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.

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

I was surprised (and grateful). I was also surprised at the number of people speaking up for me, asking me if I'd like a seat when they weren't sitting themselves then getting someone else to stand up for me. Lovely people

My fondest memory was the gruff, skateboard carrying teenager who leapt to his feet and gave me his seat whilst everyone else was studiously ignoring me.

Good point Scarlett we've just had the Olympics an' all and don't need none of them furrin ways messing up our National Sport.

I also liked the busdriver who refused to carry on driving until my DH (carrying DS in a sling) had a seat.

Special snowflake!

french bus drivers and tour guides also charge you a brit tax (about twice the real ticket price) unless you exaggerate your Irish accent, and then they tell you the real price at which point I tell em to get lost anyway

Don't do this at our town centre taxi rank.

You would be beaten up in about 3 seconds by the entire taxi queue
and left to rot on the pavement.

Learn some manners.

HTH

OP is BU.

People normally are quite good. So when DH (a fit man) nearly fainted on the tube last week, people were very willing to give up their seat for him. Parents with kids do not always need priority, I certainly don't expect it. I have often been given seats even on very crowded tubes, for my kids, which they often shared, so two kids to a seat.

If you are given priority in France then good, but don't expect it in every country. Even in Britain in some places adults give up seats for small children, in others they expect small children to stand.

Dear OP,

In this country there is an unwritten, but well understood queuing code, which makes this one of the few nations able to keep an orderly queue which is safe for all. Having lived in Russia and the Middle East, I've seen what happens when this code does not apply - it ain't pretty!

Though you say you are a UK woman, for some reason, unlike every single other MN'r on this thread, you have not appreciated the subtleties of the code. You have therefore violated it by assuming that you, an able bodied parent, trump all others with invisible needs, when it comes to a queue and that anyone who doesn't realise this is cold and lacks empathy. Heaven help them if they are well dressed or businesslike.

We're mostly parents, we know that travelling with kids can be tough, if asked nicely, we will try and help you but woe betide you if you assume.

Have my first ever

DP is French, so I thought I'd ask him if he thought we should allow families to the front of queues.

He said he thinks that French people should be allowed to go to the front of queues.

So there we are. French empathy in action.

what is it with all these 'ive got children so im more important than the rest of the world 'threads at the moment???

get over yourself op!

how do you know one of the 'fashionistas' was cold on the inside?

You sound delightful OP.

tethers -your dp is right.

I personally think all the entitled prople should be ranked in order of priority and have to stand in the appropriate section and fight it out to be the most needy.
All families should have to justify why their need is more important eg lots of bags vs age and number of DCs vs bad backs from carrying DCs vs DCs being tired. It will then be judged by an independent panel who will give you a number correlating to your order of neediness.

In the meantime, all the fashionistas, bankers, and normal families who don't think they are special because they have children will have got into the waiting cabs and be at home drinking tea, by the time the order of entitlement is arranged.

Win-win

It isn't a rule that I have ever heard of and I would imagine that it would cause outrage! I can't see why families can't take their turn with everyone else.

Well personally I'd like to be in the queue that saw the OP and MarianneM and their families and luggage and tired, hungry children marching to the front. It would be fun to see who got the taxi first.

Except that won't happen because...

Well it just won't will it?

I don't know which year people with DCs got such a sense of entitlement - we just used to get on without any fuss. It was perfectly possible to manage without special parking places, help on trains and to do a school run- all things that have been mentioned on here lately. I wouldn't want to jump a queue just because I had DCs - I haven't a thick enough skin to brave it!

so the million dollar question
MarianneM
LittleTurtle
snap
do I win?

Someone I knew on another site once had an avatar that said: You are not of the earth logic. You are of the "I am a special snowflake" logic.

I just did a search for that image. Sadly I can't find it anymore. Shame, as it's apposite.

Jins, but it would be funny wouldn't it?

Seeing them have a scrap over who was more deserving to get on the taxi first. "My children are tireder/hungrier/need more wees than your children" etc.

Except, no, it won't happen :)

In answer to your question: are you being unreasonable that taxi ranks do not let families in first, I'm afraid you are. People are normally reasonable - but if there is a long queue, and we have all been waiting for a while, then why on earth should your offspring give you the right to jump the queue? Where will this all end? Does being old and infirm trump a mother with a baby? Does a white stick confer instant rights to the front of the queue? Line up with everyone else and take your turn - and if someone chooses to wave you on in front of them, be appropriately grateful.

See, what I don't get is why, if struggling, you can't apologetically ask for help. I've usually never needed to, either. People are so lovely, given half a chance, and with a bit of appreciation and courtesy in return. Insisting on other people being inconvenienced without any thought whatsoever to their comfort or interests is unlikely to achieve that level of help and kindness, IMO. It's a favour. You can't assume or demand one of those. You are appreciative if offered and apologetic if you really need to request. That's all.

And I can't remember the last time I didn't have help when I needed it, without needing to ask for anything at all. Plus I don't think waiting for one taxi to go (I note there were only two women, sharing, in front) is any kind of inconvenience anyway.

yabu ,get in the que like the rest of us .

Hahaha, I like that queuing is a bit of a religion in the UK and trying to jump to the front is a social sin.

In France, the point of a queue is not to wait for your turn in a civilized manner but a challenge in which the one who jumps gets recognition. You can shout, make your way like a ninja to the front, say "will only take a minute"/"I just have a question" or take advantage of the queue jumping rules by which pregnant women, elderly people, disabled or families have the absolute right to jump as they occupy the pole position in the run for the first place. Does not mean the queue-jumpers are never told off though.

No wonder everyone here thinks yabu, OP :o

On the practical side of things, I do agree that luggages+children are not easy to monitor on a sidewalk waiting for a taxi, and that perhaps the others could wait another 3 minutes to get their cab.