Entitled Mom Broke My Daughter’s iPad on a Flight — and Regretted It Faster Than I Ever Expected.

Flying with a five-year-old can be challenging, but that day, things were going surprisingly well. My daughter, Ella, was peacefully watching her favorite show on her iPad, headphones on, calm and content.

Across the aisle sat a boy about the same age, but he wasn’t nearly as relaxed. His eyes kept darting to Ella’s screen, and he grew more and more restless in his seat.

— “Mom, I want to watch too!” he whined.

His mother — let’s call her Entitled Mom (EM) — sighed dramatically before tapping me on the shoulder.

— “We’re being responsible and not allowing screen time for our son on this trip,” she said.
— “Could you please put the iPad away? It’s upsetting him.”

I blinked, stunned.

— “Sorry, but no. My daughter is calm and enjoying her show.”

EM’s polite smile vanished instantly. She scoffed and shook her head.

— “Wow… So you’d rather ruin our family trip than take away your kid’s precious screen?”

Then, just loud enough for others nearby to hear, she muttered:

— “Some parents just can’t say no these days. No wonder kids are so spoiled.”

I bit my tongue and turned back to Ella. She was happy, quiet, and I wasn’t about to disrupt that because of someone else’s parenting decisions.

But EM wasn’t finished.

The “Accident” That Wasn’t

She kept trying to calm her son down, but instead of redirecting him, she made the worst possible choice.

Without warning, EM “accidentally” knocked over Ella’s tray, sending the iPad crashing to the floor with a sickening thud.

— “Oops! So clumsy of me!” she said with an infuriating smirk.

I wanted to scream. I wanted to make her take responsibility. But she was already in full performance mode, acting like it was a harmless accident.

I took a deep breath. Karma has a way of handling things, I told myself.

What I didn’t expect was for karma to act so fast.

Instant Karma

Not long after the incident, EM’s son started crying again — but this time, not because of the iPad.

— “Mommy, I feel bad! I feel bad about the iPad!” he sobbed.

EM’s face turned ghost white. In her attempt to control the situation, she had not only upset my daughter — she had unknowingly taught her own son a painful lesson in guilt.

I didn’t say a word. There was nothing left to say. I just focused on comforting Ella.

A Small Act of Kindness

As I reached up to get a backup toy from the overhead bin, a flight attendant quietly approached.

— “I saw what happened,” she said softly. “That was completely unacceptable.”

With a kind smile, she handed Ella a small stuffed airplane from the airline’s merchandise. Ella hugged it tightly, and finally stopped crying.

— “Thank you,” I whispered.

The flight attendant nodded.

— “I’ll be reporting this to my supervisor as well. That woman may be facing some consequences.”

An Unexpected Apology

As we prepared to land, I noticed EM shifting awkwardly in her seat.

When we finally disembarked, she caught my eye. And to my complete surprise, she muttered:

— “Sorry.”

I didn’t respond. I just gave her a small nod and turned my attention back to Ella, who was smiling and cuddling her new stuffed airplane.

— “Mom, can we fly again soon?” she asked.

I smiled and squeezed her hand.

— “Of course, sweetheart.”