“Rich People, Don’t Spoil Your Kids”: Heated Discussion Starts After Dad Leaves His Kids In Coach While Flying First Class
Flying with kids is a whole can of worms, but most people tend to talk about crying, keeping them entertained, and the general chaos they can create. Less often, does the discussion turn to the costs.
A dad filmed a TikTok that ended up going pretty viral as its contents split a lot of opinions online. In the clip, he leaves his kids in economy class (with a nanny) and heads off to fly first class, as he believes that one shouldn’t spoil children. The comments section was rife with discussion, as some agreed with this argument and others thought he was being unnecessarily cruel to his kids.
More info: TikTok
Flying first class is comfortable, but is this luxury wasted on younger children?
Image credits: samuel_leeds
A dad certainly thought so, when he filmed a TikTok where he left his kids in economy class while he flew at the front of the plane
Image credits: samuel_leeds
Image credits: samuel_leeds
Image credits: samuel_leeds
Image credits: samuel_leeds
Image credits: samuel_leeds
Image credits: samuel_leeds
You can watch the full clip here
@samuel_leeds Don’t worry, they were sat with their nanny ❤️ dint spoil your children #samuelleeds #richpeopleproblems #spoiledchild ♬ original sound – Samuel Leeds
When one sits down and thinks about it, a young child really will not understand the purported benefits of flying first class
Image credits: Hanson Lu (not the actual photo)
Ultimately, it’s the parents’ children and the parents’ money, they are free to do whatever they want within the confines of the law. While some commenters decry “leaving the kids alone,” they are with a nanny, within easy reach, and do not seem unhappy at the whole situation. And if we step back and analyze Dad’s logic, it makes financial sense. First class obviously boasts better seats, privacy, and more legroom. Children, notoriously, are quite a bit smaller than adults, so even the minuscule seating a budget airline might provide would still be sufficient for someone half the size of an adult.
Let’s also go through the other benefits of first class. Better food and drink are always appreciated, but not by children or even some adults for that matter. It’s pretty unlikely that samuel_leeds kids were going to use the complimentary champagne or wine enjoyed by those at the front of the plane. Similarly, some kids have a curious palate, but most will find the “nicer” food uninspiring. Financially it also doesn’t make that much sense, as the parents would have to purchase two more first-class seats (or three if they include the nanny) for passengers who do not seem to care very much about where they are sitting.
However, his intention to not spoil his kids may have gone right over their heads
Image credits: Anna Shvets (not the actual photo)
The one area where the dad may not meet his goals is in educating his kids. He states that he doesn’t want to spoil them, which is a noble cause, but it’s questionable if the kids will actually learn a lesson here. After all, they are already being taken care of by a nanny and are traveling, putting them financially ahead of most families. The excitement of flying and their seemingly young age all indicate that any intended lessons go right over their heads, like most things for someone that small. Psychologists also believe that the main way parents can combat a spoiled child is by modifying their behavior. A tantrum or moment of impetus is a teaching opportunity, but the kids in the video seem well-behaved and content.
This does indicate that samuel_leeds, his wife, and their nanny have all done the right things off-screen to keep the kids grounded, just this specific act is likely not going to contribute much. After all, spoiling a child normally happens when they constantly get whatever they demand, but there is no indication that they actually want to be in first class or even recognize that it’s something particularly desirable. Many comments seemed unnecessarily hostile, assuming a lot about the video’s creator and his parenting style. But once the knee-jerk reaction to “leaving the kids” is set aside, his and his wife’s decision makes total sense.
Some viewers agreed with the logic, after all, kids don’t need lots of legroom and complimentary champagne
While others thought it wasn’t actually teaching the kids anything
My dad and his wife put me and my siblings on a flight without them. I was 13, they were 11, 7 and 6. My dad was in the navy and the navy was OK with putting 4 children unaccompanied on a commercial flight. So, we're flying from LA to Chicago and about half way there, people start getting mad that my 6 year old brother is kicking seats, running up and down the isle with my 7 year old sister joining him while laughing and yelling. The flight crew is pretty irritated too so one of them says loudly that's their oldest sister over there (pointing to my seat). The last half of the flight, I had adults keep asking me why I couldn't keep my siblings under control. Fun trip. Parents need to supervise their kids plus nowadays, it's getting kinda scary to fly with fights breaking out among passengers not to mention the creeps that would be delighted to sit next to unaccompanied little children.
