Page 17 | Children on train seats!

gg45 · 2023-08-23T09:09:30+00:00

It drives me mad when I see children over c6 yrs old not offering train seats to adults (esp older adults) standing in aisles on commuter trains (I have no problem with longer journeys when people have booked seats- but several commuter options you can't). When I was brought up we were expected to stand for elders. What is wrong with the world? AIBU??

AppleTurnover1000Degrees · 23/08/2023 23:49

curaçao · 23/08/2023 23:32

You really have to feel for teachers, Brownie leaders, dance teachers, sporrs coaches and so on whi have to deal with this generation of entitled, disrespectful, cossetted children.I think children 30 or 40 years ago were not sat on their assessment so much, they played out and had the muscle tone, grip strength and balance to be able to cope with standing on a moving train. I coach gymnastics in a fairly rural area- what a difference in physical ability between new starters, who are used to doing jobs around the farm and their town dwelling counterparts! I

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This is nothing to do with a healthy adult expecting a child to give up their seat so they can sit down because they think they are superior. Adults should keep themselves fit so they aren't so weak to stand. Obviously I don't mean people with disabilities or who are elderly.

HauntedPencil · 24/08/2023 00:02

The only people who need to be offered a seat are those that need it on medical grounds/elderly etc

I don't know why a healthy adult would get mardy over a kid being sat on a seat - unless they are generally just a bit of a dick. Don't get the attitude at all.

Why are rules different on commuter trains to any other train? It's usually being squashed in like sardines.

OrwellianTimes · 24/08/2023 00:06

YABU.

Children are every bit as deserving (if not more) as healthy adults are for a seat.

Please return to the Victorian era from whence you came.

Zooeyzo · 24/08/2023 00:15

How do you get annoyed by kids on seats? Maybe teens could stand up and offer a seat. Young healthy adults sitting down and avoiding eye contact with older or disabled people who need a seat are the annoying ones.

curaçao · 24/08/2023 03:42

AppleTurnover1000Degrees · 23/08/2023 23:49

This is nothing to do with a healthy adult expecting a child to give up their seat so they can sit down because they think they are superior. Adults should keep themselves fit so they aren't so weak to stand. Obviously I don't mean people with disabilities or who are elderly.

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It isn't to do with adults keeping fit An adult is going to be taller and have a higher centre of gravity making them less stable , they are going to have slower reactions due to the normal aging process, they are likely to sustain worse injuries if they fall because they are heavier and their bones are more brittle

blahblahblah1654 · 24/08/2023 04:08

Ridiculous that you think any adult is more deserving of a seat than a child. Why? I understand if someone is very wobbly or disabled and they need a seat but an able bodied adult or older child should give their seat up. Much more balance than a 6 year old! Find alternative ways to travel if you're so easily upset.

user86654111 · 24/08/2023 05:05

gg45 · 23/08/2023 10:36

Clearly if there are safety issues (eg risk of crush) then children should sit. And obviously some are too young. But generally my issue with it is it that it is a simple action that teaches children respect, to think about others comfort before their own and that they are not the centre of the universe. Too much now seems to revolve around kids first that it is little wonder some grow up as "me me" generation. To be honest if I were offered a seat from a child I would thank them and say how thoughtful it is - but then refuse it unless I was ill. But frankly so often I now see really quite old children sitting while retirees are standing and the families are completely oblivious- it is really beginning to grate!

What have these adults, these strangers, done to deserve the respect of the child? Why is the child's own comfort not part of this equation?

Sirzy · 24/08/2023 05:59

curaçao · 24/08/2023 03:42

It isn't to do with adults keeping fit An adult is going to be taller and have a higher centre of gravity making them less stable , they are going to have slower reactions due to the normal aging process, they are likely to sustain worse injuries if they fall because they are heavier and their bones are more brittle

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Well my 15 year old nephew is over a foot taller than me so given he obviously has a worse centre of gravity than me I assume he has to be given a seat?

i am nearly 40, i am more than capable of standing and wouldn’t dream of taking a seat off someone else on public transport because I’m no more entitled to it than anyone else.

SliceOfCakeCupOfTea · 24/08/2023 06:48

curaçao · 24/08/2023 03:42

It isn't to do with adults keeping fit An adult is going to be taller and have a higher centre of gravity making them less stable , they are going to have slower reactions due to the normal aging process, they are likely to sustain worse injuries if they fall because they are heavier and their bones are more brittle

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I know 10 year olds who are taller than me so your centre of gravity bullshit is...well... bullshit.

We reach our physical peak around 25 and this generally lasts around 10 years before it starts to decline. Also bones are at their strongest around 30.

