Woman with kids demanded park bench?

[Crystalnightsky]

Something weird happened.

mum, 73 and I are sitting on park bench. its more like tiny small open green area with one bench.

We are talking and suddenly we feel someone staring at us. We look up and see a woman with a stroller (kid maybe 1 years old) and a kid maybe 6 years old.

For a moment I’m confused and even think I might have said something offensive because she just stands there and stares not saying a word and the child seemed angry, giving us this like very angry look. I ask how can I help you. She continues staring. He then starts waving his hand like move. And says SHOO

I then realise she wants the bench. I say oh you want to sit down? Mum and I move and she sits down.

the whole time while kid playing she keeps staring at us.

she then starts putting her kids toys like right near/next to out feet even though there is plenty of space.

for a good 20 minutes literally she just keeps staring at us as we talk. Head turned towards us. It was making me very uncomfortable and I thought after leaving but my mum says no. I am not leaving. We are staying.

I smiled and said hi. She continues staring at us not saying anything. My mum asks if we can help her she continues staring. Not saying a word.

she then sits there staring at us for another 10 minutes then leaves, leaving rubbish behind.

what was that? Was she expecting us to give up the bench and leave?

the tiny green area has no gates or anything and you can see who is sitting on bench from very far away on the road even before entering. So she saw bench was busy before even entering.

I'm sorry you went through this. This will take a few weeks to process. You are right to vent on here. You are suffering from SHOCK at The Bew United Kingdom. This will become the Norm. You will soon Man - Up and handle this in a different way. More Assertive. We all will.

Sounds like she has mental health problems- just say you have no more right to this space than we do and we were here first- you may as well pack up because we are not moving.

I would have gone with a childish "bless you" mistaking her shoo for an "achoo"!

There's also mentally ill people who don't fully function.

How horrible...people are strange!
Not rude as such, but I had an odd experience a few years ago when I sat on a bench inside the local Sainsburys, just to rearrange my bags for the short walk home.
A slightly older lady ( I'm mid 70s myself) followed me out and stood in front of me expectantly saying she usually sat there.
When I see an older person I immediately become a well mannered child again and jumped up saying 'sorry' and fled.
I forget Im elderly myself...but that's not the point as i was there first!
Gosh, I'm pathetic! I'd have happily shared but she did seem to want me gone!

This would freak me out 😅 she sounds unstable

I wouldn't have moved, but I suspect she isn't doing too well, you know?

Or she could just be rude and entitled.

The buses around here are quite crowded at certain times. If all the double seats are taken by single passengers downstairs, I pick one that has a bag on it and ask them to move the bag. You don't pay a fare for a double seat and a bag doesn't require a fare!

I have a friend who was on a bus and asked someone to move their bag so she could sit down. The woman already sat there with her bag said "I don't want your fat ass sat next to me"... so my friend just sat on her bag.

I usually exclaim, ah a VIB - very important bag - excuse me please. And sit down as they are removing it.

That’s the kind of thing I’d fantasise about doing but not be bold enough to do it 😂 Well done to your friend!

I think that just about any other European culture seems rude to the British.

Anyone feeling this entlitled isnt right in their mind.

No one can say that based on a post on MN.

‘Enduring mental health issues’

Out of curiosity, if someone had in fact bought a second seat for their bag would you leave them to it? I tend to stand on public transport to avoid this kind of vindictiveness as I am a multiple SA survivor so a bit funny about personal space and being trapped in by other people.

I find they often behave like this, you just get used to it and avoid them.

yes if they had a second ticket, but I’m very doubtful.

Fair enough, it's a bit of a whataboutism I was just curious... must be a pain on a bus as at least on a train there's usually an overhead bag rack and bus floors are often too grim to set anything down on.

Unless you have a reservation, on trains and buses, you pay for the trip, not a seat.

Yes, that what it sounds like to me. Though I wouldn’t have engaged either someone who told me and my elderly mother to ‘Shoo’.

Good on you both for not moving and staying right on that bench .. I don't think id of been as polite if someone was staring at me in that way.
Good for you both though standing your ground .
I don't know who some people think they are.

There is absolutely no way on earth I'd would have moved an inch once she said "Shoo"
I'd have fucking died of old age on that bench before she got a single butt cheek on it.

In defence of the Dutch (having lived here for many years), they are shockingly rude in English but not in Dutch! That sort of behaviour would be considered just as odd even in the big cities.

I do know what you’re getting at though. Before I learned the language I was pretty much in a constant state of shock 🤣