Copyright New York Post
Frequent flyers might not get a kick out of this. Air travel today is no laughing matter, thanks to the recent string of flight delays and cancellations amid the government shutdown. But making matters worse for the few fortunate jet-setters whose planes actually take off are cranky, crying kiddos who ruin the trip for everyone — namely the unlucky lump seated next to them. “Worst flight of my life,” Paul Lee, a digital nomad, wrote in the captions of a chaotic clip with over 3.7 million TikTok views. The footage featured the feet of a cantankerous toddler, Lee’s seatmate, repeatedly kicking him in the arm. “Worst possible seat ever next to a crying baby,” he groaned beneath the vid, which triggered a firestorm of furious responses from commenters who blame the gentle parenting style for the mid-flight misbehavior. “Mothers, [please] remember your kid is only special to you. Be respectful of others’ space,” wrote an outraged onlooker. “Letting your kid kick a stranger is NOT ACCEPTABLE!!!!,” barked another. “Gentle parenting in action,” raged an equally peeved critic of the relaxed child-rearing trend. It’s an easygoing approach with rough results. Moms and dads of the gentle parenting fad prioritize children’s emotions and personal processes over consequences and punishments. The kids are often permitted to do as they please sans parental intervention, course-correction, or consideration for others. The 20-somethings of Gen Z, who make up 32% of the gentle parenting population, as well as millennials in their 30s and up, have led the charge in the laissez-faire movement over the past few years. And Kelly Medina Enos, 34, a mom of two, is proudly in that number. The blond recently went viral after revealing she doesn’t teach her tots to apologize — to her or others — after they’ve committed an offense. “Expecting a child to have empathy is a learnt skill,” Enos argued. “If we say, ‘Go and say sorry’ — if say they snatch a toy — it’s forced.” But forcing tykes to conduct themselves with politeness and compassion is what parenting is all about, according to the angry mob under Lee’s post. “America has horrible ‘parents.’ I feel sorry for those kids, they are in for a rude awakening,” spat a digital detractor. “Yet people wonder some might want child-free flights. It’s not about hating children, flights in itself can be frustrating and exhausting experience and children make it even worse,” another explained. “Parents letting their kids do this to people is WILD,” commented a separate gentle parenting naysayer. “That’s incredibly embarrassing.”
