Man’s Mid-Flight Meltdown Over Screaming Baby Kicks Off Massive Parenting Versus Passenger Debate

Crying is the only form of communication that toddlers know. Hungry? They cry. Sleepy? They cry. Tired? They cry. Uncomfortable? They cry. That’s just how it works, and literally each one of us out there has done it when we were little. 

However, babies crying on a flight is a whole different saga. While some folks are kind enough to empathize with the parents, some just roll their eyes in frustration. A Barstool fellow shared his annoyance after a 2-hour cry fest from a baby on his flight. His controversial remarks bolstered an intense debate. Here’s how it went down!

A Delta passenger was beyond frustrated when a baby was crying incessantly on a flight that was late and had no AC

Man on flight showing frustration during mid-flight meltdown over screaming baby sparking parenting versus passenger debate

Image credits: BarstoolPAT

It was just another flight for Pat McAuliffe, a contributor for Barstool Sports, when things started to go haywire. The Delta flight was not just late, but it also had no AC, and a toddler started crying incessantly. Pat was so frustrated that he vented on X, and made some harsh remarks that “the parents should brain rot the baby on TikTok until it’s quiet”.

Seems like there’s quite a big group of people who think along the same lines as Pat, as his video garnered over a whopping 18.5 million views. It didn’t end there as he made a follow-up post about how the parents were doing nothing to soothe the baby’s crying, which literally went on for 2 hours straight!

He took the matter on X and narrated his annoyance, while mentioning how the parents didn’t do anything to appease the baby, who cried for 2 hours straight

Tweet discussing man’s mid-flight meltdown over screaming baby sparking debate between parenting and passenger responsibilities.

Image credits: BarstoolPAT

Tweet discussing man’s mid-flight meltdown over screaming baby sparking debate between parenting and passenger concerns.

Image credits: BarstoolPAT

Tweet from Pat discussing parenting stress caused by kids crying during flights in a heated parenting versus passenger debate.

Image credits: BarstoolPAT

I can honestly tell that the thinking clocks are whirring in some of your heads as you debate what he said. That’s exactly what happened amongst netizens. Some were utterly shocked by his insensitive remarks, while others said they could sympathize with him. 

A few also said that while his complaining about the situation was immature, the parents’ lack of effort to stop it was what made them side with him. To get a first-hand understanding of how it really feels, Bored Panda interviewed Saee and Nikhil, avid travelers who document their travel stories on their Instagram account, apparentlytrippy. 

Even after the couple had a baby, it didn’t stop them from traveling, and now, their 2-year-old daughter has already been to over 10 countries! They mentioned that flights are especially tricky because toddlers simply don’t want to stay put in one place. Entertaining the baby throughout the flight is the only solution, the couple added.

Man mid-flight meltdown covering face in airplane seat, illustrating parenting versus passenger debate over screaming baby.

Image credits: Dragana Stock / Freepik (not the actual photo)

His controversial remarks didn’t go down well, as he claimed the parents should “brain rot the baby on TikTok until it’s quiet”

The couple also told us how they have had their fair share of empathy, hostile looks, and even unsolicited advice from strangers when their baby cried on a flight. “Trying to pacify a baby 30,000 feet in the air, inside a tiny space, is probably the toughest parenting test. And when people are mean about it, it instantly plays on our anxiety and social pressure,” Saee explained. 

Nikhil narrated how once a random lady literally came and grabbed their baby from their hands, claiming that she was “just trying to pacify her”. Of course, this just made the toddler cry ten times harder till she was red in the face. “We were beyond angry, of course. But such times just make us wish that there were more compassionate people out there,” Nikhil added.

Crying toddler on airplane near window causing mid-flight meltdown amid parenting versus passenger debate.

Image credits: Image generated by Bored Panda using chatGPT

Many netizens flagged down Pat’s “advice” that the couple should thrust a screen in front of the baby. He also insisted that they walk him down the aisle, but some claimed that there are times when nothing works. We asked our power couple about the tricks that they have up their sleeve to pacify their baby.

They explained, “We have made an effort not to show a screen to our baby, so now, we are quite the experts in entertaining her in other ways. Walking her down the aisle, playing games with her, reading her books, playing with toys, singing her songs, or just making random gestures and poses to distract her, we have done it all.”

The couple also mentioned that they give her a small meal before the flight so that she stays entertained while eating light snacks during the journey. However, they stressed that sometimes, nothing works because the baby is cooped up in one place for too long. That can be a real nightmare, especially if other passengers start complaining, Nikhil and Saee added.

Passenger reacting to crying baby on airplane during mid-flight meltdown sparking parenting versus passenger debate

Image credits: EyeEm / Freepik (not the actual photo)

Considering the fact that the attention span of babies is only 4-5 minutes, we can completely understand just how much effort it can take to entertain a baby. Quite a few commentators were riled by Pat’s comments, but he did explain later that he blamed it all on Delta. 

Even I can understand his frustration that the flight was late and had no AC, but that’s no reason to lash out at the parents. Of course, the parents should put in the effort, but like our travel experts said, sometimes, nothing works. Besides, everyone’s parenting style is different, and not everyone is comfortable “brain rotting their baby on TikTok”.

Anyway, that’s it from our end, folks. We would love to hear which side you are on in this intense debate. Don’t forget to let us know in the comments below!

He sparked a massive debate as some folks criticized his harsh remarks, but some said they empathized with him

Tweet discussing a parent's stress on flight amid a debate over a screaming baby between parenting and passengers.

Tweet about a man’s mid-flight meltdown over a screaming baby sparking parenting versus passenger debate online.

Tweet by Dillon Wade addressing parenting versus passenger debate over screaming baby during flight, advocating noise-canceling AirPods use.

Tweet by Ahmed Roboey suggesting skipping public transport and booking a private jet amid man’s mid-flight meltdown over screaming baby debate.

Tweet from user Options selling with Christian reacting to a man’s mid-flight meltdown over a screaming baby sparking passenger versus parenting debate.

Screenshot of a social media reply about a man’s mid-flight meltdown over a screaming baby sparking parenting versus passenger debate.

Tweet from user James Bruce advising to use headphones for a screaming baby during a man’s mid-flight meltdown debate about parenting versus passenger.

Young boy sleeping on an airplane seat using a pillow during a mid-flight scene related to parenting versus passenger debate.

Image credits: zurijeta / Freepik (not the actual photo)

Tweet expressing frustration with crying babies on flights, sparking debate over parenting versus passenger concerns mid-flight.

Tweet discussing a man’s mid-flight meltdown over a screaming baby and the debate between parenting and passengers.

Tweet discussing a man’s mid-flight meltdown over a screaming baby sparking a massive parenting versus passenger debate.

Tweet discussing a man's mid-flight meltdown over a screaming baby sparking a massive parenting versus passenger debate.

Tweet discussing a man’s mid-flight meltdown over a screaming baby sparking parenting versus passenger debate.

Tweet discussing a man’s mid-flight meltdown over a screaming baby, sparking debate between parenting and passengers.

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