By Elise Solé — TODAY
Should children travel first class on planes? A wealthy father left his children in economy class while he sat in first class, and people have very clear opinions about it.
"See you later," real estate investor Samuel Leeds told his children in a recent TikTok video recorded on a plane. The camera follows Leeds around the plane to first class, where he sits with his wife and a business partner over wine and dinner.
"Don't worry, they sat with their nanny," Leeds, a father of three, wrote in the caption, referring to his children.
"People with money, don't spoil your children," Leeds said in a voiceover video. "I'm moving away from business class [to first class] because I've earned it ... agree or disagree?" he adds.
His followers responded favorably to the video with more than 26,000 views.
"It's your hard-earned money, not theirs," one user wrote, "this is a teachable time for when they grow up." "I support this," opined another, "the children feel they deserve so much these days," he added, "nothing will happen to them."
One childminder noted, "It's not like you've left your wife sitting with the kids and your babysitter..."
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"I wouldn't be teaching them a lesson," another person opined. "I would do it to have a smooth flight," he said.
Others criticised Leeds for leaving their children in another flight deck, even if they were under supervision.
"Wouldn't you want to spend time with your kids?" one user wrote.
"I understand the lesson, but by no means will I be that far away from my daughters," another person said.
TODAY.com contacted Leeds, who were not available for comment. His team directed TODAY.com to a response video shared on Instagram, responding to "recent attacks" on his fatherhood.
According to Leeds, a self-sufficient lifestyle benefits children when they are older.
"What happens when their friends say, 'Hey, are we going skiing to Canada? And they can't afford to go in first [class] but are used to going in first?" he said in the video. "They will be ruined, they will be spoiled. Let them spoil me if I spoil my children," he added.
Leeds continued: "They have to understand the value of money. I'll say to my kids, 'Do you see this house we live in? Dad bought it because he worked so hard... You can't grow up thinking it's normal, it's normal to fly first class, it's normal to live in a mansion... No, it's not normal."
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"It's okay to have luxury as long as you understand where it comes from, when you understand the process of how to get it," he added, "money doesn't make you happy, especially when you inherit it and they put it on a platter."
Leeds said he is willing to give his children a chance in the family business, he said, as long as they start at the bottom and work their way up. "I love my kids very much," she said, "but ultimately, they're going to have to go through the same process as everyone else."
Most of the comments on Instagram agreed with Leeds. One father wrote about his son, "I will only buy him the things he needs on a daily basis, and it's up to him to earn his own money doing chores around the house to buy the things he wants!"
And someone asked, "Why do people care so much about [what] you do with YOUR children?"
