to think that some parents are indeed entitled and expect special treatment JUST because they have young dc?

[Mintyy]

I was on a bus (we all love these threads, yes?) the other day and a lovely family - Mum, Dad, two young boys (about 4 and 2 I would say) and a baby in a back carrier on Mum's back got on.

Dad parked the McClaren pushchair in the wheelchair space and I thought to myself "blimey, they've got a lot of children on their hands".

After a while we came to a stop where two women with pushchairs wanted to get on. The first one did, the second could see there was no space and looked a bit cheesed off, as you would.

THEN I noticed that the McClaren was actually empty and the family had all gone upstairs to the top deck if you please! So not only was this other pushchair user unable to get on because there was an empty one in the space, but what if a wheelchair user had wanted to get on? Did they expect someone to shout up the stairs for them to come and move the buggy?

mintyy

well you are in the wrong, mainly because you are the only person that knew this situation and could do something about it! the parents were stupid, but maybe they didn't want to drag all their stuff upstairs with kids if there was no need (which there wasn't when they got on the bus)?

i try to be considerate, i fold pushchair when i can and try not to get in people's way. Sometimes you are just focused on your own stuff and not really thinking, so they are being entitled, but maybe not on purpose...

I am in the wrong. Oh I love it.

This thread is so weird! I'd never leave anything bulky out of sight on any kind of public transport (unless it was in a specific luggage space), precisely because I might need to move it out of the way at some point. That's basic courtesy, and yes, it's something I can get my head around despite not living in London

The thread title was maybe a bit harsh as I'm sure this kind of behaviour isn't specific to parents of young children, but I don't know where all this chorus of 'so petty' and 'you're in the wrong' is coming from Because we never ever have threads more petty than this on MN, oh no...

So parents who are perfectly capable of folding up their pushchair fail to do it and prevent other parents getting on the bus, but Mintyy is the one in the wrong? Would you care to think about that, Smooshface?

mintyy
I just responding to you saying that, I wasn't going to use that phrase myself until you did! And not generally, they should have folded their buggy, but forgot, or didn't think as there was lots of space, but they weren't aware of the situation unfolding as it were, so they couldn't have done anything about it could they? They were being thoughtless rather than entitled I think though

But surely then the point is that they should have stayed in a place where they could see what was going on? I travelled on a busy train yesterday where my suitcase partly blocked the aisle and I had to pick it up whenever someone tried to pass - don't think anyone would have been very happy if I'd buggered off to sit in a different carriage then said 'I wasn't there so I didn't know' when it got in people's way!

Yeah, still think that comes under thoughtless rather than entitled though. my daughter would rather sit on top deck too, double decker bus a rarity for us, so i would want to do the same as them! i would try fold the buggy tho

I don't have children, but this does really annoy me on the bus. Someone did it this morning, and so many times I've heard the bus driver say there's two buggies on already, as they don't know that one is empty. I just think it's rude to take up a buggy space and a seat, it should be one or the other.

Gawd - this has got out of hand: Mintyy to be clear, I do not think you should have folded the empty buggy - I thought you could have indicated to the driver that it was empty/called upstairs to the parents to come and fold the bloody thing up. Anyone suggesting you should have folded it up is way off the mark - how would they feel if someone did that to their buggy in their absence?

Hah. I love this thread and the contortions of logic posters will present in order to defend selfish, thoughtless behaviour.

I agree with the general sentiment but in this instance its just as easily a moment of not really thinking. Easy mistake to make.