To have asked a 4 year old and 2 year old to let me sit down in the Doctors pharmacy?

[CandyLoo]

At a small, tightly packed, busy pharmacy opposite Doctors surgery.
3 chairs (barely any standing room).
A lady, and the 2 children taking up the 3 chairs.
2 children not ill, in there with their Mum collecting a prescription.
No free chairs, I asked if I could sit in one of the chairs.
Mum moved one of her children, the other moved to stand with her sister.
Mutterings from the lady next to me, and when she left, said rather pointedly to the child, 'Here you are love, sit in my seat'. They left soon after.
By this stage, the pharmacy was very busy, I have no qualms giving up my seat to anyone older than me or simply if anyone needs it.
AIBU? The lady sitting next to me obviously thought I was, rude comments about me to her husband when she was outside.

But I don't understand why a 2 year old should give up a seat for a perfectly fit and healthy 38 year old. I would just not dream of asking them to move, I would be quite impressed a 2 year old was sat nicely waiting rather than running around potentially annoying people as they would irritate me more!

Absolutely seats should be given up for elderly, sick, disabled, pregnant people but also a parent with young childrenif it looks as if they need to. Its just courteous. Also if someone asks I would expect a child to move as like Netguru has said you don't always know the reason they may need it but it is also courteous not to throw your weight around expecting a very young child to get up because your a lazy arse!

Saintly - the brood probably wouldn't come across terribly well actually. They might not be occupying a seat, but the 3 year-old would quite possibly be trying to do handstands in the middle of the crowded pharmacy and the 10 month old would be escaping up the aisle going "ba ba BABABA" and trying to bite ankles.

And I would be wearing a forced smile and hissing "get back here right now you little buggers" and "just wait till I get you home" and other good, old-fashioned parenting classics....

If someojne asked me I to would assume they needed it. I would be more likely to give up my seat for you instead of the dc though.

Er pickled notice how I don't include ds1 in any of my seat movements? I'm actually pretty good at spotting invisible disabilities (although tbh the chance of ds1 occupying any seat for more than 2 seconds is somewhere around zero). And in that case they could ask if they wanted to. Although even in that case, parent/carer arrives with child with invisible disabilities - I turf ds2 or ds3 out of their seat, parent/carer choose to allow child to sit down. Problem solved.

It's very rare that anyone offers to help ds1 in any way (eg by queue jumping ) even when he makes his disability very visible, so I really would be more than happy to help out if asked.

Well net if the seats are not being used why not ask? I would ask if there was a spare one in amongst a family that I could squidge in somehow.

See my problem is I wouldn't ask because there would be the potential that the person would want to know why the hell I should have priority then I would have to explain, which then some people don't know what M.E. is so then I have to explain that, which I don't like doing. I cannot be the only person who feels this way either.

I just put up and shut most of the time. Shame the OP didn't.

People are also assuming that the children have no disabilities.

oh kungfu -those are the children I like!

Crapbag you could say your feeling unwell or feint if you felt you had to explain. I don't think anyone would be rude enough to question why you need the seat.

Well if the children have disabilities the parents can explain can't they? If by some miracle ds1 was sitting down and someone asked him to move, I'd turf off ds3 or ds2 or stand myself. And a disabled 2 year old who is capable of sitting on a seat can sit on a lap

Well the OP had no health reason for sitting if she did this would be a whole different thread.

I am losing track of the acutal point now as well as the will to live.

All of us are clear we would be happy to give up ours and DCs seats for anyone of any age who would benefit from sitting down for health reasons.

My head may explode. Can someone explain to me WHY children should defer to adults, other than some wishy washy 'it's good manners' bollocks. They are as entitled to a seat as anyone.

If my dd was sitting nicely in a chair and was asked to move hell would actually freeze over before I moved her.

Have no clue why you think you are more entitled to this seat than a child. Sounds v outdated to me.

See if someone asked my child who was sitting nicely to move, I would assume its because they needed the seat rather than they were a lazy arse tbh. I don't think a child should give a seat up unless necessary as it stops them from trying to run around. My 2 will sit nicely but if they are stood up then they are likely to start running around (21 months and 4).

InNeed good point, I always immediately think I need to tell the truth and anything other than that never occurs to me. A bad side of not being able to lie.

i dont thnk chairs are needed in a pharmacy. f you see a chair you want to sit on it. but if there are no chairs, you wll survive waiting for your prescription

Slarty - it's quite a long wait in my local pharmacy, I wouldn't expect any elderly, ill or disabled person to have to wait that long stood up.

basic manners & respect. thats why kids have little legs, their backsides are nearer tot he floor. If they cant stand there is a floor or a lap to sit on.

Adults get the chairs, thats life!

Well the mother did that. It was the elderly person that made a fuss.

We KNOW there is nothing wrong with her. So we can react accordingly.

If a total stranger asked I would donut without a fuss, although if they started on any snarking and made it clear they only asked as they were being awkward i might not be so obliging.

Gawd we are back to respect.

Matthew Wright is so gonna steal this.

Why is it good manners to defer to a person just and only just through age though? Why?

Just why?

I'm ringing in. Totally!