A woman has been asked to hold her stepsister’s baby in her lap on two flights on an all expenses paid family holiday but wants to refuse.
Taking babies and children on planes can be a stressful experience - the pressure can get to them and make them feel pain; they may struggle to understand the rules and etiquette of the situation and become frustrated and act out; or they may be unable to sleep or rest properly which can lead to crying and acting up.
Family holidays can be momentous and joyous - under the right circumstances. But one woman is already feeling anxious before even stepping foot in the airport. Her father has offered to pay for his entire family to go on holiday to an incredible resort. The only thing he expects people to pay for is their own flights to and from the destination.
On Reddit’s popular Am I The A**hole forum, the woman asked if she was in the wrong “for refusing to take a flight with [her] stepsister's baby in [her] lap?” She managed to find some reasonably priced flights within her budget and explained: “It does have a layover and it's still pricey for me since I don't make much, but I figure it's worth it for an otherwise all expenses paid [holiday].”
She sent the link to the same flights to her other relatives but they’re all “in better financial positions so they're all splurging on direct flights and getting better seats”. The only relative unable to do this is her stepsister, Nikki, who is on a tight budget as a single mother to twins.
Nikki wants to book the cheaper flight with her stepsister but as she has two infants, even though they are “young enough to ride in a lap”, the airlines say she needs to buy another seat. Nikki can't afford another seat, so she wants her stepsister to fly with one of her 18-month-old babies in her lap.
The woman continued: “I just don't think I could handle that for that long. They're both wriggly and I somehow doubt they're going to settle down and sleep the whole time. It's not a short flight either and I do already get a little nervous travelling. I'd rather be able to just relax and close my eyes on the plane ride and not get overloaded.
The thing is if I don't do it it means my sister won't be able to come on the trip. She really wants to come on the trip though. She hasn't gotten to travel much and probably won't get to for a while either.”
The first flight is two hours long while the second flight is eight hours long. People shared their thoughts in the comments section.
One person said: “2 hours? Easy. 8 hours? Forget about it. [...]. Besides at 15 months old these are not babies anymore but wilful opinionated toddlers who wanna walk around and move and play... They wanna be mobile and explore.”
Another simply replied: “It’s actually THE WORST age to travel with.” A third said: “Nikki has other people to appeal to for help. NTA. If you do this, you'll end up as nanny for the whole trip.”
Another commented: “Not your job to be a free babysitter at 30,000 feet. Flying with babies is hard work. Even parents struggle with their own kids on planes. Your stepsister wants a free solution to her problem by making you uncomfortable. Maybe the family can chip in for that extra seat instead?”
And another added: “Go and have a good time. Sorry that your stepsister can't go, but when you have kids, you have to make sacrifices. Not your problem.”