On a flight, I started watching an action movie. The passenger next to me, with his son, tapped my shoulder, “Turn it off. My kid doesn’t need to see violence.” I switched it off, and he thought he won, until I noticed the discomfort behind his request.
At first, I felt slightly annoyed—after all, I had chosen the movie quietly, using my headphones, and wasn’t disturbing anyone. But when I glanced at his son, a small boy clutching a stuffed dinosaur and staring nervously at the seat in front of him, I sensed there was more to the story. The father looked stressed, tired, and protective—not confrontational.
So instead of arguing, I closed the movie app and let the moment pass. As the plane settled into its cruising altitude, I opened a book instead, hoping to ease the tension between us.
A few minutes later, the boy began crying softly. His father tried to comfort him, whispering reassurances about the flight, but the boy kept trembling.
…The story doesn’t end here, it continues on the next page 👇
