A woman has been praised for her intelligent trick in getting out of babysitting a family member for free during a flight abroad.
The anonymous user took to social media forum, Reddit, to ask for advice on her family dilemma, as her partner noted that he felt she was being 'dramatic' about the whole thing.
The woman explained that she goes away with her family every year on a snowy trip, and she wasn't able to afford it this year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Her father offered to pay for her and her boyfriend to come along with them, and she was grateful for the wonderful gesture.
However, the gesture wasn't exactly for free, as her dad had been joking in the months leading up that she would be babysitting her little sister on the plane ride there.
While the woman took the jokes in a good manner, she recently received the flight itinerary and realised that her dad hadn't been joking - she was sat with her partner and her sister, whereas the other family members were all sitting together.
So, the woman took matters into her own hands and switched the seats around in secret, and asked her middle sister to keep her devious plan a secret.
She asked for advice on Reddit, as her partner feels she is "causing drama" by switching the seats.
Writing on the website, the anonymous woman said: "I am going away with my partner, my dad, his partner, my sister - 17 - and my little sister - who is five - in a few weeks to the other side of the world to visit family.
"For back story, every year we usually do a snow trip where my dad books out a house near the snow for a week with friends and family and it’s has become a tradition.
"He mentioned that this year it is looking expensive and he would rather spend the money on going to see his family. We’ve been a few times - excluding my partner, my little sister and my dads partner.
"We haven’t been for six years due to covid and life getting in the way. I told my father that I don’t have the money to pay for a trip at this time but thank you so much for the invite and he said he would love to pay for my partner and I to come.
"This was really lovely of him as I know that international flights at the moment aren’t cheap (at least not where I live).
"I personally dislike him paying for anything for me as I don’t want to feel like I owe him but he was super insistent as he would be upset if backed out."
The woman continued: "In the few months leading up, we have caught up a few times and they keep ‘joking’ that my little sister (she’s not been on a plane longer than an hour) will be sitting with us so we can entertain her and they’ll be up the front of the plane with my middle sister. I kept laughing it off thinking they’re joking around.
"I recently got the flight itinerary and thought I’d have a look. Low and behold, the seats were my dad, his partner at the window, me, my sister and my partner in the middle but a row behind and my middle sister in front of my partner (eg. 10a,b, 11d,e,f, 10f).
"I wasn’t too happy with this seating arrangement. We also don’t have the option to move around too much after the flight is in the air as some of us have dietary requirements and flight attendants get quite annoyed if you’re not in that assigned seat for meals.
"I moved my dads partner and my little sister to the window seat with my dad behind them - this is a technique that my mum and dad did with me and my sister growing up and it was a huge success - and then across the aisle my middle sister, myself and my partner. (eg. 10b,c, 11c,d,e,f).
"I told my middle sister that if they notice that the seats have changed that we tell them that the airline must have moved us around to fit some other people on the flight.
"I know it’s probably a a****** move but at the same time, it shouldn’t be passed on to me and my partner to take care of my little sister especially since it is her first ever long haul flight.
"I love my little sister and I’m happy to do a swap to watch movies with her between meals and I will happily make up for it in the airport during layover for the next flight."
The woman added: "My partner thinks that I’m causing drama over seats but everyone else I speak to thinks it’s funny.
"So am I the a****** for swapping the seats?"
Many comments flooded in, as people not only agreed with the woman for her decision, but praised her for taking a stance.
One Reddit user wrote: "While I think it's ok-ish to say "In exchange for paying for your flight, I want you to babysit the youngest" I had to be clearly stated with the opportunity for you to refuse."
Another said: "They insisted on you coming so you would be a free babysitter. Expect to have your little sister foisted on you the entire trip with your dad using him paying as an excuse if you fight against it."
And a third wrote: "You should not be responsible for your little sister on such a long flight, the parents should.
"Furthermore, dad was doubly an a****** by joking about this arrangement and not directly discussing it with you before sneaking it into the itinerary.""
A fourth added: "It’s not your responsibility to babysit your sister on a flight. That is her parents.
"I honestly would tell him now. Tell him you thought he was joking but if they are taking you to babysit and not as a kind gesture then you are not going. He can get a refund or whatever but you refuse to be used as free babysitting.
"I would not even offer to help with her. It’s one of those things if you give an inch they will take a mile."
One said: "She’s not your daughter. Your dad and his wife need to care for her."
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