to think a parent of a young child

[MurielTheActor]

should take them to the side when an older person is coming through with a full trolley.
I was coming out of supermarket along narrow walkway pushing my shopping when a father with a small girl (about 6 years) was coming the other way and just stood taking up the whole space so I had to go the side to let them through.

How are children going to learn to consider others when they are being shown that they have more rights than anyone else?
As a child I was constantly being dragged out of the way to let grown ups pass.
This really makes me so angry.
And don't get me started on children taking seats on buses and trains while adults are standing...
What is going on?

Of course manners should extend both ways. Absolutely. And I loathe adults being short or impatient with children. It's not about anyone having more 'rights', it's just that children are juniormembers of society. The fact that they feel they should always be on an equal footing to adults is the root of discipline problems in school, as one poster above mentioned. I have seen this first hand as I worked in a high school for many years, and it is very sobering indeed. A lot of parents who think of their children as well brought up would be embarrassed at how they treat school staff, but unfortunately the pendulum has swung too far and disrespect to elders is now the norm IME.

Well said madmomma

Somebody posted is this on Facebookthis morning, and it totally reminded me of this thread.

OP, you are doing that modern English thing of NOT SPEAKING. People aren't perfect, they don't always register someone wanting to come past or whatever. I see lots of incidents like yours where people just seethe instead of brightly asking to get by and saying thank you. I don't understand why we've become a nation of people who just won't talk to one another, but it is very sad. Never mind who was in the right or wrong, it could all be managed in seconds with a simple request, and then no one needs to go home cross, or even remember the encounter at all. I find I almost invariably get a polite response.

That's a dead link, NurseBernard (well it is for me anyway, just takes me to the Google NZ page)