It's crappy that you got stuck with the role of responsible adult - you were a 13-year-old expected to have authority over your rambunctious siblings. I hope your parents didn't repeat the experiment. In the above case, the couple delegated to their nanny, who has the maturity and experience (and likely the training) to deal with young children.
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i don't really mind if they wanted some private time. they had a nanny, so it's basically the equivalent of going on a date and leaving them with a sitter, but they're even closer if they're needed what i don't get is the idea that it teaches a lesson. like unless the kids were throwing tantrums because they demanded stuff and were acting spoiled, what lesson are they supposed to learn/puzzle out from all this? by all means, you work hard and deserve a treat and some quiet, upscale time together, but you're not the morality teacher you think you are.
I dunno, I kinda like being with my kids and holidays are family time so I'd want to be with them even more so for the whole experience. Yeah it's nice to get a break once in a while but I wouldn't ever plan a family event with the express purpose of being apart. I mean, why have a family if you want to act like you don't? I'm fully accepting that I could be the odd one out here, but I'd feel awful sending the message that I deserve better treatment than my children or that I don't want to be with them - it'd sit in my separate seat away from them wishing they were with me so I guess it defeats the purpose, I'd be popping back every few mins to see them even if they were being looked after by someone else. I like their company, I have fun with them. Each to their own but definitely not something I would do because I wouldn't want to.
Yeah I agree my parents did not even let me out of their sight at that age especially on vacations. Everything was done together as a family and my parents and I had a blast together. Some people actually like their kids and love spending time with them. I wonder if they let them stay in a nice hotel with them or did they leave their kids at a roach motel as well 🙄
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Because he's a successful business man taking his kids on vacation with the nanny?? Lol OK. Sounds like someone is deflecting.
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I don't have a problem with that. It's like buying expensive shoes for a 4yo. Why waist money when they will be just as happy (if not happier) with a Peppa Pig pair of trainers for £20
Surely it’s more like buying any expensive clothing. If you buy expensive classy gear then good for you; if it’s plastered with labels you look (at best) gauche. If you want to get first class for you and your wife whilst slapping the kid and nanny in coach is your shout; bragging about it undercuts any claim that you’re teaching your kid a valuable life lesson.
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I have four kids. They would have whooped and cheered if their dad and I had trusted them enough to leave them to their own devices. It shows them you consider them grown up enough to behave without us breathing down their necks. Builds character. I wouldn't leave a toddler however unless the nanny was comfortable. But never having had a nanny I guess it's moot point...
My four would likely be terrified to be honest, and given my boys have adhd I'd likely be worried the whole time too, I couldn't relax, not that I think they'd do anything bad but they can forget there's people around them that don't want to hear them constantly, or move to let them wander every few minutes. But bottom line really is that I'd want us to be together as a family and so would they even if it's just sitting next to each other with headphones on.
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I don't have a problem with the action but with the justification. If a parent hires a nanny so they can enjoy their flight more, and the kids don't go to first class because it would be wasted on them, that's fine. But the "'I'm rich but my kids aren't' attitude seems Scrooge-like, and places the idea in the kids' mind that this family isn't an us and a we, but an adversarial relationship. If my parents said things like that, I would probably feel like I couldn't rely on them to be in my corner. Adults are already so much more powerful than kids without them having to rub it in.
I agree. I tried to express a similar opinion a few comments below, but you put it in words perfectly. Of course they didn't earn it. They're kids. I thought being able to provide for your children is something to be thankful for.
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They are on a really nice plane going to a really nice place with their family. What are you talking about? Mom and dad want to enjoy first class for a few hours alone. What's the big deal?
