{"id":22691,"date":"2026-10-30T14:33:00","date_gmt":"2026-10-30T14:33:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/readingmydairy.com\/?p=22691"},"modified":"2026-10-30T14:33:00","modified_gmt":"2026-10-30T14:33:00","slug":"a-girl-kicked-my-seat-for-two-hours-then-her-mother-saw-my-plan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/readingmydairy.com\/?p=22691","title":{"rendered":"A Girl Kicked My Seat for Two Hours\u2014Then Her Mother Saw My Plan"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cAnd I heard what you told your daughter to do when he first complained.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The woman turned toward the man in the blue sweater.<\/p>\n<p>Advertisement<br \/>\n\u201cExcuse me?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He kept his voice level.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou told her she didn\u2019t have to listen to him because he was being difficult.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The girl\u2019s eyes dropped to her sneakers.<\/p>\n<p>I hadn\u2019t heard that part. I\u2019d been facing forward, trying to ignore the pounding against my seat.<\/p>\n<p>Advertisement<br \/>\nThe flight attendant looked at the mother.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMa\u2019am, we need the kicking to stop. If your daughter needs to stretch, we can discuss appropriate times for her to move around.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The woman folded her arms.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo now everybody\u2019s against us?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo,\u201d I said. \u201cI just want to get through the rest of this flight without having my seat kicked.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She pointed toward the man beside her.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen why is he sitting there?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Advertisement<br \/>\n\u201cBecause I asked the crew whether someone could switch into the empty seat beside you, and he volunteered.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I had originally hoped the change would put another adult close enough to witness what was happening, so the crew wouldn\u2019t have to rely only on my account.<\/p>\n<p>But the man had already seen more than I knew.<\/p>\n<p>The attendant explained that the seat exchange was voluntary and that the man was entitled to remain there.<\/p>\n<p>The mother looked at her daughter.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTell them you weren\u2019t kicking.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The girl stared at the floor.<\/p>\n<p>Advertisement<br \/>\n\u201cMom.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTell them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The man in the blue sweater put down his notebook.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe doesn\u2019t need to lie for you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The woman turned sharply toward him.<\/p>\n<p>For the first time, the girl spoke without being prompted.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI did kick his seat,\u201d she said quietly.<\/p>\n<p>Advertisement<br \/>\nHer mother went still.<\/p>\n<p>Then the girl looked at me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI stopped when you turned around the first time. But Mom told me you couldn\u2019t make me stop.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I hadn\u2019t expected an apology, much less an admission.<\/p>\n<p>I was ready to let the matter end there.<\/p>\n<p>Then the girl added, \u201cAnd she said if I kept doing it, you\u2019d finally move.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I looked at the mother.<\/p>\n<p>Advertisement<br \/>\nFor two hours, I\u2019d believed I was dealing with a child whose parent couldn\u2019t be bothered to correct her behavior.<\/p>\n<p>Now it seemed the situation was different.<\/p>\n<p>The girl hadn\u2019t simply been restless.<\/p>\n<p>Her mother had encouraged her to make me uncomfortable enough to give up my seat.<\/p>\n<p>I thought back to our first exchange.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe\u2019s a child. Deal with it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Then, when I asked again, the woman had told me to move.<\/p>\n<p>Advertisement<br \/>\nAt the time, I\u2019d assumed she was being dismissive.<\/p>\n<p>I hadn\u2019t considered that moving me might have been the point.<\/p>\n<p>The flight attendant looked from the girl to her mother.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMa\u2019am, is that correct?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The woman shook her head.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe\u2019s confused.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Her daughter looked up.<\/p>\n<p>Advertisement<br \/>\n\u201cI\u2019m not confused.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The mother\u2019s mouth tightened.<\/p>\n<p>I felt uncomfortable watching them argue in the aisle.<\/p>\n<p>I hadn\u2019t asked for a public confrontation.