she tells her viewers.

"Finally, the stewardess comes up, because I know she's coming, because this b**** is sitting next to my kids and there's nothing fun about that."

She tells Cindy that the stranger is now offering to swap seats.

But the mum decided that the karma for the woman being difficult in the first place was for her to babysit her kids for the flight.

So, she replied with mock innocence, "Oh, no, no, we need to stay in our assigned seats. Have a good flight!"

RELATED: ‘I flew my toddler first class because I can’

"I love malicious compliance"

Parents loved Cindy's attitude, calling her "a vibe", and some even shared similar experiences.

"I did same with mine, only one row away he was safe, but annoyed that couple the entire flight," a viewer proudly wrote.

Another said, "I love malicious compliance."

But not everyone was on her side, with many focusing on the belief that the situation shouldn't have arisen in the first place.

"What kind of parent books seats that aren't with their kids? This one," one viewer wrote.

A second agreed, adding "Always book my seats in advance and pay for where I want to sit. Book ahead if you want to sit together."

This practical voice said, "If you want/need to sit with your family book it that way."

And this one quoted sage advice from a cartoon: "To quote Family Guy, 'Your poor planning does not constitute an emergency for me'."

But that was met with this rebuttal: "People commenting that the seats should always be booked together have never experienced rebooked flights, or other troubles while flying."

Do you always book seats together? Would you have sat separately from your kids as this mum did? Tell us in the comments on Facebook!

Originally published as Mum declines to sit with her own kids on a plane to teach a stranger a lesson