Having the same experience. Travelling with our two boys. The 12 year old is an "adult" and can be seated in the center seats. The 9 year old can not, and I can only select a window seat for him. We wanted to do 2 and 2 behind each other. So now we have the three of us occupying 3 out of the 4 seats, with my 9 year old further down the aisle (since the window seats across from the middle ones are not available). Absurd policy. I called AF and was told to check back when check in opens. They guarantee that a child will be seated next to a parent, even if they have to move someone. Seems like a giant waste of time.