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.

[Tuttutitlookslikerain]

YABU you had no need for the seat, yet still asked them to move! I would understand had you have said you are disabled or an OAP, or had a broken leg, but no you're just rude!

[FunnysInLaJardin]

It wouldn't occur to me to ask a child to give me a seat just because they were a child tbh. So I don't think it's bad manners on the part of the children. However as a mother I would always ensure that my DC gave up their seat for an adult and so I think the mother was being bad mannered

[dinkystinky]

Unles you were elderly or very weak and ill then yes, you were being unreasonable - they were there first, they were sat down and behaving well (sat out of the way, not disturbing people in the busy pharmacy). My rule is that ill people, children under 10 or parents with babies, elderly people or disabled people get the seats, everyone else can stand.

[spoonsspoonsspoons]

It may be bad manners not to offer a seat but equally bad manners to ask someone to move if not offered and no immediate reason to ask (frailty, illness etc.)

[Alisvolatpropiis]

YABU! Bloody hell!

It is basic manners for a child to offer their seat to an elderly/obviously unwell/pregnant as it is basic manners for anyone else.

I wouldn't have moved either of them had they been my children.

[ceeveebee]

I would expect the 2 yo to sit on mum's knee but why should you take priority over the 4yo unless you have a medical need to sit down?

Anyway it doesnlt make sense. You said there were 3 chairs and that the mum and her two kids were taking them all up. So where was the random woman sitting?

[Fairylea]

If you weren't ill and you're not pregnant or elderly then to be honest you all should have left the seats empty for someone that was (apart from the mum if she was poorly).

[DublinMammy]

YABU - perhaps you should have just sat on your sense of entitlement? It's certainly big enough....

[CandyLoo]

I'm 38. I said, 'Excuse me, would you mind if I sat in one of these chairs?.
Obviously hoping their Mum would do something (she did).

[InNeedOfBrandy]

My rule is that ill people, children under 10 or parents with babies, elderly people or disabled people get the seats, everyone else can stand. Thats my rule to!

I would have already moved my child if you were ill/elderly/disabled but not just because you wanted to sit down. Why is your want greater then theres?

[troubador]

Lol dublinmammy!

[QueenofNightmares]

YABU how do you know the children weren't ill? Hidden disabilities? I will tell my DD to stand for people in need of a seat mostly those who are elderly, unstable or pregnant but tbh you just sound a bit entitled and would of really pissed me off.

[freddiefrog]

You have no more right/need to a seat than them. Children aren't lesser beings/second class citizens to you just because they aren't adults.

So what if they are young, respect as you say is a two way street.

^^ This

I personally would have sat the 2 year old on my lap, but from the OP, I don't think the mum was sitting down in the first place - 3 chairs - 2 kids, 1 random lady?

Unless some one is ill, disabled, elderly, pregnant, etc, then it's first come, first served as far as I'm concerned.

[Alisvolatpropiis]

OP I honestly cannot believe you asked just because you wanted to sit down. Genuinely shocked.

It would never cross my mind.

[halcyondays]

Yabu as you didn't really need the seat. I don't get the thinking that children should give up their seat for a healthy adult to show "respect" I find that a very strange and very old fashioned attitude. I think it was rude of you to ask for a seat you didn't need.

[WileyRoadRunner]

YABU.

How do you know they weren't ill?

Besides if the pharmacy was busy it probably makes more sense for children to be sitting rather than getting trodden on/ getting in the way/ trying to touch things in the pharmacy.

You just sound a bit up your own arse really.

[CandyLoo]

3 chairs - random lady, child, child.
Their mum was standing.
I would not have minded if the mum had been sat down, with or without a child on her lap.

[LimburgseVlaai]

I seem to be in the minority here, in that I think OP is NBU. I can see what everyone means about children not being second-class citizens and nobody having a right to a seat (unless they are ill or whatever) but...

I guess it's a similar situation to two adults talking and a child trying to interrupt ("Mum! Mum! Mum!!"). You say to the child: "Wait, I'm talking." The adults take priority because a) it's polite and b) children have to learn that they are not the centre of the universe - otherwise they might grow up with a 'great sense of entitlement^.

[Wallison]

If it's busy on the bus, I'll get my son to sit on my knee or stand so an adult can sit down - I thought that was the deal with paying a half-price ticket for them? If we were in the pharmacy I probably wouldn't have let him sit down to start with and explained to him that the chairs are for people who need them and he doesn't need them (I have done this with him before in similar situations). So, I think that generally children should give up their seats for adults, or leave the seats free for adults (especially in a pharmacy where there are likely to be elderly people who do need to sit down) - because children are more able to stand. But I wouldn't actually ask children to move in order that I can sit down unless I was unwell.

[perceptionreality]

YABU - why are your rights above those of a child? People who think like this really anger me.

To all the 'Years ago children were seen and not heard' comments....and? Children are not less important than adults and just because years ago they were treated that way does not make it right. There was also a time when women were not allowed to vote.

If someone moved one of my children out of a seat I would be angry and tell the person where to get off. Unless they were disabled, very old or ill and clearly more in need than we were. In which case I'd give up my own seat in any case.

[shinyblackgrape]

I do think that small children should move unless dreadfully unwell. The reason for that is that they have other options of where to sit. Two of them can fit on a chair or one can sit on their mother's knee. Random adults don't have that option

I'm expecting first DC and will expect him to sit on my knee when he's able to and give up his seat.

[HullyChristmasgully]

If it was obvious that you were pregnant and ill then I think it only fair she moved her shoppign.

[BreeVanDerTramp]

Do you know them? How go you know they were 2 & 4, my boys are that age and I would prefer they were seated than running round a busy pharmacy but would obviously get them to move for someone who needed it.

[GhoulWithADragonTattoo]

YANBU - I sat my children (also 2 and 4) on two chairs in the supermarket the other day while we waited for my DH. I made the younger one get up straightaway as soon as an adult approached looking as if they wanted a seat. I do think generally children should give way to adults unless there is a reason why not. On a bus I'd say children of this age should be given a seat they may struggle to balance more than an adult but once they are stable adult takes priority.

[BoccadiLupa]

Twopence' worth from me.

At half term, my 2.5 year old and 5 year old both came down with scarlet fever. Temperatures, throat infections and rashes on their torsos. Not outwardly ill-looking, but both really weak/unwell. We were at my local Boots' waiting for their antibiotics prescriptions, sitting on the three chairs provided (they really did need to sit down), when a young-ish woman (also waiting for a presciption) and asked me to move one of them for her. I moved my (hefty) 2.5 year old onto my lap, of course, but I was inwardly thinking 'you seem perfectly healthy, love'. And then she turned to me and said - 'Thanks for moving them, I've been up all night with my 6 month old and I feel terrible'.

So the moral of the story is - don't judge. The children may have been ill but not showing signs. Someone's need may be equal or greater to yours. Just show basic human kindness and we can all get along in this world