Children often struggle with the confined space and prolonged sitting that come with flying. So parents need to pack a stash of toys and books and come up with all sorts of mini activities to keep them entertained in the air.

If that sounds difficult, well, it is! That’s why having someone to share the responsibilities with can make a world of difference in ensuring a smoother and more enjoyable flight for everyone on board.

Father and Reddit user Fit-Kangaroo585 should have known this—after all, he and his wife have three kids. However, during their recent family vacation, he got a chance to upgrade to first class for a fraction of the usual cost and left his partner to manage the little ones alone in economy, something the woman was very unhappy with.

Marital trust is knowing that when the time comes, your spouse will do the right thing

Image credits: seventyfourimages (not the actual image)

So when this man’s wife told him that he had broken theirs, he asked the internet if he was really to blame

Image credits: RDNE Stock project (not the actual image)

Image credits: Fit-Kangaroo585

Flying with children is a hassle, and 3 of them means three times the work

Raising children as a team is about working together, agreeing on a shared approach to parenting, making decisions together, and supporting each other along the way, not about stepping aside and hoping that your partner picks up the slack.

Psychotherapist Debbie Pincus, who has over two decades of experience, highlights that every time you argue with your spouse, the focus shifts away from where it should be—on the children’s behavior.

Now, instead of enjoying their vacation, the couple has to spend energy on repairing their relationship.

An increasing body of research indicates that for household responsibilities, women carry a much bigger load than men. Experts say that this hidden work comes in three overlapping categories. There’s cognitive labor, which is thinking about all the practical elements of household responsibilities, including organizing playdates, shopping, and planning activities. Then there’s emotional labor, which is maintaining the family’s emotions, calming things down if the kids are acting up or worrying about how they are managing at school. The third is mental load, which is the intersection of the two: preparing, organizing, and anticipating everything, emotional and practical, that needs to get done to make life flow.

Maybe the husband could’ve used this opportunity to acknowledge his wife’s efforts and give the first-class seat to her.

People who have read the dad’s story think he owes it to his wife

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