Load More Replies... I'm sorry, but what's the point of "earning" nice things if not to share with your loved ones? The children flying first class might be unnecessary, but the whole mindset behind it is awful. I mean, what is the end his money is the means to if not being able to provide a good life to his family. Or if it's not that, why does he even need a family? Having money for the sake of having it.
I think people should raise their kids instead of paying other people to raise them. I think he is spoiled and the kids will be spoiled to no matter what because they will learn from him and their mother.
People need sitters and nannies to go to work. They are both successful business owners. You can't run a business with a child in your lap. They need a nanny. And just because a person is rich doesn't mean they don't need help.
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They are with a nanny. They are supervised. The kids won't appreciate first class. I don't see a problem here. I doubt the kids are learning any lesson, but thats still ok imo.
The kids are learning that the parents don't want to be with them even on vacation, and that they will go for material comfort over family togetherness.
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I'd feel like a trash human being making the nanny sit back there.
Rich people's kids have nannies instead of parents. No wonder they're so disrespectful and demanding when they're grown.
I'd prefer to be with my kids, but so long as they had the nanny there I really don't see the problem. I think I'd probably have flown all five people first class though. Kids don't get spoiled by nice things, they get spoiled by never being told no and not being taught how to be humble.
To each their own. I used to fly a lot for work and on occasion I've seen what appears to be a caregiver accompanying or traveling with children, w or w/o parents. What seems classless is to BRAG that one can afford two international first class seats bc one owns a business w. supportive partner, and can afford a nanny, all under the thin guise of smart parenting. If one needed to post, post smarter, like, 'Kids are with the nanny, and I took my wife out for date night, lol.'. Real wealth doesn't talk, it merely whispers. The desire for envy from strangers always comes with a cost and is a tiresome game in my opinion.
These kids are going on a vacation. Inorder for the plane to have 3 class levels, it's gotta be a really nice plane, not spirit airlines. Probably a plane that most of you couldn't even afford a coach ticket on. What a cruel father to take his children on vacation. Most of you can't afford to fly your kids anywhere outside your tri-state area, get real. You guys are mad that he can afford a nanny to travel along on vacation to ensure he and his wife get a healthy amount of adult time in, because you know that is critical in any marriage, rich or poor. They seem like great parents, kids look hella happy, untramatized, living a well rounded life seeing the world ect..... and yal mad because they had to sit with the nanny, a few yards away while mon and dad enjoyed a higher level of luxury alone that they earned and deserved. Someone call child services asap!!! What horrible parents!
I don't see a problem here. Shoot I've flown with friends and family and have upgraded my seats before. You're on the same plane, it's not like you cannot walk 10 meters if a situation arises and tend to it
You mean like the parents did in Home Alone? So what? This guy thinks he’s doing something that no one else has ever done before and felt the need to make a long TikTok about it? 🙄
He's actually copying what Donald and Ivanna Trump used to do with their kids. Ivanna wrote about it in one of her books.
Load More Replies... Kids don’t belong in first class, so I agree with this person. You should have to be at least 15 for first class.
Not sure I agree with 15 as the age limit, but why is this downvoted? I get if it's a tired parent who wants some extra legroom and is sitting there with an infant that's sleeping the entire way. But who tf wants to deal with toddlers kicking seats and running around in first class? A lot of kids are ill-behaved as is on planes, why should they be allowed to disturb people who paid a lot of money to get some peace and quiet/ quality time. To me it's a bit like the quiet cabin on a train, a lot of kids aren't able to behave well enough to be there. The difference is that on a train the kids and parents can be asked to leave the cabin and sit elsewhere, you can't do that on a plane so I would understand a blanket rule banning toddlers from 1st class. Would kinda like someone pointing out why this is wrong if it is cuz I genuinely don't see why it would be an issue, it's not like business isn't an option if you can afford 1st class anyway
Load More Replies... My dad and his wife put me and my siblings on a flight without them. I was 13, they were 11, 7 and 6. My dad was in the navy and the navy was OK with putting 4 children unaccompanied on a commercial flight. So, we're flying from LA to Chicago and about half way there, people start getting mad that my 6 year old brother is kicking seats, running up and down the isle with my 7 year old sister joining him while laughing and yelling. The flight crew is pretty irritated too so one of them says loudly that's their oldest sister over there (pointing to my seat). The last half of the flight, I had adults keep asking me why I couldn't keep my siblings under control. Fun trip. Parents need to supervise their kids plus nowadays, it's getting kinda scary to fly with fights breaking out among passengers not to mention the creeps that would be delighted to sit next to unaccompanied little children.
