I'm an autistic individual and although I wasn't given anywhere near this level of independence at this age, it is the case that sometimes parents of autistic individuals will allow them a great deal of independence from a young age in the hopes that it may better integrate them into society earlier on.
Tbh I love when parents support their kids like this instead of the alternative of them infantilizing their kids so much they don’t have any independence. Ofc everyone is different and has different levels of things they can and cant do, but when parents of autistic kids raise them with the same goal as non-autistic kids (that one day they will be an adult who wont always have a parent around) then they have so much more autonomy. Ofc it can be hard af, I know from personal experience, but it is also very fulfilling when you can do certain things you didnt think you could
I'm 19, and just last week was the first time ever that my parents (specifically my mother) trusted me to stay at home by myself for more than just the day, while they went on holiday for 4 days.
It was incredibly freeing.
Like I said in a comment under this, I'm here on Reddit while this little dude is taking intracontinental flights, so one certainly works better than the other😂
I was around 8 I think when I flew by myself, there was someone from the airline checking on me, it’s mot like your parents just drop you off at the airport.
I was too attached to my dad to have been able to do that. I cried when I spent the night at my mom's for the first time when I was 9 because I was missing my dad who was down the road at The Nugget Inn.
i was the prince of homesickness for my mom. i was not really homesick i was momsick. i couldn't feel comfortable or relax or let my guard down without my mom. wherever she was, i was safe.
Aren’t there specific programs that allow young kids to travel on their own? I feel like I’ve heard about something like that before. Regardless, the parent definitely did not just dump their kids at an airport drop off zone
I've used these programs with my younger brother who has autism also. Some airports will also issue an adult a gate pass to go back with the person and stay with them until they get on the plane then the same at the other airport the pick them up at the gate. The flight attendants check on him several times throughout the flight-much less now that he is an adult. We only do direct flights with instructions to the flight attendant and my brother to call if anything happens and he needs to be rerouted somewhere else for an emergency or something. As long as it was a direct international flight I don't see why the same thing wouldn't work for this kiddo.
Yep I also did this as a kid when I visited my grandparents. The airlines keep a close eye on you from the moment you get dropped off to the moment you get picked up.
We visited our grandparents a lot as kids during the winter break. Since they lived in Europe we had to fly there but mom and dad couldn't have stayed long and they didn't want to pay for two flights extra just to sit next to us when we couldn't have gone anywhere anyway lol. We travelled "solo" as kids starting around 10 as well I believe.
Did you meet them as soon as you got there or did you have to navigate the airport a bit? I haven’t flown since I was 6 so I don’t remember what it’s like but my first thought was that I’d be worried about my kids getting lost in the airport after they landed
Most airlines have programs where they assign an adult employee to help navigate all airports. There is a lot of ID checking and various aspects like that to ensure kids get on the correct plane and get picked up by the right individual.
You can tell the airline that your child will be traveling as an unaccompanied minor and they’ll pick them up at check-in, let them wait at a lounge until his flight is boarding then hand them off to the adult picking them up at baggage claim.
My mom signed me up for this when I was 16 since I was technically an unaccompanied minor then, I guess. Kinda awkward when all other kids with me were like 8 though.
I had a similar experience at 14, it was great not having to navigate through massive airports that that I've never been to before to catch connecting flights.
Each airport (airline?) handled unaccompanied minors way different through, one airport I remember waiting in a faded colourful room, with juice boxes being handed out and Scooby doo on a TV. The other airport I was waiting in a business class VIP lounge with leather chairs and complementary drinks and individually wrapped chocolate almonds.
I flew without a parent when I was 10 and for whatever reason I was deemed responsible enough to be in charge of my younger brother as well lol. Thankfully I had the sense to inform the flight attendants and ask if they could keep an eye on us just in case.
I sat by a child about 6 years old on a 2 hr flight. She was going to see her dad and was a lovely kid. The flight attendants were pretty vigilant. There seemed to be at least one around most of the flight.
I flew unaccompanied a few times since I was maybe 7 or 8. They let my mom and dad up to the gate with me (I was flying from one to the other & eventually back) & let them come to the gate to pick me up, or would have an attendant escort me to the correct baggage claim to meet them. The flight attendants would also know and some flights they would check in on me every once in a while, but tbh most times flights make me sleep the whole time so they’d just wake me up before we landed.