<\/p>\n<p>I hadn\u2019t wanted to embarrass a child.<\/p>\n<p>I wanted to rest on a flight home after a long medical conference.<\/p>\n<p>That was all.<\/p>\n<p>Advertisement<br \/>\nBut I also knew that allowing the mother to deny what had happened would teach her daughter something far worse than a brief uncomfortable conversation.<\/p>\n<p>The attendant asked the woman to sit down so the aisle would remain clear.<\/p>\n<p>The mother lowered herself into her seat, still glaring at me.<\/p>\n<p>The girl sat beside her.<\/p>\n<p>The man in the blue sweater remained where he was.<\/p>\n<p>I turned forward.<\/p>\n<p>For the first time in two hours, the back of my seat was still.<\/p>\n<p>Advertisement<br \/>\nI closed my eyes.<\/p>\n<p>But sleep didn\u2019t come immediately.<\/p>\n<p>I kept thinking about the girl\u2019s words.<\/p>\n<p>Mom told me you couldn\u2019t make me stop.<\/p>\n<p>It was an odd thing for a ten-year-old to say.<\/p>\n<p>Children test limits.<\/p>\n<p>They get bored.<\/p>\n<p>Advertisement<br \/>\nThey become impatient, especially during a flight that lasts half a day.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019d raised two sons.<\/p>\n<p>I knew how difficult it could be to keep children occupied when they were tired or uncomfortable.<\/p>\n<p>But there was a difference between a child struggling to behave and an adult encouraging that behavior to get something she wanted.<\/p>\n<p>The girl had looked proud when I first turned around.<\/p>\n<p>She had smirked and kicked again.<\/p>\n<p>Now she looked miserable.<\/p>\n<p>Advertisement<br \/>\nI wondered whether she had enjoyed the attention at first and then realized she was trapped in a disagreement between adults.<\/p>\n<p>I didn\u2019t want her to become the person everyone blamed.<\/p>\n<p>Her mother had been the one with the responsibility to intervene.<\/p>\n<p>The flight attendant leaned slightly toward me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSir, are you comfortable remaining in your seat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes, thank you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf there\u2019s any further disturbance, please let us know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Advertisement<br \/>\n\u201cI will.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She nodded and continued down the aisle.<\/p>\n<p>I adjusted my seat belt.<\/p>\n<p>The cabin lights were bright enough for passengers to read, but most people nearby had settled into quiet activities.<\/p>\n<p>Someone across the aisle was watching a movie.<\/p>\n<p>A few rows ahead, a passenger was asleep with a neck pillow.<\/p>\n<p>The ordinary rhythm of the flight had returned.<\/p>\n<p>Advertisement<br \/>\nI should have been relieved.<\/p>\n<p>Instead, I was wondering whether the mother would find another way to continue the argument.<\/p>\n<p>A few minutes passed.<\/p>\n<p>Then I heard her speaking quietly to the man beside her.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou didn\u2019t have to get involved.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He answered in the same calm tone he\u2019d used before.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was already involved. I was sitting close enough to see it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou don\u2019t know what it\u2019s like traveling with a child.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know it\u2019s difficult.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen you should understand.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI understand that she\u2019s tired. I don\u2019t understand why that means another passenger should be kicked for two hours.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I almost smiled.<\/p>\n<p>He wasn\u2019t trying to insult her.<\/p>\n<p>He was simply refusing to accept the excuse.<\/p>\n<p>The mother didn\u2019t answer.<\/p>\n<p>The man reopened his notebook.<\/p>\n<p>I looked out the window.<\/p>\n<p>There was nothing much to see except a stretch of pale sky.<\/p>\n<p>I thought about Chicago.<\/p>\n<p>I thought about my wife and our two sons.<\/p>\n<p>I had been away for a week, and I missed the ordinary noise of our house.<\/p>\n<p>The boys would probably ask whether I\u2019d brought them anything from Tokyo.<\/p>\n<p>My wife would want to know whether I\u2019d managed to sleep on the plane.<\/p>\n<p>I imagined telling her what had happened.<\/p>\n<p>She would laugh at the absurdity of it, then ask why I hadn\u2019t requested help sooner.<\/p>\n<p>I already knew the answer.<\/p>\n<p>I had wanted to handle it politely.<\/p>\n<p>I had assumed the mother would eventually notice how disruptive her daughter\u2019s behavior was.<\/p>\n<p>When that didn\u2019t happen, I\u2019d hoped the girl would get bored.<\/p>\n<p>By the time two hours had passed, I was exhausted and irritated.<\/p>\n<p>But I also knew that getting angry wouldn\u2019t improve the situation.<\/p>\n<p>In my work, losing control of my emotions can make a difficult moment harder.<\/p>\n<p>That doesn\u2019t mean I never get frustrated.