It's crappy that you got stuck with the role of responsible adult - you were a 13-year-old expected to have authority over your rambunctious siblings. I hope your parents didn't repeat the experiment. In the above case, the couple delegated to their nanny, who has the maturity and experience (and likely the training) to deal with young children.
Load More Replies... i don't really mind if they wanted some private time. they had a nanny, so it's basically the equivalent of going on a date and leaving them with a sitter, but they're even closer if they're needed what i don't get is the idea that it teaches a lesson. like unless the kids were throwing tantrums because they demanded stuff and were acting spoiled, what lesson are they supposed to learn/puzzle out from all this? by all means, you work hard and deserve a treat and some quiet, upscale time together, but you're not the morality teacher you think you are.
I dunno, I kinda like being with my kids and holidays are family time so I'd want to be with them even more so for the whole experience. Yeah it's nice to get a break once in a while but I wouldn't ever plan a family event with the express purpose of being apart. I mean, why have a family if you want to act like you don't? I'm fully accepting that I could be the odd one out here, but I'd feel awful sending the message that I deserve better treatment than my children or that I don't want to be with them - it'd sit in my separate seat away from them wishing they were with me so I guess it defeats the purpose, I'd be popping back every few mins to see them even if they were being looked after by someone else. I like their company, I have fun with them. Each to their own but definitely not something I would do because I wouldn't want to.
Yeah I agree my parents did not even let me out of their sight at that age especially on vacations. Everything was done together as a family and my parents and I had a blast together. Some people actually like their kids and love spending time with them. I wonder if they let them stay in a nice hotel with them or did they leave their kids at a roach motel as well 🙄
Load More Replies... Because he's a successful business man taking his kids on vacation with the nanny?? Lol OK. Sounds like someone is deflecting.
Load More Replies... I don't have a problem with that. It's like buying expensive shoes for a 4yo. Why waist money when they will be just as happy (if not happier) with a Peppa Pig pair of trainers for £20
Surely it’s more like buying any expensive clothing. If you buy expensive classy gear then good for you; if it’s plastered with labels you look (at best) gauche. If you want to get first class for you and your wife whilst slapping the kid and nanny in coach is your shout; bragging about it undercuts any claim that you’re teaching your kid a valuable life lesson.
Load More Replies... I have four kids. They would have whooped and cheered if their dad and I had trusted them enough to leave them to their own devices. It shows them you consider them grown up enough to behave without us breathing down their necks. Builds character. I wouldn't leave a toddler however unless the nanny was comfortable. But never having had a nanny I guess it's moot point...
My four would likely be terrified to be honest, and given my boys have adhd I'd likely be worried the whole time too, I couldn't relax, not that I think they'd do anything bad but they can forget there's people around them that don't want to hear them constantly, or move to let them wander every few minutes. But bottom line really is that I'd want us to be together as a family and so would they even if it's just sitting next to each other with headphones on.
Load More Replies... I don't have a problem with the action but with the justification. If a parent hires a nanny so they can enjoy their flight more, and the kids don't go to first class because it would be wasted on them, that's fine. But the "'I'm rich but my kids aren't' attitude seems Scrooge-like, and places the idea in the kids' mind that this family isn't an us and a we, but an adversarial relationship. If my parents said things like that, I would probably feel like I couldn't rely on them to be in my corner. Adults are already so much more powerful than kids without them having to rub it in.
I agree. I tried to express a similar opinion a few comments below, but you put it in words perfectly. Of course they didn't earn it. They're kids. I thought being able to provide for your children is something to be thankful for.
