An entitled mother thought that breaking my daughter’s iPad would stop her son’s tantrums during our flight.

I’m Bethany, 35, and never imagined a simple two-hour flight would turn into such a drama. I was on the plane with my 5-year-old daughter, Ella, who was happily watching cartoons on her iPad. Nearby, a family with a young boy was already causing trouble, whining loudly.

The boy was upset because he didn’t have a screen, and his mom asked me to put away Ella’s iPad because it was upsetting him. I calmly refused, explaining my daughter was using it to stay calm on the flight. The mother seemed frustrated, muttering about “spoiling kids,” but I ignored her.

An hour later, disaster struck. The mother reached across the aisle, knocking Ella’s tray table, and the iPad fell to the floor, shattering. Ella screamed in distress, and the mother feigned surprise, but I saw the satisfaction in her eyes. She even suggested it was a sign Ella needed less screen time.

A flight attendant arrived, but there was nothing she could do. I comforted my daughter. The boy’s tantrum worsened, and he knocked over the mother’s coffee, spilling it into her bag—where her passport fell out and got soaked.

The passport was ruined. The flight attendant warned her it could cause serious issues when landing, especially since they were flying internationally. The mother panicked, and I watched her struggle as the plane descended.

Meanwhile, Ella was happily reading a book, no longer upset about the iPad. As we disembarked, I overheard the mother frantically rescheduling her trip due to her ruined passport. She learned the hard way that actions have consequences.

As we walked toward baggage claim, I couldn’t help but reflect on how this flight had turned into. Sometimes, life’s lessons come from the most unexpected experiences. And in this case, Entitled Mom learned the hard way—what goes around, comes around.