A 19-year-old girl recently shared a story on Reddit about being unexpectedly asked to care for a crying baby during a flight. The incident, which occurred on a six-hour plane journey, left the teen feeling uncomfortable and accused of “mom-shaming” by the baby’s mother.
In her post, the young woman explained that she had prepared for the flight by bringing her playlist, headphones, and anxiety medication, as she is a nervous flyer. She was seated by the window and quickly fell asleep after boarding. However, things took an unexpected turn when a woman with a baby sat next to her, with no one in the middle seat.
“I put my headphones on and fell asleep almost immediately,” she wrote. “Then, I felt a hand on my shoulder, shaking me. I took my headphones off and heard the baby screaming.”
The woman asked the teen if she could hold the baby while she went to the restroom. The 19-year-old, who had no experience with babies, replied that she could hold the baby but wasn’t sure how to do so properly.
Despite her concerns, the woman handed the baby over and left for the bathroom. “I tried to comfort the baby, but he kept screaming,” the teen wrote, adding that she felt bad about the situation.
When the mother returned, she scolded the teenager for not properly supporting the baby’s head. The teen apologized, but the situation escalated when the mother involved the flight attendant, claiming the girl hadn’t properly cared for the child.
The flight attendant seemed unsure of how to respond, with the teen recalling, “The attendant was kind of like, ‘What do you want me to do?'” The mother also took photos of the teenager, though the reason for this was unclear.
After landing, the mother accused the girl of “hating babies” and putting her headphones back on because she found the baby annoying. The teen was also accused of “mom-shaming” the mother, which she firmly denied, explaining she simply didn’t know how to care for a baby.
The post sparked a flood of comments from other parents, many of whom criticized the mother’s decision to ask a sleeping teenager for help. “I would have asked a flight attendant for help instead of waking up a stranger,” one commenter said. Another added, “The mom should have made a better choice. You did your best under the circumstances.”
The incident has left the young woman feeling misunderstood, as she never intended to be unkind but simply didn’t have the experience to handle the situation properly.
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