Load More Replies... They are on a really nice plane going to a really nice place with their family. What are you talking about? Mom and dad want to enjoy first class for a few hours alone. What's the big deal?
Load More Replies... I'm sorry, but what's the point of "earning" nice things if not to share with your loved ones? The children flying first class might be unnecessary, but the whole mindset behind it is awful. I mean, what is the end his money is the means to if not being able to provide a good life to his family. Or if it's not that, why does he even need a family? Having money for the sake of having it.
I think people should raise their kids instead of paying other people to raise them. I think he is spoiled and the kids will be spoiled to no matter what because they will learn from him and their mother.
People need sitters and nannies to go to work. They are both successful business owners. You can't run a business with a child in your lap. They need a nanny. And just because a person is rich doesn't mean they don't need help.
Load More Replies... They are with a nanny. They are supervised. The kids won't appreciate first class. I don't see a problem here. I doubt the kids are learning any lesson, but thats still ok imo.
The kids are learning that the parents don't want to be with them even on vacation, and that they will go for material comfort over family togetherness.
Load More Replies... I'd feel like a trash human being making the nanny sit back there.
Rich people's kids have nannies instead of parents. No wonder they're so disrespectful and demanding when they're grown.
I'd prefer to be with my kids, but so long as they had the nanny there I really don't see the problem. I think I'd probably have flown all five people first class though. Kids don't get spoiled by nice things, they get spoiled by never being told no and not being taught how to be humble.
To each their own. I used to fly a lot for work and on occasion I've seen what appears to be a caregiver accompanying or traveling with children, w or w/o parents. What seems classless is to BRAG that one can afford two international first class seats bc one owns a business w. supportive partner, and can afford a nanny, all under the thin guise of smart parenting. If one needed to post, post smarter, like, 'Kids are with the nanny, and I took my wife out for date night, lol.'. Real wealth doesn't talk, it merely whispers. The desire for envy from strangers always comes with a cost and is a tiresome game in my opinion.
These kids are going on a vacation. Inorder for the plane to have 3 class levels, it's gotta be a really nice plane, not spirit airlines. Probably a plane that most of you couldn't even afford a coach ticket on. What a cruel father to take his children on vacation. Most of you can't afford to fly your kids anywhere outside your tri-state area, get real. You guys are mad that he can afford a nanny to travel along on vacation to ensure he and his wife get a healthy amount of adult time in, because you know that is critical in any marriage, rich or poor. They seem like great parents, kids look hella happy, untramatized, living a well rounded life seeing the world ect..... and yal mad because they had to sit with the nanny, a few yards away while mon and dad enjoyed a higher level of luxury alone that they earned and deserved. Someone call child services asap!!! What horrible parents!
I don't see a problem here. Shoot I've flown with friends and family and have upgraded my seats before. You're on the same plane, it's not like you cannot walk 10 meters if a situation arises and tend to it
You mean like the parents did in Home Alone? So what? This guy thinks he’s doing something that no one else has ever done before and felt the need to make a long TikTok about it? 🙄
He's actually copying what Donald and Ivanna Trump used to do with their kids. Ivanna wrote about it in one of her books.
Load More Replies... Kids don’t belong in first class, so I agree with this person. You should have to be at least 15 for first class.
Not sure I agree with 15 as the age limit, but why is this downvoted? I get if it's a tired parent who wants some extra legroom and is sitting there with an infant that's sleeping the entire way. But who tf wants to deal with toddlers kicking seats and running around in first class? A lot of kids are ill-behaved as is on planes, why should they be allowed to disturb people who paid a lot of money to get some peace and quiet/ quality time. To me it's a bit like the quiet cabin on a train, a lot of kids aren't able to behave well enough to be there. The difference is that on a train the kids and parents can be asked to leave the cabin and sit elsewhere, you can't do that on a plane so I would understand a blanket rule banning toddlers from 1st class. Would kinda like someone pointing out why this is wrong if it is cuz I genuinely don't see why it would be an issue, it's not like business isn't an option if you can afford 1st class anyway
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