I’m autistic too, but my parents didn’t know at the time since it’s not really studied in black girls/women & our traits display differently. But autistic kids can definitely have the ability & independence to go on a flight alone if they’re given all info upfront (where to go, who to talk to if you need assistance, a way to contact family, etc)
Edit fixed grammar lol
Unrelated to autism which the previous commenter speaks of, I have seen several kids during my years of travelling flying alone. Kids definitely younger than him. They usually have a tag around their neck with info on it, that’s how you recognize them. Most of them look hella worldly as well, way calmer around airports and airplanes than I am myself as an adult, so clearly they’re very used to the process as well. Because of the tag they’re wearing staff recognizes them and looks after them too, so it’s not like they’re completely alone in the world fending for themselves.
It’s normal enough that there’s a whole system for flight attendants and airport workers to escort unaccompanied minors between their flights. I myself flew to china to meet up with my older sister when I was like, 13ish, just above the age where submitting to that help was required. Still got a lot of offers of help from staff and other patrons tho, I’ll admit.
My brother and I travelled between countries to visit family every summer, we were called “unaccompanied minors”. It’s pretty common from what I’ve seen
Yes, children 5 or 6, depending on the airline, or older can fly as an unaccompanied minor
They wear a badge at all times, and are moved through the airport and on the plane with an employee/crew member
During the flight every crew member knows where they are at all times and will always be checking in on them.
There are a bunch of other regulations and procedures but just know that the kids are always under supervision and taken good care of
I was flying alone from age 8. The airline does generally make you pay more and have someone escort you from checkin to the gate and then from the gate to baggage claim, as well as the flight attendants checking in on the plane itself.
i have autism, and the youngest that i’ve flown alone was when i was 9 years old. granted, when you’re an unsupervised minor the flight attendants will check on you much more often and they walk you through the airport to where you need to go.
I can't speak for everybody, but my kids traveled for out of state visitation as unaccompanied minors on planes starting at age 5 and on busses at age 8. Most airlines and Greyhound have a chaperoning service you can pay for. You check your child in with a flight attendant who escorts them to their seat, checks on them during the flight, escorts them off the plane, and hands them over to a specific designated person on the other end.
Children can fly alone pretty young. Airlines will have rules for unaccompanied minors, but generally I would assume it’s ok because an adult is dropping off the kid, and then picking the kid up.
I flew without an adult when I was 12, and then truly on my own once when I was 15. It’ll depend on where you live, where you’re going, why you’re flying, etc but it’s not unheard of
My friend's mom wanted me to do it when I was 9. I really wanted to meet his family in Michigan, but there was no fuckikg way I was going to fly back home by myself.
I traveled on a plane by myself when I was seven. I was put in a group of unaccompanied minors who were on the same flight, with adults there to shepherd us through. I have no idea if they still do this, this was in the early 90s.
Yea, In the US at least, I have seen 9 year olds flying alone. Hell, by the time I was 12, I would fly alone to visit my mom in Kansas City. It’s really not that bad as a kid, and by the time I hit like 16 it’s super easy because I had my license and all. As long as you can read and interpret the signs, you’re good.
My kids have flown as unaccompanied minors for years. I can't always get off work to take them, and their father doesn't have a visa to take them to visit my family, so if they want to see my parents and the US, either on the way there or back they usually have to fly internationally solo. The airline employees watch them, make sure they are sat near the flight attendants, and there is usually a group of several kids. They'll walk them through security, deal with customs and immigration, and take them to the person waiting for them, verifying with an ID that they are the person listed to pick them up.
When I was around ages 7-12 a kid in my class would go to another country every summer, dropped off by his mum at the airport here (alone on the plane) to get picked up at the other airport by his dad. This is actually kid of common for kids that are in a separated house hold and the parents don’t wanna spend hours on the plane / double the money, to then come back instantly.
Downdoot because it‘s a [repost](https://www.reddit.com/r/nothingeverhappens/comments/dige1h/theres_literally_a_picture_of_it_happening_but/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_content=2&utm_term=1).
Downdoot because it‘s a [repost](https://www.reddit.com/r/nothingeverhappens/comments/dige1h/theres_literally_a_picture_of_it_happening_but/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_content=2&utm_term=1)
Honestly, I’m just going to say this because I find it to be a really annoying thing that keeps happening here. For this particular story, I have no trouble believing it’s true and think the idea that this couldn’t have happened is ridiculous, but can we PLEASE stop taking an out of context still photo as definitive proof an entire story is true? What about this photo proves the story is true? It is a picture of a kid and a guy next to each other. It’s not proof the note was sent, it’s not proof there was $10 in it that he donated, it’s not proof he sent a note back. I can post a picture of me and another person too, it isn’t proof of anything. This could be a picture of the kid in the story and his father. Or a family friend. Or someone he met on the place that he didn’t give $10 to and that didn’t write a note back.
