Mom Pens Sweet Letter to Man Her Daughter Kept Calling "Daddy" on a Flight
Making a decision between having her daughter pull the window shade up and down for an entire flight or having her sit in the middle seat next to a stranger, Shanell Mouland chose the latter on a plane ride from Philly two years ago. Though she was nervous about who would sit next to Kate (who has autism) the two unknowingly hit the jackpot when a man — who Kate called "Daddy" the whole ride — sat down in the aisle seat. Shanell was so moved by his interactions with her daughter, that she penned a letter to him on her blog, GoTeamKate, which has recently resurfaced on Facebook.
The moment you sat down, Kate started to rub your arm. Your jacket was soft and she liked the feel of it. You smiled at her and she said, "Hi, Daddy, that's my mom." Then she had you. You could have shifted uncomfortably in your seat. You could have ignored her. You could have given me that "smile" that I despise because it means "manage your child please." You did none of that. You engaged Kate in conversation . . . I watched and smiled. I made a few polite offers to distract her, but you would have none of it.
Shanell's letter to the man continues, outlining a humorous conversation he had with Kate about iPads, but then it takes a turn describing the moment Kate began to get restless and upset. "She screamed to have her seat belt off, she screamed for me to open the plane door . . . You tried to redirect her attention to her toys. She was already too far gone at this point, but the fact that you tried to help your new little friend made me emotional."
The letter ends informing the man in 16C that Kate was fine as soon as they got off the plane and thanking him one last time: "Thank you for not making me repeat those awful apologetic sentences that I so often say in public. Thank you for entertaining Kate so much that she had her most successful plane ride yet. And thank you for putting your papers away and playing turtles with our girl."