A 34-year-old woman currently working on her weight loss journey recently turned to the “Am I the A**hole?” forum to ask for feedback on an incident during a flight. Aware that she’s still overweight, she shared that she had booked an extra seat in advance for comfort during a cross-country Christmas trip to visit her brother and his husband.

Things took a turn after boarding

While boarding went smoothly, the situation changed once she got to her seat. A mother traveling with her toddler — about 18 months old — approached her and insisted that the woman only use one seat so her child could take the other.

The woman politely declined, explaining she had paid for both seats for her own comfort. The mother didn’t accept that and caused a scene, which led to a flight attendant getting involved. The woman showed her boarding passes to prove she had bought the second seat. Still, the flight attendant suggested she try squeezing into just one seat — a suggestion the woman firmly rejected, stating she had every right to use the space she had paid for.

After going back and forth for a while, the flight attendant decided to handle the situation differently.

In the end, she asked the mother to keep her child on her lap for the rest of the flight. Throughout the journey, the woman noticed judgmental looks and passive-aggressive remarks from the mother. Looking back, she couldn’t help but feel a little guilty, questioning whether she had overreacted to the toddler’s challenging behavior.

After the woman shared her story on Reddit, opinions were split.

Many backed her, saying she wasn’t at fault since she had paid for the extra seat, and blamed the mother for not buying one for her child. Some even urged her to file a complaint against the airline.