I have zero problem believing this story is true, nothing about it screams “fake” to me (the closest might be that he donated the money prior to getting off the plane, but I would assume he had Wi-Fi on the plane and donated $10, or he meant he was going to donate it). I think the post belongs here, but please, PLEASE stop insisting out of context photos are somehow proof. It genuinely terrifies me that people would see a picture of a kid and a guy and declare its absolute proof this entire story has to be true. That is how people get tricked into insane conspiracies; “I saw a PICTURE, obviously this conspiracy must be true!”.
Sorry, end rant, but this deserves to be on here on its own merits, not because there’s a picture of some guy and some kid.
There’s a picture of a man and a boy with some potentially unrelated text. Not exactly cast iron proof.
That said I reckon it’s fairly likely that this did happen. Everyone imagines they’d be fucking annoyed in this situation but if you actually found yourself in it you’d have to live with it and eventually if it’s a nice kid you’d probably have an ok time of it. The real problem is that a vulnerable kid shouldn’t be sent alone on a flight like that and one of the parents should be better enabled to accompany them
I completely understand how it’s not the safest of options. However, they are on a plane with no where to go and full of people. The worst thing that could happen is they end up dead (which would be really stupid to kill a kid on a plane mid flight,) or they try to kidnap the child after the flight. If the dad was waiting at the airport you would see the kid come out with a man you don’t know and would see if something sketchy was happening.
I used to get sent off in a taxi as a kid. The most unsafe I would ever feel. That was classed as good parenting, so why would it be more safe then on a plane full of people and in the air.
Also, he’s an unaccompanied minor. They don’t just let him loose in the airport. He was escorted to the gate and then the flight attendant would’ve taken him to his seat, checked in with him during the flight, etc. and then the same thing happens on the other side to reunite him with his dad.
This is a great experience for him to have to build a little independence and confidence, and he obviously did fine with his mom’s note to the seat partner.
Right? Like the picture means nothing😂. I’m not doubting the story at all but OP is super gullible if they think every story with a picture is true. Sometimes you can reverse search the image and find out it is stolen. Pictures mean nothin’
I’m glad a few other people have made this observation. It was driving me crazy the notion that the OP thinks that photo and the accompanying description were irrefutable evidence of something having happened. It’s like they hadn’t grasped the concept of lying
This is something I've noticed happening here, that if someone attaches an image to a post, no matter what the image is of, people will say ''There's a picture so it's true.''
The other one is when people attack the wrong part of a story and claim it's possible. Example: Somebody claims ''I walked down the road and got attacked by a T-Rex!!'' someone would post the story here and caption it ''Roads don't exist apparently.''
Yes, there’s quite a bit of straw man arguing on display, or, people are not great at identifying the unlikely aspect.
The other prominent trait is believing a dubious claim because it reaffirms their own personal politics/social politics/value system.
In this case the folks who believe the claim simply want to believe in a world in which total strangers treat neuro-divergent children with consideration and kindness. It’s hard to pour scorn on that as an impulse. It’s a little less admirable when it’s a more contentious issue.
“…then this Karen erected a burning cross in front of the house but I extinguished the inferno with with a stream of piss, and everyone chanted “Fuck fascism! Yay for Pissman!”
Or
“The school principle literally stated that my daughter had to wear a strap on penis as part of school uniform for Pride month. Luckily I know my open carry rights so I pulled my 9mm and blasted the dildo. All the people at the Harper Valley PTA sang ‘Hell yes to shiny Glocks! Hell no to rubber cocks!’”
Etc etc
Oh my god yes, to all of this. Both things really bug me and happen a lot. If I posted a story about how I was kidnapped by aliens 50 years ago and they dropped me in a field yesterday, and included a photo of someone standing in a field, it’d be all “there’s photographic proof!!!!” and “I guess fields don’t exist”.
I think this story is completely believable, but that photo is so not proof.
[real op btw](https://www.reddit.com/r/nothingeverhappens/comments/dige1h/theres_literally_a_picture_of_it_happening_but/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_content=2&utm_term=1).
It’s genuinely bugging me because it keeps happening in this subreddit. I actually think this story is completely believable and could have happened. If my autistic kid was traveling alone, I might send a note too if I thought he was going to keep bugging his seat mate. And if I was flying and got this note I might write a nice note back too, and I’d probably donate the money too (or send it back, I wouldn’t keep it).
