To be annoyed that taxi ranks don't let families in first.

[LittleTurtle]

More like a rant really, sorry if it was covered before.

When we came back from holiday with the Eurostar, we went to the taxi rank. I had DC3 on the sling on my front (4 months), a backpack on my back and the babybag on the side, while holding the hands of DC1 and 2 (aged 2 and 4). DH had 2 large suitcases, a backpack and bag. I told DH we will go to the front immediately because priority is given to families and seriously with all our baggage you could tell we were not taking the piss.

When we got there, there were the paralympic guides helping people get into the taxis, when she turned to us and asked : 'Oh sorry, who came first'. There were these Carrie Bradshaw-like fashionistas to go in front of us. I told the guide that we just came in, but usually families with babies usually go first. She told me she never heard of that, and that unless we were disabled or something..........
Then one of the fashionistas took a look at all our baggage and said it's fine we can go, at which her friend said : 'Oh no, are you sure?'. Eventually we were let in, but I could not help but say to my husband, one of the fashionistas look great on the outside, but just cold on the inside. What kind of inconsiderate society have we become?

In France, there are signs all over main taxi ranks, that you let the pregnant, disabled, families with babies and tots, etc. go in before. We even naturally get called to the front by the usher as we arrive.
I realised that people in london are less keen, one day we did that, and some guy rushed to the taxi to go in front of us, and the taxi driver turned him away and told him : 'don't you see those people need more help?'.

Even before I was pregnant and had kids, I always left the lift, seats etc. to the mums and elders, so all this behaviour surprises me.

'sock puppet' ? where?

1/10 ? Wotzat?

Have l come back to a parallel universe?

Jins - sure I appreciate everyone needs to get home, but if you actually SEE someone struggling with young children, I think it is common humanity to allow them to go first.

Everyone in a taxi queue is in a hurry otherwise they would get public transport. I may well see you struggling when you've chosen to take your children out late. Would you see me struggling because I've been up since 6 and I've got to rush to get a train home to the other end of the country?

Common humanity is better managed by waiting in turn. It's fairer and allows more certainty

"Because they are children and their needs should definitely come before those of adults"

Because...?

I'd hate to think there was more than one of this kind of person messing up queues everywhere, certainly.

No way! When I am getting a taxi it is usually because I just want to get somewhere quickly and I would never give anyone my place! I love a taxi journey on my own and tbh don't even look at the people in teh queue

"Everyone in a taxi queue is in a hurry otherwise they would get public transport."

Good point. I have to be desperate or very drunk before I'll pay for a cab.

Maybe I'm old fashioned but I've taught my son that he has to wait like everyone else.

If he is hungry and there is a que, Tough! It's not going to kill him to wait an extra 30 minutes for his dinner.

That's life.

IF the french let families go first in the 'queue' it is because a french 'queue' is actually a scrummage when only the strong prevail... this is true of most nationalities actually.

A british queue is just that - an orderly line of people waiting their fair turn to be served in the order they arrived so everybody is waiting for the same amount of time and nobody is more important than anybody else.

But Marieann if your children are tired, hungry, thirsty and bored, that is your problem for allowing them to get that way.

We've traveled all the way to other countries and been delayed by several hours in overheated airports where everything is shut. My children were not left hungry, bored or thirsty because we packed handheld games, books, snacks and drinks.

As I said earlier, organisation is the key. People travelling without children should not have to wait any longer than anyone else just because some parents struggle to plan things effectivly or to control their children in a queue.

Actually, come to think of it, if I'm near the front of a very long queue I am a bit more circumspect about who I wave in front of me, because I'm aware I'm making the decision for everyone behind me as well. So borderline cases may not get the wave they normally would, and would have to wait for the next waver.

I suspect this is way more complex overlapping empathy than the OP could handle though.

These kind of attitudes are why the childless by choice people of the world have such a bad view of parents in general- think one bad apple spoils the barrel

'And anyone of any age could be tired, hungry or grumpy. Why are children any more important in that scenario?'

