People can be so quick to look away from what makes them uncomfortable, even when it’s something someone can’t change.

So, what would you do if you were healing from a major facial injury and a stranger on a plane asked you to cover your scars because they were “scaring” his child?

Would you oblige him for the sake of the child? Or would you put him in his place for even asking?

In the following story, one woman finds herself facing this exact decision and stands up against him.

Here’s what happened.

AITA for leaving significant facial scarring uncovered on a plane and being confrontational when a father asked me to cover it because it was scaring his son?

I sustained very bad injuries to my face this month, and am in the stage of healing where the scar tissue has formed, but it’s still very tender “new skin.”

I’m going to have very obvious facial scarring for the rest of my life.

The injury starts about an inch above my hairline and goes down over my brow, so that hair will not grow on one part. It continues down my cheek where it is deepest; I’ll always probably have an indentation in the fullest part of my cheek. Then it continues to my jawline.

She has conflicting feelings about the situation.

In some ways, it’s OK. I’m happy it’s just cosmetic damage. My friends are super reassuring, telling me how ****** and sick it’s gonna look. They say I’m still as hot as ever, now a little more s**y and mysterious lol.

But in some ways it really sucks… I know that I’m always gonna be seen first as “the girl with the scar,” and it feels especially bad when people look at me differently.

This week, I had to fly home for a family event, a plan I’d made long before my injury. I wasn’t really looking forward to the pity or people making a big deal of it; I’d rather it not be acknowledged.

Here’s where her problem started.

I’d also met with my dermatologist, who said that I was at the stage of scar tissue formation that I no longer should be dressing the wounds; the skin was healing, and instead, I needed to apply topical cream and Vaseline to keep the site clean and moist.

It also looks a bit ugly; the building scar tissue is very red and tender, and with the Vaseline over it, looks slick and shiny.

So I get on this flight. I have the window seat, and I put on my headphones and drift off to sleep when the plane is still boarding.

I woke up to this kid, maybe 4 years old, sitting next to me, throwing a tantrum. I didn’t catch the first part of it, and I honestly couldn’t understand what he was yelling about.

Frustrated, she yelled at him.

His father said to me, “Can you cover that injury?”

I said that my dermatologist recommends I don’t, so no, I don’t think I will.

He started snapping at me, saying, “There is no need to be so rude. That injury is graphic, and it’s scaring my little one.”

I said, “This is my face. The only **** face I’ve got. It sucks being told I’m so ugly I can’t show my ******* face in public.”

The man got so uncomfortable that he left.

He started to backtrack, saying, “Just until it’s healed,” and I said, “It’ll always be with me. Maybe teach some ******* compassion and respect instead of telling a girl half your **** age what you think about her face. That’s rude.”

He actually got up after that and I think went to a stewardess about a seat change because a young couple came to sit next to me instead.

I’ve gotta admit I felt so low that I put on my sunglasses and had a quiet cry for a few minutes.

AITA?

Eek! Seeing both sides of this is easy, but he should really teach his son better manners.

Let’s check out what the folks over at Reddit have to say about how she handled it.

According to this comment, the father could’ve used it as a learning situation but didn’t.

Yet another person who thinks he missed a good teaching moment.

For this person, the father was rude.

Here’s another reader who thinks the dad dropped the ball.

He deserved that and more! Next time, he should teach his child better.

Thought that was satisfying? Check out what this employee did when their manager refused to pay for their time while they were traveling for business.