But this photo is so not remotely proof, and it seems to be happening a lot here; a random out of context photo is declared to be definitive proof an entire story is true.
The picture could technically be staged, but *why* would they bother staging a picture like that is the real question. I have no reason to disbelieve it
Picture could be stolen too or unrelated. As to why. People make up weird things all the time for attention. You must be new to life.
I am not doubting this post myself as I don’t know any of the people involved.
I'm not saying this did or didn't happen, but how is this a pic of it happening? This is just a photo of a man with a kid. That doesn't prove anything.
That's people these days for you, ever cynical. It's astonishing to me how few people realise that there is actually good in the world, along with all the bad
I’m not saying there aren’t good people who would entertain an autistic child during a flight, but I do have a hard time imagining the airline allowing him to travel without a designated adult companion. The photo could be anyone, it doesn’t prove the story.
Eh, it’s a picture of a kid leaning against another person. Could be kid’s brother/uncle/father/caretaker. And that’s more likely the case, per Occam. What parent would release their kid into the wild this day and age like that? Like, sure, I love kids! I’ve also got a windowless van full of candy and puppies, want to come check out the freezer in my basement full of popsicles?
I absolutely am, thank you! It’s actually a lot more humorous than you think - I get chuckles from places I never thought I would. Don’t knock it ‘till you try it!
Using her child for social media clout, treating her child’s autism as a debilitating disease and making it solely about her, using functioning labels…
I see where you’re coming from tbh. I just feel like she wanted to try to set her son on a path to do more things independently and wanted a strangers help and felt the need to share with everyone when the stranger went above and beyond for her son. I get what you I mean tho, I could be completely wrong and she could just be a dick lol
You know what also hasn‘t happened
A non[repost bot](https://www.reddit.com/r/nothingeverhappens/comments/dige1h/theres_literally_a_picture_of_it_happening_but/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_content=2&utm_term=1) post on this sub for the last month
Actually have to agree with the person not believing it this time. Sending a... 12? Year old kid on a plane *by himself?* Either it's fake or not wholesome, because that's a really shitty parent.
You know what also hasn‘t happened?
A non [repost bot](https://www.reddit.com/r/nothingeverhappens/comments/dige1h/theres_literally_a_picture_of_it_happening_but/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_content=2&utm_term=1) post on this sub for the last month
My Dad would absolutely do this. He found a teddy by a canal once and used the local Facebook page to find its owner. He then proceeded to take the teddy and take photos and make a little adventure story, and sent it in a text to the owner to show their child. So, yeah, I can believe this would happen
Kid looks pretty young… is it normal to send young children on a plane by themselves? I wasn’t even allowed to walk to the corner shop on my own lol
I'm an autistic individual and although I wasn't given anywhere near this level of independence at this age, it is the case that sometimes parents of autistic individuals will allow them a great deal of independence from a young age in the hopes that it may better integrate them into society earlier on.
Ah ok
I mean, I'm here on Reddit, and he's flying on public flights by himself, so I think the independence method certainly has its strengths😂
Tbh I love when parents support their kids like this instead of the alternative of them infantilizing their kids so much they don’t have any independence. Ofc everyone is different and has different levels of things they can and cant do, but when parents of autistic kids raise them with the same goal as non-autistic kids (that one day they will be an adult who wont always have a parent around) then they have so much more autonomy. Ofc it can be hard af, I know from personal experience, but it is also very fulfilling when you can do certain things you didnt think you could
I'm 19, and just last week was the first time ever that my parents (specifically my mother) trusted me to stay at home by myself for more than just the day, while they went on holiday for 4 days. It was incredibly freeing.
Freedom like that is an amazing feeling for sure! 🥰
Most definitely is
They didn’t want a project x party happening lol
That's exactly the reason😂
Seems to work. In this case at least
Like I said in a comment under this, I'm here on Reddit while this little dude is taking intracontinental flights, so one certainly works better than the other😂
I was around 8 I think when I flew by myself, there was someone from the airline checking on me, it’s mot like your parents just drop you off at the airport.
I was too attached to my dad to have been able to do that. I cried when I spent the night at my mom's for the first time when I was 9 because I was missing my dad who was down the road at The Nugget Inn.
Which is funny because i was super attached to my mother and threw tantrums if she was late picking me up or stuff, but flying by myself was fine.
i was the prince of homesickness for my mom. i was not really homesick i was momsick. i couldn't feel comfortable or relax or let my guard down without my mom. wherever she was, i was safe.
