The “child” was “hurting” because of being on an airplane.
The solution to this still evades you?
The solution would be for the attendant to listen to the mom’s request and bring a simple hot meal to the little girl and everyone can get home on time. The family offered to pay. Why can’t we expect an airline to accommodate a special request for a guest while they are in the air? Why cause a flight emergency with an easily solved problem?