<\/p>\n<p>It means I\u2019ve learned to pause before acting when the stakes matter.<\/p>\n<p>On the plane, the stakes were much smaller.<\/p>\n<p>Nobody\u2019s life depended on whether I slept.<\/p>\n<p>But I still didn\u2019t want to do something foolish simply because I was angry.<\/p>\n<p>That was why I\u2019d spent so long thinking about what to do.<\/p>\n<p>I could have argued with the mother again.<\/p>\n<p>I could have turned around every time the girl kicked.<\/p>\n<p>I could have asked the crew to move me, although I didn\u2019t see why I should give up a seat because someone else refused to behave.<\/p>\n<p>Instead, I\u2019d decided to ask for help from the people responsible for managing the cabin.<\/p>\n<p>When the mother and daughter went to the restroom, I stood up and spoke to a flight attendant.<\/p>\n<p>I explained what had happened.<\/p>\n<p>I told her how long it had been going on.<\/p>\n<p>I also told her I had asked the mother twice to stop it.<\/p>\n<p>The attendant listened.<\/p>\n<p>She asked whether I wanted to move.<\/p>\n<p>I said I would prefer to remain where I was.<\/p>\n<p>Then I asked whether the empty seat beside the mother could be occupied by someone willing to switch, so there would be another adult nearby if the disturbance continued.<\/p>\n<p>The attendant said she could ask.<\/p>\n<p>The man in the blue sweater had been sitting across the aisle.<\/p>\n<p>He had heard enough to understand the situation.<\/p>\n<p>When the attendant explained the request, he volunteered.<\/p>\n<p>I thanked him.<\/p>\n<p>He shrugged.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve been watching this for a while.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I hadn\u2019t realized that.<\/p>\n<p>He gathered his things and moved into the empty seat.<\/p>\n<p>The attendant remained nearby.<\/p>\n<p>A few minutes later, the mother returned.<\/p>\n<p>Her reaction had been immediate.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did you do?!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I hadn\u2019t moved her belongings.<\/p>\n<p>I hadn\u2019t touched her tablet.<\/p>\n<p>I hadn\u2019t interfered with her daughter\u2019s seat.<\/p>\n<p>I had simply asked the crew to address a problem she refused to address herself.<\/p>\n<p>And somehow, that had made her angrier than the two hours of kicking.<\/p>\n<p>I thought about the difference between her reaction and her daughter\u2019s.<\/p>\n<p>The girl had admitted what happened.<\/p>\n<p>The mother had denied it.<\/p>\n<p>The girl had looked embarrassed.<\/p>\n<p>The mother had looked offended.<\/p>\n<p>The girl seemed ready for the situation to end.<\/p>\n<p>Her mother seemed determined to prove she had done nothing wrong.<\/p>\n<p>I wondered what the girl would remember about the flight.<\/p>\n<p>Would she remember that kicking another passenger\u2019s seat was unacceptable?<\/p>\n<p>Or would she remember that telling the truth made her mother angry?<\/p>\n<p>I hoped it would be the first.<\/p>\n<p>A little later, I felt a gentle tap on the top of my seat.<\/p>\n<p>My shoulders tightened automatically.<\/p>\n<p>I turned around.<\/p>\n<p>The girl was leaning forward slightly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSir?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Her mother was watching her.<\/p>\n<p>I waited.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m sorry I kicked your seat.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Her voice was barely above a whisper.<\/p>\n<p>I looked at her.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThank you for saying that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She nodded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was bored.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI understand.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She looked surprised.<\/p>\n<p>I continued.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLong flights are hard. But kicking somebody\u2019s seat makes their flight hard, too.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She looked down.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I wanted to say more.<\/p>\n<p>I wanted to tell her that being bored didn\u2019t make her a bad kid.<\/p>\n<p>I wanted to explain that adults sometimes make poor decisions and that she didn\u2019t have to repeat them.<\/p>\n<p>But I didn\u2019t know her.<\/p>\n<p>I wasn\u2019t her parent.<\/p>\n<p>And a lecture from a stranger in the middle of a flight wasn\u2019t likely to help.<\/p>\n<p>So I kept it simple.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLet\u2019s have a better rest of the flight.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She nodded again.<\/p>\n<p>Then she sat back.<\/p>\n<p>I turned forward.<\/p>\n<p>The man in the blue sweater caught my eye across the aisle and gave a small nod.<\/p>\n<p>I returned it.<\/p>\n<p>For the first time since boarding, I felt the tension begin to leave my shoulders.<\/p>\n<p>I adjusted the small pillow behind my neck.<\/p>\n<p>Then I closed my eyes.<\/p>\n<p>I must have slept for a while because the next thing I remember was the sound of a cart moving down the aisle.