to think this was a bit intimidating

[MrsKeithRichards]

In Ikea cafe it's a fucking nightmare. Find a seat, it's busy but there are seats. A little girl, about seven, is sitting at table for 4 next to me. A couple in their 30's and a woman a bit older sit beside her. 5 minutes pass and a woman comes over. The girl was hers obviously waiting for her mum or saving the seat.

The mum said something like 'she was sitting there' and they all started mouthing off. I felt sorry for the girl she must have felt quite intimidated with 3 grown ups just sitting down.

Regardless of what you think about saving tables I doubt they would have done the same to one of the many adults doing just that.

I think the three grown ups should have waited for the next fee table and not descended upon the girl.

WTF?? You wouldnt sit at a table that only a child was sitting at. They could have asked the girl if she was lost at least.

YANBU - who would sit down at a table with a stranger's child? You just wouldn't do it. These cafe's are a nightmare anyway. The 'no saving tables' policy is a joke. Why would you go through all the hassle of queuing up, selecting food etc if you didn't know whether you would be able to sit down to eat it?

I can't help blaming the parents rather than the people who sat down.

Why would you put your child in that position?

Poor girl what a rotten thing to do. She must have been so initimdated.

I guess they were trying to make some sort of point about table "holding" if there are other seats available. Rotten way to do it though.

So maybe the seven year old shouldnt have been on her own...

But wtf? I actually have family members who I can imagine doing this. People just dont care. They are out for themselves.

It's quite possible the people who sat down had no idea she was saving the table.

They might have thought her family were on the next table or something?

This happened to me and DH years ago on holiday. We bought our food and then sat at a table with a girl of about 14 who was chatting to the people on the full table next to her.

Next thing, her Mum or Nan or someone marches up and asks us to move because apparently the girl was saving the table for more family members.

I didn't really twig what was going on until the mum turned up.

The others sat with cat bum faces saying it was ridiculous leaving her etc once she'd gone.

From what I can recall there was no conversation about doing it they just sat down.