Young children on the train on their own...

[highlandcrusader]

I'm on a train from SE to Scotland. 5 young children, ages between 2 - 13 I would say got on and settled on the seats near me (table seats area). They all looked absolutely exhausted and all feel asleep as soon as they sat down. There are no parents or carers anywhere near. Also, they smell quite bad, like they haven't washed in a while.
AIBU to think this is weird?

I know it's none of my business but it feels strange to me. Especially the little one who can't be older than 2 should not be on a train without an adult?

I doubt there were any boarding pre-prep schools even in the 70s (I think school age was 5 then anyway?) so more likely from age 7/8.
Still terrible though.

I've been on a train where a woman was allowing her toddler to roam up and down the carriages. At one point, as had been repeatedly announced each stop, the train divided for two different destinations. You can guess what happened. I've never seen such distress on a woman's face when she rushed through the carriage to what was now the end of the train to realise her daughter was in the other half. The staff were excellent and I believe they were reunited within the hour.

Yes I'm glad I spoke to the member of staff, I would have been worried about it!
Actually, the dad is absolutely fine, very engaged with the (now 3) awake children, chatting and pointing things out of the window.
What I think happened was that given there are 8 kids, the older ones probably look after the younger ones regularly and it was normal for them to split when they probably couldn't find seats together in the first instance.
Kids probably tired because of travelling.

Still glad I spoke to someone and they are all together.

managed to get to the loo (dad had to lift the sleeping child next to me as I couldn't wake her up) so all is good.
back to netflix!

8 kids! Blimey.

Glad it's sorted OP.

even if this is the case it's better to make sure all is well. would hate for there to be something wrong and no one think to check

oh, just seen your update op. very glad all is ok! (and you managed to get to the loo lol!)

@Lifeinlists the done thing in my friend's family. Their father was born in 1923. All the children were sent to boarding school.
Father was stationed overseas, mother died when friend was born. All the children were educated in England. Older siblings lived in England so there may have been some palming off of responsibility on behalf of the Father.
No exaggeration, my friend has never told a lie in the 12 years I've known them.

Anyway, this is detracting from OP. I'm glad the issue was resolved.

My cousin used to travel down on her own to see her great aunt from age five. Put on the train by her mum met at the other end by her great aunt. Was normal then (60s). I traveled from America to Heathrow, got the train to London then on another to Cambridge and a taxi to my final destination on my own at 14. I did panic a bit in London doing the change as couldn't figure out what platform to go to and remember the taxi man chatting me up a bit!
By husband was often left to look after his two year old brother for the evening when he was five. His mother says they 'didn't know any better'. What's to know?? She also let him fly abroad to model without a guardian at age 9...it was legit but he said they were not supervised at all.

I agree, also a lot of the time there isn’t room for the adults to sit with the kids on UK trains. I’d be concerned about them being neglected but is OP sure they haven’t just been hiking and camping with family as we were all a bit smelly!

Not the point, but to the posters questioning a 4 year old going to boarding school, my great aunt was that age when she started boarding in the 1920s, granny was actually younger!

Was one of the ones that appeared later an even smaller one? I wonder if they were asleep in a pram, and so dad was stuck at the end of a carriage where there was space for it. Sending the others to find some seats makes perfect sense then.

I'm glad it was resolved, anyway, and by the sounds of it without any offence caused.

The youngest that came later with the dad looked about 3 I would say. No pram.
They are all fine, gradually waking up and chatting and having some snacks 😊

A colleague (who is incredibly posh) was sent to boarding school at 6, which I find mind blowing. 4 is astonishing.

My friend's MIL boarded from the age 4 too. It really affected her. She was completely emotionally unavailable for her kids and unable to deal with or discuss any emotional issues in the family.

Oh my gosh 😅

Hope they’re not trafficked kids who’ve been out working / begging in London

No, I don't think that's the case.

They do smell though, at least the one next to me. We are a shower every day family and I'm very sensitive to bad smells. This child hasn't washed for at least few days.
But otherwise they all look pretty happy.

Small children rarely smell. My children sometimes don’t shower for a few days and they don’t smell. Little kids don’t sweat. If they actively smell it must be weeks

It might be the children's clothes smelling rather than the children.

The whole boarding school aged 4 thing - definitely a thing. My dad was sent alone from the UK to meet his parents in Malaya aged 6 or 7, managed to get off the plane on the wrong CONTINENT, got asked by some random guy where are you supposed to be, he put him back on the right plane.... this must have been the mid 1950s.

Still - op you did the right thing, glad all is well.

County lines? Text the number suggested

And say what?

Some tired kids are on a train with their dad?

OP glad it all turned out to be OK but you were absolutely right to check it out. Mind you, if I was travelling with 8 kids I might want to sit somewhere else too. 🥺 (PS. Just to be clear that was a joke)

Please stop judging.

Some people have really difficult and complicated lives.

The kids are not in an unsafe place, they are together and are not causing you any harm.

Some people watch far too much TV.