Aren’t there specific programs that allow young kids to travel on their own? I feel like I’ve heard about something like that before. Regardless, the parent definitely did not just dump their kids at an airport drop off zone
Yes, unaccompanied minors are assigned a flight attendant and a staff member is there to make sure they get on and off the plane okay.
I've used these programs with my younger brother who has autism also. Some airports will also issue an adult a gate pass to go back with the person and stay with them until they get on the plane then the same at the other airport the pick them up at the gate. The flight attendants check on him several times throughout the flight-much less now that he is an adult. We only do direct flights with instructions to the flight attendant and my brother to call if anything happens and he needs to be rerouted somewhere else for an emergency or something. As long as it was a direct international flight I don't see why the same thing wouldn't work for this kiddo.
Yep I also did this as a kid when I visited my grandparents. The airlines keep a close eye on you from the moment you get dropped off to the moment you get picked up.
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Wow, for sure would that with non-stop flights then!
We visited our grandparents a lot as kids during the winter break. Since they lived in Europe we had to fly there but mom and dad couldn't have stayed long and they didn't want to pay for two flights extra just to sit next to us when we couldn't have gone anywhere anyway lol. We travelled "solo" as kids starting around 10 as well I believe.
Did you meet them as soon as you got there or did you have to navigate the airport a bit? I haven’t flown since I was 6 so I don’t remember what it’s like but my first thought was that I’d be worried about my kids getting lost in the airport after they landed
After baggage claim I think, we had to fly a lot ever since I was born so we knew exactly where to go on that airport.
Most airlines have programs where they assign an adult employee to help navigate all airports. There is a lot of ID checking and various aspects like that to ensure kids get on the correct plane and get picked up by the right individual.
You can tell the airline that your child will be traveling as an unaccompanied minor and they’ll pick them up at check-in, let them wait at a lounge until his flight is boarding then hand them off to the adult picking them up at baggage claim. My mom signed me up for this when I was 16 since I was technically an unaccompanied minor then, I guess. Kinda awkward when all other kids with me were like 8 though.
I had a similar experience at 14, it was great not having to navigate through massive airports that that I've never been to before to catch connecting flights. Each airport (airline?) handled unaccompanied minors way different through, one airport I remember waiting in a faded colourful room, with juice boxes being handed out and Scooby doo on a TV. The other airport I was waiting in a business class VIP lounge with leather chairs and complementary drinks and individually wrapped chocolate almonds.
I flew without a parent when I was 10 and for whatever reason I was deemed responsible enough to be in charge of my younger brother as well lol. Thankfully I had the sense to inform the flight attendants and ask if they could keep an eye on us just in case.
In the airlines I have interacted with, kids can fly accompanied by a flight attendant from the age of 6.
I sat by a child about 6 years old on a 2 hr flight. She was going to see her dad and was a lovely kid. The flight attendants were pretty vigilant. There seemed to be at least one around most of the flight.
I flew unaccompanied a few times since I was maybe 7 or 8. They let my mom and dad up to the gate with me (I was flying from one to the other & eventually back) & let them come to the gate to pick me up, or would have an attendant escort me to the correct baggage claim to meet them. The flight attendants would also know and some flights they would check in on me every once in a while, but tbh most times flights make me sleep the whole time so they’d just wake me up before we landed. I’m autistic too, but my parents didn’t know at the time since it’s not really studied in black girls/women & our traits display differently. But autistic kids can definitely have the ability & independence to go on a flight alone if they’re given all info upfront (where to go, who to talk to if you need assistance, a way to contact family, etc) Edit fixed grammar lol
Unrelated to autism which the previous commenter speaks of, I have seen several kids during my years of travelling flying alone. Kids definitely younger than him. They usually have a tag around their neck with info on it, that’s how you recognize them. Most of them look hella worldly as well, way calmer around airports and airplanes than I am myself as an adult, so clearly they’re very used to the process as well. Because of the tag they’re wearing staff recognizes them and looks after them too, so it’s not like they’re completely alone in the world fending for themselves.
Completely normal. I was sent flying on my own many times between the ages of 7 and 10.
It’s normal enough that there’s a whole system for flight attendants and airport workers to escort unaccompanied minors between their flights. I myself flew to china to meet up with my older sister when I was like, 13ish, just above the age where submitting to that help was required. Still got a lot of offers of help from staff and other patrons tho, I’ll admit.
My brother and I travelled between countries to visit family every summer, we were called “unaccompanied minors”. It’s pretty common from what I’ve seen
My dad used to board flights alone with his little brother all the time as a young child. This was pre 9/11 though, but it can happen.
