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Father sits on the bus while his two daughters have fun in first class – then he asks the passengers to swap seats

Father sits on the bus while his two daughters have fun in first class – then he asks the passengers to swap seats

Father sits on the bus while his two daughters have fun in first class – then he asks the passengers to swap seats

from Gary Leff

There have been many controversial stories about a husband flying first class while his wife and children were on the bus. Maybe he got the upgrade and only one seat was available. Or he was on a business trip and needed to rest, so the company paid for his seat.

But this story about the separation of a family on a plane is really new to me: the children fly in first class while the father sits on the bus.

I guess it doesn’t surprise me that he then asked if anyone would switch with him in first class and take his seat in the carriage while he watches the children first?

  • It’s too cheap to even pay for the seat, or there were only two seats available for sale
  • He figures he might get a jerk who wants him to care enough about his kids to give up their own place
  • If he wants everyone to be together, he should offer the two passengers in his row of the bus the first class seats that his children have.

Parents flew in first class and left their children alone on the bus. You justify this by saying it would teach them a life lesson, which in my opinion is exposing your children to other passengers while you drink during the day? I believe the intent is for them to enjoy the fruits of your labor only after they have learned to earn them themselves.

I think it’s something a lot of parents worry about – creating so much comfort that their kids become hungry. Years ago, Ace Greenberg, chairman of Bear Stearns, liked to hire “PSDs” – poor, smart people with a deep desire to get rich. You don’t want them to lose the desire to become what will allow them to make the most of their talents, whatever they are.

At the same time, you want to give them the freedom to fail, to not have to focus so much on a paycheck to make ends meet, so that they can take risks and use their talents, whatever they are, to the fullest.

Being away from your family for a few hours isn’t a tragedy in itself, but when I look back at traveling with children in my 70s or even 80s, I wish I could focus more of my time on whatever I was doing am? Do I do this to my seat or to my child?

I think I understand the argument for not flying kids in premium cabins, and it’s probably okay to leave them in the back when they’re teenagers. If you want them back when they are young, you should travel there with them.

What I don’t understand is sending the children to first class and the parents to the back. Maybe the parents think the smaller cabin means flight attendants are more likely to notice them and watch the baby?

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