'Because they are children and their needs should definitely come before those of adults'.

Or, to put it another way, 'They're more important because they're more important.'

Crap argument, Marianne. but understandably so seeing as you're only a sock-puppet

I read the original title thinking it was a wind-up. YABVVU. Most of us would offer to let children / pregnant women / disabled people go first in a queue. However, to push in and insist that they go first is just downright rude. Learning to wait is an important life lesson for children; as a child I was told to either wait or ask politely if I really needed something (eg in queues for toilets). Remember, you don't know everyone elses personal circumstances so why judge yourself more worthy than them?
At 19 weeks pregnant I'm still a size 8 (so not obvious to others) and have the usual issues. I've waited in queues patiently (despite feeling like I'm going to vomit / faint / desperate for food or water etc) and lost count of the number of times small children have pushed themselves or have been pushed by their parents in front of me when I've eventually reached the head of the queue; no apology or request has been forthcoming. Even worse is when you're in queues outside and a parent smoker turns their head away from their children and blows the smoke straight in my face; but then that's OK since my needs (and the needs of my unborn child) aren't as important as their children according to some posters.......

Madbuslady Very good point actually one of my pet hates is getting behind 'Mr Benevolent' in a traffic queue.

No l think you will find that the unwritten rule is each driver only lets one driver in, if so inclined, as otherwise you are making decisions on behalf of and which affect the rest of us behind you you fucking control freak .

I can't believe the idea underpinning this thread. When travelling with my kids I'd be very, very grateful if someone offered to let us in front but would never ever expect it. Even if I had three screaming babies. They are, after all, my problem and not that of the person at the head of the queue. It may take a village to bring up a child but that's not what this is about at all.

MadBusLady - agree with you. If I let someone infront of me in any queue I have a look behind first and occasionally ask if they mind.

Am very surprised at this lovely portrait of French public transport manners. It is emphatically not my experience.

I never let anyone in front of me in a taxi queue.
Like MadBusLady said, I'd also be making the choice for every poor bugger behind me.
I've never been in a position where anybody who is obviously in pain has been in front of me but I took my Mum out often enough in her wheelchair.
Never occurred to either of us to jump the queue though.

i have travelled 8 months pregnant with 2 year old, on trains and buses and have stood up to let people sit down, you are not disabled you have kids, totally fucking different, and if you pushed in front of me, kids or no kids, i'd tell you to piss off to the end of the queue.

I'm intrigued by this part of the OP's post:

"I told DH we will go to the front immediately because priority is given to families"

So your DH didn't know this rule that 'everyone' else has never heard of knows, then?

Or is it just secret knowledge imparted only to mothers (well, obviously not all mothers, seeing as how 99.999% of respondents have denied all knowledge of this 'rule' - the OP must be a very special snowflake indeed) with the red book and the Bounty bag?

Was your DH cringing at your entitled attitude?

Puzzled as to how the OP can extrapolate her experience during a holiday in France to queueing in the UK where she lives as though she's never queued here before. Does that mean she simply doesn't go anywhere with the children where she has to stand in a line?? Except in France??

Special snowflake

My problem with this is that it STOPS common humanity rather than assists it. I have been helped, had my things carried, been allowed to go in front of people, helped off trains and buses and planes. People are generally wonderful. Particularly as DD at the tender age of 21 months has been on 12 flights, 4 of them international. The kindness and empathy of people has been astounding.

If we legislate it (with big signs everywhere) people don't get to be kind - they are forced to adhere.

I'd love to know how the OP and her family ensemble managed to push to the front of the queue without losing a child or a bag in the process.

Here in the UK Queueing is a National Sport and it is taken very seriously, as is clearly demonstrated in this thread.

I cannot describe the rage that I feel rising up from my toes to the top of my head when I get to the front of a queue AND SOMEONE TRIES TO STAND IN FRONT OF ME