I was last year on the train back home, 2 hours journey. 4 seats facing. A mum was there with her boy who looked about 5, whose was on his first train journey. For more than 1/2 hour, he kept saying 'mum, mum, mum, look there's a horse, look mum, there's a tractor, mum, where do you think the other train is going. Mum, why did we stop'. He was adorable, so excited, so engrossed
How do you know it was his first journey?
It sounds far from adorable to me. It sounds annoying and if he were my 5 year old I’d be shushing him and encouraging him to think in his head not aloud (because it’s annoying for most people around you to hear a running commentary about what he can see, he’s 5 not 2). And many people use train journeys to work. I take my kids on the train a lot, as babies and toddlers I interacted with them but at 5 I’d expect some peace and quiet, no raised voices etc.
The parents in the cafe may have been trying to work or reply to their boss or sort out important admin or doctors appointments. Before you turned up they may have been having a chat with their son then reminded him not to interrupt them for a bit as they had important work to do. If he kept trying to get their attention why would they keep making eye contact and giving it to him? Some kids get more persistent if you look at them. They need to understand parents can be physically present but not constantly available for interaction.
When we go out my DD (5) has her own backpack that she stuffs full of toys, books, colouring stuff. Because she knows there might be an hour of 2 when she has to entertain herself eg if we’re having lunch with friends or catching up on work. (To be fair I gave her the backpack as I got fed up of my handbag being crammed with dinosaurs, dolls and crayons!) For all you know they could have told him to bring some toys and he refused or threw a strop about having to carry his backpack.
I remember going to my mum’s keep fit classes age 4-5. I had to sit for an hour very quietly without disturbing her, as did any other kids who came. I always took my colouring. Often I was the only child there.
At 5 most kids are in school (with 2 adults to 30 kids) and don’t need constant attention.
For all you know the boy had been acting up all day and ignoring him was a strategy to de-escalate him. Unless you stared at them unblinkingly for 2 hours it’s impossible to know if they made eye contact or spoke to him at any point.
I get your point about it’s sad when kids are ignored for hours because the parents are on social media all day. But what you saw was a tiny snapshot of their day.
Perhaps they thought a cafe might be more entertaining for him than being stuck at home?