Woman Handles Her Kids on Flight Alone While Her Husband Relaxes

Anyone who's flown in a plane before knows that children can be annoying to sit with during the journey. However, no one knows that better than the parents who are caring for the kids in the first place. It can be easy to forget, but by and large, parents are fully aware of how difficult it can be to take care of kids on a plane and how frustrating it can be for other people.

Maria Roberts (@mararoberts on Instagram) and her husband Lou probably know that all too well, especially since Maria was willing to joke about it on her social media. In a video posted on Nov. 13, 2023, Maria showed what it was like for her and her husband to fly with their two kids. However, her video showed her doing most of the work while her husband relaxed in another seat. It's caused some divisiveness on the internet, but Maria has since tried to clear the air.

In Maria's short video, she offered an interesting comparison between what she typically goes through on an airplane compared to what her husband goes through. On one particular flight, she was seated with her two young children while her husband was seated beside them in a separate arrangement.

The difference was practically night and day. Maria spent much of her time setting up her kids with headphones, TV, activities, and whatever they might need to keep themselves well-behaved during their flight.

As for Lou, he was seated silently and calmly in his own separate seat. Like any of us, he simply had his headphones plugged in as he watched whatever was part of the in-flight entertainment.

From the outset, it looks like a case of a mother taking on way more responsibility for a family while the father kicks back and relaxes. In other words, it's not a great look at first.

To that end, plenty of folks in the comments section had a bone to pick with Lou.

One person wrote, "I cannot believe that in 2023, women still accept this behavior."

Another person commented, "Let’s promote a new standard and SHAME weaponized incompetence of our spouses. You deserve better!"

However, Maria has since tried to set the record straight and has come forward explaining how she actually splits responsibilities with her husband.

In an interview with Today, Maria admitted that her kids have an attachment to their mom that may pose a problem on planes.

"The kid that isn't with me would be crawling over the rows to get to me and that would cause a scene," she told the outlet. "We're just doing what makes our lives easier and this is what works for us."

She also revealed that if she needed Lou at any point, he wouldn't hesitate to drop what he was doing and help out.

Maria has also responded to some of the backlash that the video has received.

"I'm not offended and neither is Lou. Just because he sits in the fourth seat on an airplane doesn't mean he's not an amazing dad."

While the video itself raises a valid point that dads should have more of an emotional and active involvement in their children's well-being, that doesn't necessarily mean that Lou isn't providing that as far as Maria is concerned.