Parents who don't get their children to give up seats!

[thatsmyspace]

Went to the doctors this morning and had a long wait.it was extremely busy as it usually is on a Saturday morning. And I was extremely shocked at the amount of parents that don't make their children give up there seats so others can sit down. An elderly gentleman positioned hisself at the end of a row of seats when right next to him was a child of maybe 4/5 and her mother the other side of her. She didn't even move the child onto her lap and offer the elderly gentleman the seat. A lady that was sitting close by stood up and gave him her chair. Another parent did the exact same thing when a pregnant lady with her toddler came in. She didn't move her child to let the pregnant lady sit down. So I stood up and offered my chair.

This isn't the first time I've encountered this. You see it all the time. Where's is people common courtesy! Maybe it's because I was raised to give up my seat to my elders I just don't understand this rudeness.

OP - would you have expected the children in the doctors surgery to get up and give up their seats to the less able bodied, so you could stay seated? If so, what makes you more entitled to that seat than the child?

@Yabbers it was her mothers appointment did you not read the previous posts?

But your OP wasn't "AIBU to teach my kids to give up their seats to those less able to stand."

It was "AIBU to judge other people for not making their kids stand/share a seat, even though I have absolutely no insight into the reasons why that may not be possible. And I'm in a bloody doctor's surgery so people are even more likely than normal to have valid reasons for being unable to do so. Also I'm a better parent that you and your kids are rude."

*Fabaunt - eh, what???

What if the parent has no childcare? Do they leave the child at home by themselves just so some adult at the doctors surgery can get a seat???!!!*

Yes, to be honest. Theyre taking up seats from people who are unwell and are left to stand, actual patients. If you’re not willing to let them stand for someone who needs the seat more (a patient) don’t bring them.

it was her mothers appointment did you not read the previous posts?
That doesn’t mean the child wasn’t hypermobile .

@then she could sit on her mothers knee

It's nice if someone gives up a seat (or asks their child to,) but no-one has a RIGHT to it. Moreover, they have no right to demand someone gets their child to move. If someone had asked me to get MY kids to shift so they can sit down (when they were young/small,) I would have told them to fuck off.

Your contradicting yourself OP earlier you said you class an elder as anyone older, and your children would get up for a 20 year old.. you're now saying you wouldn't expect a child to get up for you..

Maybe everyone else in the waiting room should have sat on the floor and marvelled at you and your perfect children up on your dirty waiting room chairs thrones of moral superiority.

“Nope children didn't look ill and even if they were, still doesn't mean they need a seat. Can still sit on their parents knee.”

You can just sit on the floor if you don’t like it. Or out the back by the bins for all I care.

The OP has constantly been contradicting herself throughout this thread

So Fabaunt, say a single mother has a 4 year old child who needs a seat for medical reasons. The mother discovers a lump in her breast.

Her options are a) leave a four year old at home unattended to, I dunno, play with matches or b) not to to the GP and just cross her fingers she doesn't have breast cancer?

All so that an able bodied 30 year old woman can have a seat whilst waiting to see the GP about say, contraception because she's an "actual patient". You think that's a wholly reasonable course of action?

So for all the parents who's children are far to precious to give up their seats? What happens when you have visitors over and your kids are taking up the sofas? Do you get your visitors to sit on the floor or do you pluck up the courage to ask your kids to move so so and so can sit down?

thatsmyspace you belong in the 1950's. Who calls older people "elders"?
And no its not common courtesy for children to give up their seat for an adult. I and my children will give up our seat for an elderly person, pregnant woman or a person with a disability. An adult in their 20's or 30's is no more entitled to a seat than my children. Your attitude is ridiculous and has nothing to do with teaching your children manners. You are telling them they are less important that Joe bloggs in the doctors waiting room or on public transport

@TrixieFranklin I said that about visitors. And I would just expect the parents to offer to move their kids incase I did need it not because I'm entitled to it, just out of common courtesy I'd expect a good parent to naturally offer that seat.

No. I would not make my 10yo move from their seat. They were there first. You are not entitled to it.

“So for all the parents who's children are far to precious to give up their seats? What happens when you have visitors over and your kids are taking up the sofas? Do you get your visitors to sit on the floor or do you pluck up the courage to ask your kids to move so so and so can sit down?”

What the actual feck? Is this really your reality?

Well ds has a specialist seat at home so I doubt any visitor would fit into it....

Me I often sit on the floor if we have visitors. Their age is irrelevant though!

It's not about age 🙄 it's about having visitors in your home and whether you make them sit on the floor while your kids have the sofas?

Generally up to around 8 they should move to their parents lap, after that if it's the kid whose ill their parent should offer a seat (another accompanying person in the waiting room.) Seats should be 1st for the person with an appointment and 2nd those unable to stand accompanying a patient. Hard to police so perhaps they need more chairs!

@sweetmarie bringing your kids up the right way is classed as bigoted now..ok 👍🏼

@thatsmyspace bringing your kids up to judge others whilst knowing nothing about them is the right way? Come down off your high horse.

Most people’s kids wouldn’t stay sat on the sofa if there was visitors around. They works be up playing.

Yes of course I would expect my kids to move.

The point it if I was a guest in someone else's home and their child was sitting on the sofa, I wouldn't immediately think "Christ what awful parenting" I would appreciate that the child might need the seat more than me because of eg disability, SN etc.

If don't expect kids to kowtow to me in their own home because I've managed to survive past the age of 18. Are they meant to sit at my feet and gaze up at me worshipfully like little elves?

What happens when you have visitors over and your kids are taking up the sofas?

She can sit on her beanbag on the floor. Or she can sit on my knee as I can put my feet up on the footstool, or she can sit on my clean living room floor or on the arm of a chair, or on a chair from the kitchen lots of options not available in the waiting room of a doctors.

@LucyBabs and what a great time the 1950s must of been. No entitled kids/teenagers causing havoc. Kids respected their parents and others around them. Not like future generations where the kids have ruled the roost. Parents don't in still good manners in their kids. And their able bodied children are far to precious to give up their seat to someone who might need it more.