Man divides opinion after giving woman with screaming baby seat next to his wife on flight
A man has divided the internet after he admitted to giving up his seat next to his wife to a woman with a screaming baby.
The anonymous passenger shared an anecdote about an incident that occurred on a flight on his way back to the US from Hawaii with his wife.
The man took to Reddit's infamous 'Am I The A**hole' thread to ask if he was in the wrong for choosing to offer his seat to another woman with a crying baby to 'teach his nagging wife a lesson'.
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He started off by informing he was on a 'free trip' that was paid for by his wife's dad, and all in all they had a great time together.
Though he clearly stated that he is 'less experienced' with plane travel and in 'first class' as compared to his wife, who travels a lot more frequently.
The problem started when they were disturbed by a mother and her crying baby, who were the first ones to board the flight - and the wife wasn't happy at all.
"While I felt sympathy, my wife was mad. She kept making comments about how our flight was going to be miserable as the best. Her completing went on for the longest time," he explained.
"She kept saying that the mother was irresponsible and if she doesn’t know how to calm her baby, she shouldn’t be taking it on a plane."
Though the man tried to 'calm her down', she didn't budge and he finally went to speak to the mother, requesting her to move to his seat in first class so that she can sit comfortably with her feet up.
Initially, the woman resisted but after her husband encouraged her, she agreed to take up his offer.
During the remaining flight time, the man found himself inundated with angry texts from his wife.
He wrote on Reddit that he didn't think it was a 'huge deal' because his wife bought 'noise cancelling' headphones.
Predictably, the kind man found himself in a difficult spot with his wife who was 'livid' after the flight, and told him that he 'ruined her flight and ruined the end of the trip for her'.
Despite the man's attempt to downplay the situation as 'overreacting', his wife refused to let it go and continued to hold onto her feelings of anger.
After the Reddit admission went viral, a clinical psychologist decided to comment on the issue.
Dr. Jayme Albin, of New York, told Fox News: "This man made a huge mistake in his marriage and better get his priorities straight if he wants to stay married.
"Putting the needs of another woman before his own wife is a big no-no, especially when your wife is distressed.
"He completely discounted his wife’s feelings and her need for connection and feeling important and protected by him — and instead opted to dote on and accommodate the needs of another woman."
And it seems as if the internet agrees with Albin's observation, with one suggesting: "If you have something that's bothering you, then you should talk about it and resolve it right away. There's no need for this passive kind of behavior."
And another said: "Why isn't a woman allowed to complain to a husband about a crying baby? … She didn't confront the woman [or] make loud comments so the woman could hear. She didn't make a scene. She [moaned] to her spouse."
A third wrote: "you decided to punish your wife. You were on a free trip paid for by her father — and decided you needed to be [petty about it]. I wouldn't invite you on the next trip."
However, some pointed out the wife's unnecessary reaction to the baby, with one saying: "I don’t understand the obsessive hatred people have with crying babies on planes.
"You should go into a flight prepared knowing that there will probably be babies, snoring people, smelly people, people who accidentally touch you and other little annoyances."
Rashi Agarwal