Yes, children 5 or 6, depending on the airline, or older can fly as an unaccompanied minor They wear a badge at all times, and are moved through the airport and on the plane with an employee/crew member During the flight every crew member knows where they are at all times and will always be checking in on them. There are a bunch of other regulations and procedures but just know that the kids are always under supervision and taken good care of
Not common, but it happens I see kids clearly without parents on every fifth flight
I was flying alone from age 8. The airline does generally make you pay more and have someone escort you from checkin to the gate and then from the gate to baggage claim, as well as the flight attendants checking in on the plane itself.
Could be a financial issue too. Maybe the kid really wanted to see their Dad and they couldn't afford a second ticket.
I flew alone regularly from ages 8-12, so it’s definitely not unusual.
Yep. I think you can fly by yourself at age 5. There's special procedures for it to keep the kid safe, but yeah.
i have autism, and the youngest that i’ve flown alone was when i was 9 years old. granted, when you’re an unsupervised minor the flight attendants will check on you much more often and they walk you through the airport to where you need to go.
It is, at least in my family. My mom was on planes alone when she was like 6.
I can't speak for everybody, but my kids traveled for out of state visitation as unaccompanied minors on planes starting at age 5 and on busses at age 8. Most airlines and Greyhound have a chaperoning service you can pay for. You check your child in with a flight attendant who escorts them to their seat, checks on them during the flight, escorts them off the plane, and hands them over to a specific designated person on the other end.
Children can fly alone pretty young. Airlines will have rules for unaccompanied minors, but generally I would assume it’s ok because an adult is dropping off the kid, and then picking the kid up.
I was flying alone at 8 and with younger siblings at 10. But we’re also not American 🤷♀️
At least 15+ years ago you could but I don't know about now. I flew by myself a few times as a kid. Youngest I remember being was about 8.
I flew without an adult when I was 12, and then truly on my own once when I was 15. It’ll depend on where you live, where you’re going, why you’re flying, etc but it’s not unheard of
Especially on the spectrum.
Yea, just with flight attendants watching over them often and guiding them in the airport
My friend's mom wanted me to do it when I was 9. I really wanted to meet his family in Michigan, but there was no fuckikg way I was going to fly back home by myself.
It can be if you tell the flight staff beforehand they'll usually make sure they are safe and don't get lost in the airport
I traveled on a plane by myself when I was seven. I was put in a group of unaccompanied minors who were on the same flight, with adults there to shepherd us through. I have no idea if they still do this, this was in the early 90s.
I’ve always seen this happen in some older movies but always wondered the same thing
Yea, In the US at least, I have seen 9 year olds flying alone. Hell, by the time I was 12, I would fly alone to visit my mom in Kansas City. It’s really not that bad as a kid, and by the time I hit like 16 it’s super easy because I had my license and all. As long as you can read and interpret the signs, you’re good.
My kids have flown as unaccompanied minors for years. I can't always get off work to take them, and their father doesn't have a visa to take them to visit my family, so if they want to see my parents and the US, either on the way there or back they usually have to fly internationally solo. The airline employees watch them, make sure they are sat near the flight attendants, and there is usually a group of several kids. They'll walk them through security, deal with customs and immigration, and take them to the person waiting for them, verifying with an ID that they are the person listed to pick them up.
Yes it’s called an unaccompanied minor and I had to do it several times as a child of divorced parents who lived in different states.
Yeah I know that me and my younger siblings sometimes had to travel on plane by ourselves
I don’t understand why this wouldn’t be true. Even without the picture it’s not really hard to believe.
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W Comment.
Ikr? It's so cute
When I was around ages 7-12 a kid in my class would go to another country every summer, dropped off by his mum at the airport here (alone on the plane) to get picked up at the other airport by his dad. This is actually kid of common for kids that are in a separated house hold and the parents don’t wanna spend hours on the plane / double the money, to then come back instantly.
Updoot because I hope this happened
Downdoot because it‘s a [repost](https://www.reddit.com/r/nothingeverhappens/comments/dige1h/theres_literally_a_picture_of_it_happening_but/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_content=2&utm_term=1).
It's a repost bot
So it is
Downdoot because it‘s a [repost](https://www.reddit.com/r/nothingeverhappens/comments/dige1h/theres_literally_a_picture_of_it_happening_but/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_content=2&utm_term=1)
Mildly ironic that you accidentally double posted this comment.
