About family at swimming

[Kia123456]

My DD 10 attends swimming lessons on a Friday night. It’s a busy time with lots of lessons running and very limited seating.
Most children come with 1 adult and maybe a sibling. However, there is this one family that turns up and takes over the seating area. 2 adults and 3 additional kids. Plus they take an extra chair for all the jackets and bags they have. I’ve only ever seen one child go into a lesson so I don’t think the other children are there for swimming too, just to watch? AIBU to be really annoyed at this and think if there is limited seats available you don’t bring the whole family to watch? I’m often left standing at the back. I have a disability that makes standing for 30 minutes difficult but it’s not an obvious disability so no one would realise and I would feel cheeky asking someone to give up their seat for me.

Take a fold-out seat (cheapie from b&q or asda) or a deck chair and get your Pimms out

Where’s that thread about doormats....

YABU to martyr yourself instead of asking for a seat that isn’t even being used by a human being.

Are there only 6 seats? Could you get there before them?

I have x4 DC. We used to do swimming with each DC at a different time on the same day m. We used to squish into a tiny waiting space. It was awful and I'm so glad we've got past all that. However at the time there was logistically no other way to make the lessons happen. YABU for not asking them to move coats. YABU for not understanding that there may be a proper reason why they are all there. I can't believe anyone would do it for pleasure so there must be a reason.

Some people really do take their entire families and squeeze into a tiny space, @DownToTheSeaAgain. There’s a family here that does it at school pick-up, even though they live 3 minutes from the school on foot. And some people do it on hospital wards. I can feel my blood pressure rising just thinking about them.

What Venus said. I used to do this at swimming. Okay, maybe not the Pimms.

The only solution is to get there ridiculously early. You can’t fault larger families for turning out in force.

I now ask for a seat. It took me a hell of a long time to get over not putting up a fuss, not drawing attention. I am disabled.

You judge them for taking up space and martyr yourself to stand because you won’t ask them to move jackets?

YABU.

I’m the same as you with disability and my children’s swimming is a nightmare! I either take my stick and glare or take a camping seat so I have one 😂😂

The extra seat is unreasonable but if they like watching the swimming that's their right

You can sit in the chair with all the bags, just tell them you want to sit down. No way would I be standing up for an hour when theres a spare chair. Just sit the fuck down.

If nobody ever says anything and just "suffers in silence" how the heck do they know they're inconveniencing anyone?

Just say: I need that chair and they can move their bags.

It’s not exactly quality time is it. I think people that do this if they have a choice are nuts. I hate just taking my baby to watch her sister’s lessons but I don’t have any alternative. I’m already dreading it when she’s a toddler. Divide and rule seems to be the path to an easier life.

YABU to complain about it, just ask them to move their stuff or get there earlier.

You have two choices OP, either grow a backbone and ask for a seat, or get there earlier and beat them to the seats.

You're complaining yet you would rather stand and seethe quietly than ask them to move to you can sit down. It doesn't need to be an argument, just ask, you're entitled. I really don't understand people who moan about stuff but are not prepared to do anything about it, especially when it's quite a simple solution!