A father has divided social media users after the loving act for his daughter was shared online.

Now, it is often said that a man would do anything for his daughter, and that certainly seems to be the case for this doting father, whose selfish kindness was captured by a fellow passenger during a flight.

Sharing a photo of the moment to Reddit, user ‘therra123’ writes: “This man kept his hand in this position for 45 minutes so his daughter could sleep well”.

The post – which was shared in the ‘MadeMeSmile’ subreddit – shows the man leaning forward in his plane seat and cradling his daughter’s head so that she can sleep comfortably.

People were divided over the passenger’s actions. Credit: Reddit/therra123

In just 12 hours, the post has amassed more than 37,000 ‘upvotes’ and more than 800 comments from fellow Redditors praising the father.

One person commented: “That’s parenting done right”.

A second added: “Part of the job. It doesn’t change just because they aren’t babies anymore.”

“She may not realize it now, but she’ll always remember the comfort of her father’s hand in that moment,” a third commented.

However, not everybody agreed that the moment was such a sweet one, with many social media users agreeing that there had to be a better solution available.

“I feel like… I feel like there’s a better way,” one Redditor commented.

“It’s cute until you give it a moment’s thought to realize there were 100 better solutions,” another agreed.

Others shared there own simple suggestions: “Seriously. Roll up a hoodie/jacket and bam! Insta-pillow. Or here’s a crazy thought: ask a flight attendant for a blanket and pillow.”

Some Redditors also believed that the daughter was probably missing out on some important life lessons.

Which side are you on? Credit: Constantine Johnny / Getty