I understand her view of not wanting to cause a scene with her toddler with her but I feel she could have argued her point rather than just giving in. If at any point she felt like she would be physically removed from the plane she should have voluntarily left with her son instead of having him ride on her lap.  Unexpected turbulence on a plane isn't rare so it was dangerous for her son to ride like that.  Let the airline know there will be consequences for their actions.  Making a toddler ride on his mother's lap when both have a ticket is inexcusable and shouldn't be tolerated by anyone. Also that flight attendant needs to be retrained. Shrugging your shoulders is not an appropriate response to this sort of situation.