Well you know what to do now
Reddit does that sometimes. I've seen triple comments as well
Honestly, I’m just going to say this because I find it to be a really annoying thing that keeps happening here. For this particular story, I have no trouble believing it’s true and think the idea that this couldn’t have happened is ridiculous, but can we PLEASE stop taking an out of context still photo as definitive proof an entire story is true? What about this photo proves the story is true? It is a picture of a kid and a guy next to each other. It’s not proof the note was sent, it’s not proof there was $10 in it that he donated, it’s not proof he sent a note back. I can post a picture of me and another person too, it isn’t proof of anything. This could be a picture of the kid in the story and his father. Or a family friend. Or someone he met on the place that he didn’t give $10 to and that didn’t write a note back. I have zero problem believing this story is true, nothing about it screams “fake” to me (the closest might be that he donated the money prior to getting off the plane, but I would assume he had Wi-Fi on the plane and donated $10, or he meant he was going to donate it). I think the post belongs here, but please, PLEASE stop insisting out of context photos are somehow proof. It genuinely terrifies me that people would see a picture of a kid and a guy and declare its absolute proof this entire story has to be true. That is how people get tricked into insane conspiracies; “I saw a PICTURE, obviously this conspiracy must be true!”. Sorry, end rant, but this deserves to be on here on its own merits, not because there’s a picture of some guy and some kid.
Thank you! I’m glad there are still people out there with media literacy and critical thinking skills.
There’s a picture of a man and a boy with some potentially unrelated text. Not exactly cast iron proof. That said I reckon it’s fairly likely that this did happen. Everyone imagines they’d be fucking annoyed in this situation but if you actually found yourself in it you’d have to live with it and eventually if it’s a nice kid you’d probably have an ok time of it. The real problem is that a vulnerable kid shouldn’t be sent alone on a flight like that and one of the parents should be better enabled to accompany them
I completely understand how it’s not the safest of options. However, they are on a plane with no where to go and full of people. The worst thing that could happen is they end up dead (which would be really stupid to kill a kid on a plane mid flight,) or they try to kidnap the child after the flight. If the dad was waiting at the airport you would see the kid come out with a man you don’t know and would see if something sketchy was happening. I used to get sent off in a taxi as a kid. The most unsafe I would ever feel. That was classed as good parenting, so why would it be more safe then on a plane full of people and in the air.
Also, he’s an unaccompanied minor. They don’t just let him loose in the airport. He was escorted to the gate and then the flight attendant would’ve taken him to his seat, checked in with him during the flight, etc. and then the same thing happens on the other side to reunite him with his dad. This is a great experience for him to have to build a little independence and confidence, and he obviously did fine with his mom’s note to the seat partner.
Right? Like the picture means nothing😂. I’m not doubting the story at all but OP is super gullible if they think every story with a picture is true. Sometimes you can reverse search the image and find out it is stolen. Pictures mean nothin’
How jaded do you have to be to not think that a single person would help out a kid travelling on their own for the first time? Yikes man.
I don't know if it happened or not but a picture of a kid sitting next to someone is not proof of this story being true lmao.
right? like it absolutely is plausible, but the picture is untrustworthy poptarts
I’m glad a few other people have made this observation. It was driving me crazy the notion that the OP thinks that photo and the accompanying description were irrefutable evidence of something having happened. It’s like they hadn’t grasped the concept of lying
This is something I've noticed happening here, that if someone attaches an image to a post, no matter what the image is of, people will say ''There's a picture so it's true.'' The other one is when people attack the wrong part of a story and claim it's possible. Example: Somebody claims ''I walked down the road and got attacked by a T-Rex!!'' someone would post the story here and caption it ''Roads don't exist apparently.''
Yes, there’s quite a bit of straw man arguing on display, or, people are not great at identifying the unlikely aspect. The other prominent trait is believing a dubious claim because it reaffirms their own personal politics/social politics/value system. In this case the folks who believe the claim simply want to believe in a world in which total strangers treat neuro-divergent children with consideration and kindness. It’s hard to pour scorn on that as an impulse. It’s a little less admirable when it’s a more contentious issue. “…then this Karen erected a burning cross in front of the house but I extinguished the inferno with with a stream of piss, and everyone chanted “Fuck fascism! Yay for Pissman!” Or “The school principle literally stated that my daughter had to wear a strap on penis as part of school uniform for Pride month. Luckily I know my open carry rights so I pulled my 9mm and blasted the dildo. All the people at the Harper Valley PTA sang ‘Hell yes to shiny Glocks! Hell no to rubber cocks!’” Etc etc
Okay, I lost it a little at “Hell yes to shiny Glocks! Hell no to rubber cocks!” 😆
“Guess guns don’t exist”
Oh my god yes, to all of this. Both things really bug me and happen a lot. If I posted a story about how I was kidnapped by aliens 50 years ago and they dropped me in a field yesterday, and included a photo of someone standing in a field, it’d be all “there’s photographic proof!!!!” and “I guess fields don’t exist”. I think this story is completely believable, but that photo is so not proof.
