Whether it’s by plane, train or automobile, traveling can be a stressful experience for anyone. And it can be even more challenging when you have to take small children along with you. But as difficult as it is to get your kiddos from Point A to Point B, it’s not fair to make everyone else’s journey miserable along the way. 

One woman recently posted a story on Reddit detailing a frustrating encounter she had with a mother and child on a train. But instead of losing her temper, she decided to get revenge by simply being honest with the kid. Below, you’ll find the full story, as well as some of the replies amused readers shared.

Many of us often encounter frustrating passengers when traveling

Image credits: maria_symchychnavr / Envato Elements (not the actual photo)

But this woman refused to let a child and his mother get away with tormenting her during a train journey

Image credits: Srikanta H. U / Unsplash (not the actual photo)

Image credits: r/childfree

Image credits: Arzella BEKTAŞ / Pexels (not the actual photo)

Entitled parents often teach their children to behave in the exact same way

What is it about traveling that makes some people want to be on their absolute worst behavior? Perhaps they have a meltdown when someone refuses to swap seats on a plane, or maybe they manage to get their flight canceled after being rude to airline staff.

It seems like every day there’s a new story making its rounds on the internet featuring an entitled traveler and the way they made everyone else’s journey more difficult. And unfortunately, these selfish travelers are sometimes parents who are teaching their children to act the exact same way. 

But according to Nama Winston at Kidspot, it’s time for these parents to get over themselves. Nama says that, if a minor inconvenience like not getting your preferred seat while traveling is the worst thing that happens to you on any given day, then that’s a pretty good day. Just because you have a child with you doesn’t mean that you get to demand anything you want.

In fact, if a parent does exhibit behavior like this in front of their kids, they’re probably going to raise them to be the same way. According to HuffPost, having entitled parents often teaches children to develop the same behaviors. Monkey see, monkey do! This can also make children unprepared to deal with adversity.

Sometimes, kids even develop an inferiority complex if Mom and Dad were entitled. And this can create issues in the child’s future, as they may struggle with employment and in their personal relationships. As adults, they might even swing too far in the other direction, trying not to be entitled, which can make them easier to take advantage of.

Image credits: cottonbro studio / Pexels (not the actual photo)

It’s rarely a good idea to lie to children, even when it comes to Santa Claus

Another aspect of this story, however, is the issue of Santa Claus. Should we be lying to our children about the magical man in the first place? The BBC asked some experts their opinion on this, and four out of five said that it’s probably not wise to deceive kids in this way.

The consensus was that it’s never a good idea to mislead our children, as it can damage their trust in us when they find out the truth. Plus, we want our kids to be able to distinguish between reality and fantasy, and convincing them that Santa is real can make that much more challenging.

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And, as Peter Ellerton, Lecturer in Critical Thinking at The University of Queensland, pointed out, “If only good children get presents, what does that say about poor families? What value judgments are being formed? What if children themselves are poor? How does this narrative impact their sense of self-worth? Children are far more alert to these implications that we give them credit for.”

If you’re worried about ruining the magic of Christmas by revealing the truth about Santa Claus, The Mom Psychologist, Dr. Jazmine, says not to fret. There are plenty of ways to make Christmas special without lying to our kids. We can watch holiday films with them, bake cookies together, build Gingerbread houses, volunteer at a local food bank, drive around to see Christmas lights, drop off treats on friends’ doorsteps and more. 

We would love to hear your thoughts on this situation in the comments below, pandas. Do you think this woman did anything wrong by revealing the truth about Santa? Feel free to weigh in, and then, you can find another Bored Panda article discussing similar themes right here! 

Readers shared mixed opinions on the story, and the author joined in on the conversation to provide more details

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