To ask a mum to keep her kids quiet on the train?

[Wiennetta]

I specifically booked a seat on a quiet carriage as I’m working on a 4 hour train journey (as are most people in the carriage, or reading, snoozing etc). Next to me on the other side of the aisle is a mum with a two year old who is watching his iPad on full volume. He has been running around up and down the aisle with another child, shouting, screaming and so on.

I was trying to concentrate on something, listening on my headphones and politely asked the mum if they could keep it down - at this point the kid was literally next to my seat, in the aisle, jumping up and down and shouting. She just said, ‘he’s two, what do you expect me to do?’

I mean they’re kids, they’re little, they’re bored. But AIBU I thinking the parents should at least try and moderate their behaviour, remind them to be quiet, try and get them to sit down and do something a bit calmer? Even if it’s not always successful?

Or preferably not book the bloody quiet carriage.

God this reminds me of a completely full train I was on where a young child decided to sing the first two lines of Three Blind Mice, very loudly and incorrectly, repeatedly for 2.5 hours straight. I nearly killed someone.

If your kids can't behave on public transport, then no please don't take them on long journeys. It's stressful for you, them, and the dozens of other people you're also inconveniencing.

@GrinAndVomit there's something about amplified, tinny speaker noise that's really unpleasant in a way that normal human sounds are not. Cartoons are for some reason particularly bad.

Personally I'd rather you sang to your child, or anything really. Even them screaming would be prefereble.

I've stopped booking the quiet carriage because it just winds me up to sit by people who don't respect its purpose.

I'm a Mum of 2 little kids and would never book a seat in the quiet zone. Very inconsiderate and disrespectful towards those siting there.

Exactly.

God this reminds me of a completely full train I was on where a young child decided to sing the first two lines of Three Blind Mice, very loudly and incorrectly, repeatedly for 2.5 hours straight. I nearly killed someone.

^ this isn't a kid misbehaving at all though?

Are you always so dramatic?

Are you kidding? I’ve had about 8 different posters laying into me for incorrectly assuming it would be ok and then continue even after said I wouldn’t be going!
I think I’ve remained quite polite and pleasant in the face of a very hostile and insulting mob.

Or you could go but not use the iPad with the volume audible to other passengers?

Yanbu, she’s selfish and doesn’t want to parent

Find a guard

Honestly, my toddler would make it utterly unbearable for everyone on that train.

As annoying as toddlers and ipads are... chances are they won't be the most annoying. That is either Important Men on business calls or hen/stag parties.

Maybe rethink the train then or start with smaller journeys and get them used to it.

You can tell a 2 year old to use their inside voice, it does not always work, but you try. And running up and down the carriage us unacceptable.

I’ve already stated a couple of times that I’ve rethought it and I will be cancelling on our Sunday plans.

I have never once been on a train with a hen or stag party. Surely they would be taking the train late on a Friday or Saturday evening? Not during commuting time which OP is talking about.

I agree op. I once went on a train and i was subjected to a child screaming throughout the journeyy. The mothe r was making no effort to placate the child. Last week i had to listen to loud phone calls. I don't want to know that Vera has been t o the doctors thanks. They might as well get rid of the quiet coatch and have an extra noisy carriag e instead.

She shouldn’t be in the quiet carriage. If I’d booked the quiet carriage and someone else’s two year old was running around, I wouldn’t be pleased. I’d have booked the quiet carriage for a break from my own very noisy 18 month old!

I was in a quiet train carriage and the lady opposite put some kind of Ghost Hunters recording on so loud that when the man kept saying ‘is anybody there’ is anybody there’ I said ‘yes - me, and can you keep it down’. She was chomping on crisps so loud she didn’t hear me. The man behind us then asked her to turn it down so she announced to the carriage ‘honestly it’s not that loud is it?’ To which I replied ‘yes and I guessed the ghost was William at W but I had to hear another 5 minutes of gasps and shrieks to they got to M.’ She turned it down after that.

No, she's in the quiet carriage so she doesn't have to listen to other people's noise. The rules don't apply to her. What were you thinking??? 😂

I always make a point of being sympathetic to people with kids on planes when they start kicking off and the parents are trying to calm them, but that's because they are making an effort. Taking kids into a quiet carriage is disrespectful and to use the phone is unacceptable.

But I agree to get staff to deal with it, and be super nice so she can't all of a sudden be the victim here. You are NOT being unreasonable.

Yes.

it’s always obnoxious to inflict electronic noise on other people.

use headphones or have it on silent.

otherwise someone will tell you to turn the noise off. Probably not as politely.

I'm not kidding at all

Do you really think it's a normal response to strop off and say "Well fine, I just won't go at all!" in response to people saying you just need to use headphones or entertain your child some other way?

Tell him Santa Claus does not exist.

@GrinAndVomit

You need one of these or the Belkin star-shaped ones
https://www.currys.co.uk/products/logik-lm4hpsp18-multiple-headphones-splitter-10171127.html

Or a couple of these
https://groceries.asda.com/product/mobile-phone-accessories/onn-headphone-splitter-with-keyring-cap/1000370064187