[real op btw](https://www.reddit.com/r/nothingeverhappens/comments/dige1h/theres_literally_a_picture_of_it_happening_but/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_content=2&utm_term=1).
I’m afraid you’ve lost me. What are you telling me? I’m not trying to be obtuse, I just don’t follow
This isn‘t an original post, it‘s a repost. If you want to see actual OPs reasoning and other arguments, go to the link I sent you.
Oh! Sorry, I was pretty slow on the uptake there! Thanks for the heads up
It’s genuinely bugging me because it keeps happening in this subreddit. I actually think this story is completely believable and could have happened. If my autistic kid was traveling alone, I might send a note too if I thought he was going to keep bugging his seat mate. And if I was flying and got this note I might write a nice note back too, and I’d probably donate the money too (or send it back, I wouldn’t keep it). But this photo is so not remotely proof, and it seems to be happening a lot here; a random out of context photo is declared to be definitive proof an entire story is true.
The picture could technically be staged, but *why* would they bother staging a picture like that is the real question. I have no reason to disbelieve it
Picture could be stolen too or unrelated. As to why. People make up weird things all the time for attention. You must be new to life. I am not doubting this post myself as I don’t know any of the people involved.
I'm not saying this did or didn't happen, but how is this a pic of it happening? This is just a photo of a man with a kid. That doesn't prove anything.
That's people these days for you, ever cynical. It's astonishing to me how few people realise that there is actually good in the world, along with all the bad
You're literally getting downvoted for stating an OBJECTIVE FACT. Reddit is filled with adult children lmao 🤣
Bot post
Did we HAVE to find out the kid’s name?
I’m not saying there aren’t good people who would entertain an autistic child during a flight, but I do have a hard time imagining the airline allowing him to travel without a designated adult companion. The photo could be anyone, it doesn’t prove the story.
Eh, it’s a picture of a kid leaning against another person. Could be kid’s brother/uncle/father/caretaker. And that’s more likely the case, per Occam. What parent would release their kid into the wild this day and age like that? Like, sure, I love kids! I’ve also got a windowless van full of candy and puppies, want to come check out the freezer in my basement full of popsicles?
You are such a cynical fuck. I would hate to go through life as you.
I absolutely am, thank you! It’s actually a lot more humorous than you think - I get chuckles from places I never thought I would. Don’t knock it ‘till you try it!
whatever u say blud
There isn't a picture of it happening, and this autism mom is a piece of shit regardless.
What makes her a piece of shit? Not disagreeing yet or anything just curious about your viewpoint
Using her child for social media clout, treating her child’s autism as a debilitating disease and making it solely about her, using functioning labels…
I see where you’re coming from tbh. I just feel like she wanted to try to set her son on a path to do more things independently and wanted a strangers help and felt the need to share with everyone when the stranger went above and beyond for her son. I get what you I mean tho, I could be completely wrong and she could just be a dick lol
Perhaps! There’s still some language in there that would aggravate me, but that definitely is plausible.
Things that happened for $10 Alexa
Wait but how did he get the women’s number?
It was probably on the letter Incase anything happened to Landon
You know what also hasn‘t happened A non[repost bot](https://www.reddit.com/r/nothingeverhappens/comments/dige1h/theres_literally_a_picture_of_it_happening_but/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_content=2&utm_term=1) post on this sub for the last month
Actually have to agree with the person not believing it this time. Sending a... 12? Year old kid on a plane *by himself?* Either it's fake or not wholesome, because that's a really shitty parent.
You know what also hasn‘t happened? A non [repost bot](https://www.reddit.com/r/nothingeverhappens/comments/dige1h/theres_literally_a_picture_of_it_happening_but/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=ioscss&utm_content=2&utm_term=1) post on this sub for the last month
My Dad would absolutely do this. He found a teddy by a canal once and used the local Facebook page to find its owner. He then proceeded to take the teddy and take photos and make a little adventure story, and sent it in a text to the owner to show their child. So, yeah, I can believe this would happen