Half of the anxiety that comes with the thought of traveling with children is not so much about how they’ll behave, but how fellow travelers will respond to their very normal but unpleasant childlike behavior. Even though every person was once a child, the world is often an inhospitable place for them and their parents. Nowhere is that more evident than on airplanes.
Babies are confined to the laps of parents in too-small seats. The changing air pressure is messing with their ears and they’re often crying, fussing, or screaming. And in these moments, there is inevitably someone who will take the opportunity to share how annoyed and inconvenienced they are by it all.
Pat McAuliffe recently shared a video of himself and the crying baby on X.
This is the approach Pat McAuliffe, a contributor for Barstool Sports, took when he shared his complaints about a crying baby on X. McAuliffe uploaded a video of himself looking annoyed as a baby cries in the background. Without ever showing the child, he captioned the video: “If your child is screaming on a flight (that’s late with no AC and hasn’t taken off yet @Delta) show it a f—ing phone. Brain rot the baby on TikTok until it’s quiet. Is that too much to ask?”
If your child is screaming on a flight (that’s late with no AC and hasn’t taken off yet @Delta) show it a fucking phone. Brain rot the baby on TikTok until it’s quiet. Is that too much to ask? pic.twitter.com/ZPQa8EerFw
— Pat (@BarstoolPAT) June 7, 2025
He didn’t think the parents were doing enough.
An hour later, he posted a follow up. The baby is still crying. McAuliffe takes a kinder tone this time around. “I do feel bad for the parents but at some point you gotta try something new,” McAuliffe suggested. “Walk his a– up and down the aisle, distract him, do something. It’s still going on. Simply praying it’ll stop is not acceptable.”
I do feel bad for the parents but at some point you gotta try something new. Walk his ass up and down the aisle, distract him, do something. It’s still going on. Simply praying it’ll stop is not acceptable pic.twitter.com/tb3Ijjyl0U
— Pat (@BarstoolPAT) June 7, 2025
Forty minutes later, he reverted back to frustration. “At what point does this become a medical emergency?” he asked. “It’s been two hours. Also why are these people not at least talking to their kid to soothe him? STAND UP AND WALK HIM AROUND.”
At what point does this become a medical emergency? It’s been two hours. Also why are these people not at least talking to their kid to soothe him? STAND UP AND WALK HIM AROUND pic.twitter.com/sba9A6HUFN
— Pat (@BarstoolPAT) June 7, 2025
Most people on X let him have it.
We don’t know if McAuliffe simply wanted to vent or was looking for a cosign from others. Either way, he was met with people who showed empathy and understanding for the parents and their suffering child. There were numerous people who told him to invest in a pair of noise-cancelling headphones. Someone else reminded him that he was not in charge here. “’is not acceptable,’ lol you do not get to make the rules and I’m sorry that upsets you,” one X user wrote in response.
‘If you’re so bothered, fly private,’ one X user wrote.
Another person reminded him that while he is entitled to a child-free life, he is not entitled to a child-free world. “This is public transportation and kids have a right to be there. If you are so bothered, fly private!”
There were a few people who felt his pain. “It’s actually disrespectful,” another user wrote. “People pay GOOD money to take flights on a plane.”
Others called the parents lazy or unconcerned for their child’s welfare. But they were in the minority. Most people understood that there are times when children can’t be soothed with a screen or walking them around for a couple of minutes.
No one likes to hear the sound of a crying child, especially their parents but shaming the parents in the process doesn’t do much to help the situation.
