I’m Bethany, a 35-year-old mother, and what was supposed to be a simple two-hour flight quickly turned into a nightmare because of one entitled mom who thought she could control everyone around her.

My five-year-old daughter, Ella, was quietly watching cartoons on her iPad, wearing her headphones, completely engrossed and content. It was a godsend because, like most kids her age, she could get fidgety on flights, and having her favorite shows kept her calm and entertained. But apparently, not everyone was happy with it.

Across the aisle, a woman who appeared to be in her late 30s leaned over, looking annoyed. She had a little boy sitting next to her, who seemed about four years old. She cleared her throat dramatically before speaking.

“Excuse me, can you put the iPad away? We’re avoiding screens in our household, and it’s upsetting my son.”

I blinked, a little taken aback. My daughter was in her own space, quietly minding her business, not making a scene or disturbing anyone. It wasn’t like the volume was blaring or that she was waving the device in anyone’s face. I offered a polite but firm response.

“I’m sorry, but she’s using it to stay calm during the flight. It’s not bothering anyone.”

The woman scoffed, glaring at me as if I had just personally insulted her entire family. Her son, who had been relatively neutral before, suddenly took an interest and started whining.

“I want that! I want the iPad!”

I could see where this was going. The mother looked back at me with a smug expression, clearly expecting me to give in. But I wasn’t about to cater to a stranger’s parenting choices at the expense of my own child’s comfort.

“I’m sorry, but she’s using it,” I repeated, turning my attention back to Ella, hoping to diffuse the situation.

But the woman wasn’t having it. She crossed her arms, huffed loudly, and kept shooting daggers at me throughout the flight. Her son continued whining, but that wasn’t my problem. I kept my focus on Ella, trying to ignore the tension in the air.

Then, it happened.

The woman shifted in her seat and, with a well-timed “accidental” movement, knocked Ella’s tray table—where her iPad was resting. The device went flying to the floor with a sickening crack. The moment I heard that sound, my stomach dropped.

Ella gasped, her little eyes welling with tears as she stared in horror at her shattered iPad. The screen was completely ruined, spiderweb cracks spreading across it. She looked up at me, confused and on the verge of crying.

I turned to the woman, my anger simmering just below the surface. “Did you just—”

“Oh! I’m so sorry,” she said, her voice dripping with fake innocence. “It was an accident. These tray tables are just so flimsy, aren’t they?”

I wasn’t buying it. Not for a second. I could see the slight smirk playing at the corners of her lips. She was pleased with herself. She thought she had won.

“That was not an accident,” I shot back, my voice firm. “You did that on purpose.”

She gasped, clutching her chest like I had accused her of a crime. “How dare you! I said I was sorry! Besides, your daughter shouldn’t be using a screen anyway. It’s bad for kids.”

That was it. I had enough. I pressed the call button for the flight attendant, and when she arrived, I calmly but firmly explained what had happened. The entitled mom tried to play the victim, insisting it was an accident, but other passengers had seen everything. A man sitting behind us spoke up.

“Yeah, that wasn’t an accident. She did it on purpose.”

The flight attendant frowned and turned to the woman. “Ma’am, we take incidents like this seriously. You damaged another passenger’s property. You’ll need to provide your contact information so the airline can handle this appropriately.”

The entitled mom’s face drained of color. “That’s ridiculous! I shouldn’t have to pay for her bad parenting!”

“Ma’am,” the flight attendant said firmly, “either you provide your details, or we can escalate this matter when we land.”

Realizing she was cornered, the woman gritted her teeth and reluctantly handed over her information. She was fuming, but at this point, she had no choice.

The airline later confirmed that she would be responsible for compensating us for the damages. I made sure to get her name and all the details, and you better believe I followed up. A brand-new iPad was on its way to Ella within a week, courtesy of one entitled mom’s poor decision-making.

As we exited the plane, the woman shot me one last glare, but I just smiled.

Lesson learned: don’t mess with another parent’s child, especially when you’re in the wrong.

And as for Ella? She got a new iPad—and a valuable lesson in standing up for what’s right.