AppleTurnover1000Degrees · 24/08/2023 09:32

curaçao · 24/08/2023 03:42

It isn't to do with adults keeping fit An adult is going to be taller and have a higher centre of gravity making them less stable , they are going to have slower reactions due to the normal aging process, they are likely to sustain worse injuries if they fall because they are heavier and their bones are more brittle

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An adult will probably be stronger and able to hold onto things better than a child. You are bonkers if you think a child should stand for you to sit down.

Beezknees · 24/08/2023 09:44

YABU. First come first served. I would expect a child to move for a disabled/elderly person or pregnant lady but if you're an able bodied adult you can stand!

Beezknees · 24/08/2023 09:45

curaçao · 24/08/2023 03:42

It isn't to do with adults keeping fit An adult is going to be taller and have a higher centre of gravity making them less stable , they are going to have slower reactions due to the normal aging process, they are likely to sustain worse injuries if they fall because they are heavier and their bones are more brittle

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Oh get a grip 😂 you sound ridiculous.

hot2trotter · 24/08/2023 09:47

If I've paid for a seat for my 6 year old, he's sitting in it. Simple as that. Exception being a visibly pregnant woman or somebody old/frail.

MariaVT65 · 24/08/2023 10:26

I’m 26 weeks pregnant and I still wouldn’t expect a child to stand for me. I would hope another able-bodied adult would instead.

FadeAwayAndRadiate · 24/08/2023 13:15

@Fallingthroughclouds · Yesterday 21:30

Also the able bodied adults don't need these seats, they just want them. They have no rights to them, they have done nothing to earn them, they just think they deserve a seat, and should be able to take one off a child. It's so spoilt, immature and entitled and I hope kids today learn that these are the type of people that do not deserve their respect.

This. ^ As has been said, people EARN respect, they don't get it by default because they're a generation or two older! We must 'respect our elders' purely because they're 'older' is such a ludicrous and outdated thing to say, and comes from the days when women were classed as lesser beings than men, and children were told to be seen and not heard. Fuck that for a game of soldiers!

FadeAwayAndRadiate · 24/08/2023 13:19

AppleTurnover1000Degrees · 23/08/2023 21:37

The people who think children should stand so they can sit are not coming across as nice people. Who do they think they are? I would tell my child not to move if they were asked to stand. Unbelievable.

This!!! Same here! Like hell would I allow my child(ren) to give up their seat, for some snotty-nosed, entitled, bratty adult who assumed they should have my child's seat because they're one or two generations older than them!

Bigdoglittledog2 · 24/08/2023 13:23

FadeAwayAndRadiate · 24/08/2023 13:19

This!!! Same here! Like hell would I allow my child(ren) to give up their seat, for some snotty-nosed, entitled, bratty adult who assumed they should have my child's seat because they're one or two generations older than them!

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Same. I’d be telling the adult to do one.

FadeAwayAndRadiate · 24/08/2023 13:39

Yep, @Bigdoglittledog2 it's a flippin' cheek isn't it?

TinkerbellefromYorkshire · 24/08/2023 15:08

Don't be ridiculous. My Grandson when age 7 broke his arm on a train when he stood up for someone ..because kids are not that steady on their feet and cannot hold onto the hand hold high up.

Samlewis96 · 24/08/2023 15:10

Iam4eels · 23/08/2023 10:42

And child fare used to be 20p with a condition of carriage being that they didn't occupy a seat needed by a full-fare paying passenger. Buses/trains also used to be designed differently with handles on the back/sides of seats and a seat back to ceiling bar every few seats or so.

Buses/trains now don't have the same handles, most of the ones here just have those loops from the ceiling that children won't be able to reach. Child fares are higher so come with the expectation of "I've paid so I should have the same chance of a seat as everyone else".

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Child fare are free in London where the trains are probably busiest Only found this out yesterday as taking 5 Yr old grandson on day out there next week

my82my · 24/08/2023 15:13

This ... To be honest unless you're elderly, disabled or pregnant I don't know why you have more entitlement to a seat than a child?

AcesBaseballbat · 24/08/2023 15:39

Imagine being a physically healthy non-pregnant 30-something and expecting someone to give you their seat for absolutely no reason.

How do these people not get crushed under the weight of their own entitlement complexes.

user1477391263 · 24/08/2023 17:22

Imagine being a physically healthy non-pregnant 30-something and having someone offer you a seat! I'd be glancing anxiously at my abdomen wondering if my dress made me look pregnant....

NewName122 · 24/08/2023 17:26

Yabu little legs get tired more than mine do.why should a 7 year old stand for me?

HauntedPencil · 24/08/2023 17:41

I know it's amazing isn't it, and ranting about THEM being lord and lady snot for having the cheek to be sat in a seat and not stoking the coal in the engine.