A Reddit post showing a parent proudly sharing their child’s sticker artwork on the back of an aeroplane seat has sharply divided the internet. The post features an image of the back of an IndiGo plane seat, with the folding tray covered in colourful stickers. Captioned, “The kind of vandalisation I don’t mind,” the user framed the behaviour as cute.
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This portrayal of children defacing public property as “cute” behaviour has ignited a heated online debate, with many users questioning Indian parenting norms, boundaries, and accountability in shared public spaces.
“Bad parenting 101”
The apparent glorification of poor civic sense has drawn significant backlash, with many users criticising parenting choices and calling out what they see as a growing sense of entitlement in public spaces. One user declared, “This is bad parenting 101,” while another outright rebuked, “This is what teaches a child that it is ok to deface public property. Much rather nip this habit in the bud.” Another commentator exclaimed, “Typical Indian parent and their entitlement. They look at their kid acting out and think it’s cute. People look at them disapprovingly and all they think is their cute kid is getting attention.”
Strongly condemning the behaviour and warning of more serious acts of vandalism in the future, another user wrote, “This will turn into defacing public property with pens, chalks, spray paints later in life. DO NOT TREAT PUBLIC PROPERTY AS YOUR OWN HOUSE. You literally get sticker books which are hopelessly cheap. BUY THEM!”
“Hello no! Today it’s stickers, tomorrow it will be pens and in the future this kid will go around scratching A loves B on public buildings and monuments. This is bad parenting,” read another comment, on the same note.
Expressing strong disapproval, several users also raised concerns about the cabin crew and the added difficulty they would face in removing the stickers. One user wrote, “Do you operate the flight? Cause I’m pretty sure the airline and the crew do mind,” while another highlighted, “Please don’t encourage such terrorising behaviour, stickers are very hard to remove from such surfaces, they’re worse than permanent markers and everything else.”
Concerns about Indian parenting values
The comments collectively point to deeper concerns about Indian parenting values, particularly the tendency to excuse or even glorify inappropriate behaviour when it involves children. Many users argued that labelling such actions as “cute” reflects a sense of parental entitlement, where children are allowed to do whatever they want without regard for shared public spaces or other people.
Online critics stressed that public property is not an extension of one’s home and should be treated with respect, a lesson that must be taught early. They emphasised that instilling civic sense – including respect for public spaces, boundaries, and accountability – is a crucial part of parenting. Allowing children to deface public property, even in seemingly harmless ways, risks normalising disrespectful behaviour and eroding the sanctity of shared environments, something many believe parents have a responsibility to actively discourage.
Note to readers: This article is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.
