When you’re next to a tiny human who is playing with her lungs and limbs, flying is never as exciting as the airline ads suggest. Paul Lee is all too familiar with this! His latest post on TikTok, which was recorded on a Vietnam Airlines flight, shows him keeping his cool as a monk while the toddler next to him has a five-minute temper tantrum.
In a matter of days, the video had over 4 million views on TikTok. The video was captioned:
“Worst possible seat ever next to a crying baby.”
The young girl screams and constantly kicks Lee in the arm and shoulder as Lee sips tea while wearing headphones. At one point during the stressful situation, the child’s mother looks amused and even chuckles right next to her daughter.
Lee’s calmness shocked the viewers. One person on TikTok wrote, “Seriously, this will turn me into a Karen.” “Letting your kid kick a stranger is NOT ACCEPTABLE!!!!” said another user, who was not as kind to the mother.
Although Lee shared the TikTok video recently, he told Newsflare that it happened back in 2024. He said that this went on for about five minutes. “I didn’t confront her or do anything, just waited and then enjoyed my flight. A little patience went a long way.” His reaction (or rather, his lack of action) has been regarded as the model of calmness under stress. In a time of “plane rage” compilations and viral meltdowns, Lee was cautious. Rather than creating a scene, there are times when silence is more effective than a fight.
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He later confessed,
“Rather than let this ruin my whole flight and me make a scene, I just waited (…) Fortunately, minutes later, it stopped and I enjoyed the rest of my flight. Some battles aren’t worthy to be had.”
He was dubbed the “Dalai Lama of Economy Class” on TikTok. The comments were filled with praise and sympathy. While some felt empathy for Lee, others brought up the fact that the parents can also go through the same strain if traveling with other young kids. However, nearly everyone agreed that hours of being trapped in a metal tube and being kicked repeatedly would test anyone’s patience.
When a child’s tantrum explodes into bodily contact, what should a traveler do? Nicole Campoy Jackson, a travel expert, told PEOPLE that having compassion is a must. “Parents are already on high alert and often feel defensive when flying with kids,” she said. “To turn around, already mad, and start throwing blaming words around is going to help absolutely no one,” she advised. We should begin by understanding the situation at hand and then ask the parent to step in gently without getting into a fight.
Lee’s TikTok video sure gave everyone a bit of homework to do when it comes to in-flight etiquette!