<\/p>\n<p>A flight attendant was offering drinks.<\/p>\n<p>I checked the time.<\/p>\n<p>We still had several hours to go.<\/p>\n<p>My back was stiff, but the seat behind me had remained still.<\/p>\n<p>I accepted some water and thanked the attendant.<\/p>\n<p>When she moved on, I heard the girl ask her mother whether she could have something to drink.<\/p>\n<p>Her mother answered quietly.<\/p>\n<p>There was no argument.<\/p>\n<p>No kicking.<\/p>\n<p>No attempt to make me move.<\/p>\n<p>I took a sip of water and looked out the window.<\/p>\n<p>The sky had changed.<\/p>\n<p>A soft band of light stretched along the horizon.<\/p>\n<p>I thought about how strange it was that a situation could feel unbearable for two hours and then become ordinary again after a few calm conversations.<\/p>\n<p>I also thought about how close I\u2019d come to losing my temper.<\/p>\n<p>There had been a moment, somewhere around the second hour, when I wanted to turn around and tell the mother exactly what I thought of her behavior.<\/p>\n<p>I could have done it.<\/p>\n<p>I probably would have felt better for a few seconds.<\/p>\n<p>But I doubt it would have changed anything.<\/p>\n<p>She had already shown me that she wasn\u2019t interested in hearing another request from me.<\/p>\n<p>A public argument might have made her more defensive.<\/p>\n<p>It might have embarrassed the girl further.<\/p>\n<p>It might have disrupted the passengers around us.<\/p>\n<p>And it would have left me even more exhausted.<\/p>\n<p>Instead, I\u2019d asked for help.<\/p>\n<p>That didn\u2019t make me especially clever.<\/p>\n<p>It made me someone who finally stopped trying to solve a problem with a person who refused to cooperate.<\/p>\n<p>The rest of the flight passed quietly.<\/p>\n<p>The girl watched something on her mother\u2019s tablet.<\/p>\n<p>Occasionally, I heard her laugh.<\/p>\n<p>Once, she asked for a snack.<\/p>\n<p>Her mother answered.<\/p>\n<p>The man in the blue sweater read his book.<\/p>\n<p>I managed another short nap.<\/p>\n<p>When I woke, I felt almost human again.<\/p>\n<p>I stretched my shoulders and checked the time.<\/p>\n<p>We were getting closer to home.<\/p>\n<p>I thought about my family waiting in Chicago.<\/p>\n<p>My sons would probably still be awake when I arrived.<\/p>\n<p>I imagined their questions and the way they\u2019d argue over who got to open my suitcase first.<\/p>\n<p>The thought made me smile.<\/p>\n<p>Then I heard the woman behind me speak.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSir?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I turned around.<\/p>\n<p>She was looking at me.<\/p>\n<p>Her daughter sat beside her, holding the tablet in her lap.<\/p>\n<p>The mother\u2019s expression was different now.<\/p>\n<p>She didn\u2019t look friendly.<\/p>\n<p>But she no longer looked furious.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI didn\u2019t realize it was bothering you that much,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>I studied her for a moment.<\/p>\n<p>I wasn\u2019t sure what to do with that statement.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019d told her it was bothering me.<\/p>\n<p>Twice.<\/p>\n<p>She had dismissed both requests.<\/p>\n<p>But I didn\u2019t want to restart the argument.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n<p>She looked at the seat in front of her.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was tired.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI understand.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She nodded.<\/p>\n<p>I waited.<\/p>\n<p>Then she added, \u201cI shouldn\u2019t have told her to keep doing it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It wasn\u2019t a perfect apology.<\/p>\n<p>But it was more than I had expected.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThank you,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n<p>She looked at her daughter.<\/p>\n<p>The girl glanced at me.<\/p>\n<p>I gave her a small smile.<\/p>\n<p>Then I turned around again.<\/p>\n<p>I didn\u2019t feel victorious.<\/p>\n<p>I didn\u2019t feel like I\u2019d taught anyone a grand lesson.<\/p>\n<p>I felt tired.<\/p>\n<p>I felt relieved.<\/p>\n<p>And I felt grateful that the flight had become peaceful.<\/p>\n<p>A few minutes later, the man in the blue sweater leaned across the aisle.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLooks like it worked.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I smiled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEventually.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He chuckled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve been on flights like this before.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWith kids kicking your seat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWith adults who think being inconvenienced gives them permission to inconvenience everybody else.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I laughed quietly.<\/p>\n<p>That was a fair description.<\/p>\n<p>He returned to his book.<\/p>\n<p>I looked down at my hands.<\/p>\n<p>They were the hands I used at work every day.