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.

@Crystalintheeyes teenagers don't play so what happens then?

@thatsmyspace.

Again, do you know anything about hypermobiliy?

Crime was much higher in the 1950s. So was poverty. So was ricketts and TB.

@Yabbers I'm talking about children with no disabilities.

But we still don’t know how you know the health status of the child you saw in the drs.

You keep telling us they aren’t disabled but unless you are psychic or have access to their medical records how do you know?

You where able to stand and let someone stand so you did. What others did is irrelevant.

“I'm talking about children with no disabilities.”

You can’t tell a disability just by looking and what other people’s children do or do not do has got nothing to do with you.

How do you know whether children have disabilities when you're judging their parents for not making them stand?

Are you the fecking Dr Doolittle of diagnosing invisible disabilities OP?

@thatsmyspace

But you have judged the child to be able bodied, and you just don’t know that by looking, because you are ignorant to the situations where children just aren’t able to do what you think they should.

“I've been tutted at by older people for not making my dd give up her seat ”

There and then I’d call the person out by asking “did you just tut at me” then watch them flap.

Ok so let's say they were fine. What should happen then.

Is it because the OP loves the 50s so much she thinks she can identify disabled children at 40 paces because of the iron lung?

May have missed this but can someone please explain to me why children need to stand for adults? Usually when I ask I just get told that it is polite but I don't understand why. What makes it polite? Saying thank you after someone does you a favour makes sense, saying please when asking for something makes sense, covering your mouth when you cough makes sense, but forcing children to stand is surely just agist?

Ok so let's say they were fine. What should happen then.

Do you want them to wear a badge so you know when you can judge?

Many times ive taken my ds to the doctors where hes on the verge of an asthma attack, he can seem perfectly happy and smiling then he is sent to the hospital by the doctor, you cant judge how much pain a child is in by looking at them unless you know the child very well, so no, i wouldnt personally tell my sick child to move off the seat when he is settled and comfortable.

Younger children can obviously sit in laps and ill health is no barrier to that.

Thank god my children aren't raised to be entitled and inconsiderate. People notice that sort of poor behaviour too. Good manners and consideration of others, including older people, helps the doer throughout life too, so you are doing children a disservice if you don't teach them.

“Ok so let's say they were fine. What should happen then.”

Nothing.

Even if they were fine that's their seat.

I would give up my seat before I'd make my child move. If I had guests round myself and DH would be on the floor/emergency seats while guests sat on the sofa. DS is 2 so will be on and off the sofa/people's knees the whole time.
Surely by the adult moving, that is leading by example? My mam always moved for others and now I do the same.

I don’t think it’s healthy to teach children to give people extra respect just for being older than them. It’s that kind of culture which enables abuse.

I personally don’t respect anyone simply due to their age. They need to be a good person for me to respect them.

@Biancadelrioisback

Generally, if someone visits you, it is polite to stand and greet them. People ask children to stand in these circumstances because they are teaching them that this is the polite way to behave. If you visit someone, and they can't be bothered to get up and say hallo, you would take it that you are not welcome.

When it comes to seats, parents usually teach their children to offer their seats to older people, because children usually are fitter and in less need of a seat.

Obviously, if the child is ill or disabled, you wouldn't expect this.

Exactly streetwise

To me it’s the complete opposite of respect to basically tell a child you are a lesser being and don’t you forget it!

Surely people you meet in a Docto's waiting room are strangers. How do they earn your respect?

Offering your chair to someone who looks like they might need it is not about them being more important than you. It is about you being kind and considering others.

wooly I understand standing to greet anothet person but the seat thing still doesn't make sense. My 2 year old would get tired quicker standing than I would. He's fit and well and no reason why he can't, but there's no reason I can't either, no reason why my mum couldn't stand too. If I saw someone who was struggling, pregnant, elderly or disabled etc, I would of course move myself first.

But why is that limited to children wooly? Surely that applies to everyone in the waiting room.

I know I can stand so I would. I wouldn’t expect a child to do it instead just because they are there

“Surely people you meet in a Docto's waiting room are strangers. How do they earn your respect?”

They don’t.