“Be gentle, not absent”: Toddler keeps kicking plane seatmate while parent laughs. The internet has thoughts

A man tries to keep his composure as a toddler in the middle seat kicks him relentlessly in the window seat. He posts the viral footage on TikTok, sparking debate about parenting.

How did viewers react to the video?

In the comments, viewers say they were shocked that the child’s parent didn’t do more to stop the kicking.

“Mothers pls remember your kid is only special to you. be respectful to others space,” one writes.

“The mom needs to take control of her kid! I wouldn’t put up with this,” another says.

“Omg if I was the mother I would change seats that is not okay,” a third adds.

Others praise Lee’s composure while the child had a meltdown next to him.

“This is the chillest dude ever, no way I would be able to do that,” a commenter says.

“I genuinely admire ur patience,” another writes.

“You r really a good man so patient n understanding, good things will come to you,” a third remarks.

Some share their own experiences sitting next to children on flights.

“I had the worst flight of my life when I flew back from Malta to Germany. This lil girl next to me farted the whole damn flight and her mom was just smiling at me,” a viewer comments.

“I had this once. On a flight from London to Melbourne for my father’s funeral. The kid was in business with his father but came back Eco to find an empty seat so they could have some peace and get some sleep. When I made a complaint to the staff .. he got loud. It was like a weird movie and all I wanted to do was think about my Dad,” another shares.

The Daily Dot reached out to Lee via email for further comment.