<\/p>\n<p>Hands trained to remain steady during difficult procedures.<\/p>\n<p>Hands that had spent years learning patience, precision, and control.<\/p>\n<p>But I was still human.<\/p>\n<p>I still got irritated.<\/p>\n<p>I still wanted to snap when someone treated me badly.<\/p>\n<p>The difference was what I chose to do with that irritation.<\/p>\n<p>On this flight, I had almost let it control me.<\/p>\n<p>Instead, I\u2019d waited until I could act without making the situation worse.<\/p>\n<p>As we began our descent, the cabin crew asked passengers to secure their belongings and fasten their seat belts.<\/p>\n<p>I checked mine.<\/p>\n<p>Behind me, the girl asked her mother a question about landing.<\/p>\n<p>Her mother answered.<\/p>\n<p>I heard the girl shift in her seat.<\/p>\n<p>My shoulders tensed for an instant.<\/p>\n<p>Then nothing happened.<\/p>\n<p>No kick.<\/p>\n<p>No thump.<\/p>\n<p>Just the ordinary sounds of a plane preparing to land.<\/p>\n<p>I smiled to myself.<\/p>\n<p>When we reached Chicago, passengers began gathering their bags.<\/p>\n<p>The aisle filled with people waiting to leave.<\/p>\n<p>I stood when it was my turn.<\/p>\n<p>The woman behind me was helping her daughter with a backpack.<\/p>\n<p>The girl looked up.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBye, sir.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHave a good trip home,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n<p>She smiled.<\/p>\n<p>Her mother gave me a brief nod.<\/p>\n<p>I returned it.<\/p>\n<p>Then I stepped into the aisle and moved toward the exit.<\/p>\n<p>The man in the blue sweater followed a few passengers behind me.<\/p>\n<p>Near the doorway, he caught up.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGlad you got some sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMe too.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He smiled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSafe trip home.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou too.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>We went our separate ways.<\/p>\n<p>I walked through the airport feeling tired but lighter than I had during the first part of the flight.<\/p>\n<p>I checked my phone.<\/p>\n<p>There was a message from my wife asking whether we\u2019d landed.<\/p>\n<p>I typed back that I was on my way.<\/p>\n<p>Then I added that I had a story to tell her.<\/p>\n<p>She replied almost immediately.<\/p>\n<p>Good story or bad story?<\/p>\n<p>I thought about the girl, her mother, the flight attendant, and the man who had volunteered to switch seats.<\/p>\n<p>I thought about the two hours of kicking and the quiet hours that followed.<\/p>\n<p>Then I typed:<\/p>\n<p>Both.<\/p>\n<p>When I finally got home, my sons rushed toward me.<\/p>\n<p>I dropped my bag and hugged them.<\/p>\n<p>My wife kissed me and asked how the flight had been.<\/p>\n<p>I told her the story while we sat in the kitchen.<\/p>\n<p>She laughed at the part where the mother returned from the restroom and found another passenger sitting beside her.<\/p>\n<p>Then she shook her head.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTwo hours?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTwo full hours.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy didn\u2019t you call the flight attendant sooner?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I smiled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve been asking myself the same thing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She reached for my hand.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNext time, ask sooner.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I nodded.<\/p>\n<p>She was right.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019d spent too much time hoping someone who didn\u2019t care would suddenly become considerate.<\/p>\n<p>I had been polite, but I\u2019d also been reluctant to involve anyone else.<\/p>\n<p>In the end, asking for help was the simplest solution.<\/p>\n<p>Later that night, after the boys had gone to bed, I sat on the couch with my wife.<\/p>\n<p>The house was quiet.<\/p>\n<p>I thought about the girl on the plane.<\/p>\n<p>I hoped she remembered that she had been able to apologize without being humiliated.<\/p>\n<p>I hoped her mother remembered that other passengers were entitled to comfort, too.<\/p>\n<p>And I hoped the next person who sat in front of them had a much easier flight.<\/p>\n<p>I didn\u2019t know whether any of that would happen.<\/p>\n<p>I couldn\u2019t control what they learned.<\/p>\n<p>I could only control how I\u2019d responded.<\/p>\n<p>For two hours, the back of my seat had been a source of frustration.<\/p>\n<p>By the end of the flight, it was simply a seat again.<\/p>\n<p>I leaned back against the couch, closed my eyes, and listened to the familiar sounds of home.<\/p>\n<p>This time, nobody kicked the back of my chair.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cAnd I heard what you told your daughter to do when he first complained.\u201d The woman turned toward the man in the blue sweater. 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