AIBU to hold place in line for the kids?

[Dontjumptoconclusions]

At an amusement park. It's a timed entry so as many rides and things you can do for 2 hours.

One ride that the 3DC (5,3,3) wanted to go on, the bunjee trampoline one (whatever it's called). There were 4 trampolines. Quite a long queue as each kid is on the trampoline for 5 mins each. There were maybe 5 or 6 kids in front of us, so I guessed around a 20 min wait.

So I said to DH and the kids, I'll wait here and you carry on with the other rides with less/no queue and I'll call you over when we are near the front.

Then when we got close to the front, the 3DC came over and jumped on the trampolines.

It was only afterwards that I wondered if i should have waited with 3DC, missing out on the other rides out of principle that we are queuing up for this one? AIBU or would you also do the same to make the most of the time in the place?

Yes yabu particularly with THREE kids! Would you have been happy if the person you queued behind had been a teacher or play scheme worker and suddenly 20 kids turned up when you thought it would be your turn in 5 mins?

Because people gauge the length of wait by looking at the queue length, not by reading all the signs being held up by people in the queue

This has got to be a wind up. No one would geuinely come on MN declaring that they allowed their kids to queue jump and asking if it was ok. If it happened I hope someone had a (verbal) go at you.

Going to the toilet is reasonable. Going on another ride is not.

I think with one DC it’d be ok but I’d be a bit annoyed if I was behind and ended up with 3 extras. If everyone did that, your 20 min estimated wait could triple! However 5,3 and 3 is pretty little so I don’t think I’d be too up in arms about it.

The thing is it would make a big difference to the people behind you if your group of twenty suddenly appeared while you held their place til the front. And if you are doing it then someone will do it with more people.

It's only really reasonable if it's like for like, so you're not going to use the ride but the one person you are being joined by is. So no hold up for anyone behind.

It's not acceptable for one person to hold a place for multiple others.

Oh gosh no. That’s ridiculous. Fair enough for maybe one parent to go grab a coffee or something but anyone planning to actually use the thing you’re queueing for needs to be in the queue.

I kicked a bunch of children out of a queue at an event recently. They sent one friend to stand there while they waited outside and then after 1 hour of waiting all 10 of them showed up. 100% no thanks.

It’s the same as in a supermarket queue , someone with a few items in a basket or trolley stands at the checkout, it looks like a good queue to join so you send up a quick prayer of thanks to the goddess of queuing, then in trundles their partner puffing and panting as they push a trolley loaded with a family shop for six and expect* to join the queue next to the few items person.

(*not on my watch!)

Or they split up, each staking out a queue and moving over if one queue turns out to be the better , quicker option. Though at least in this scenario someone moves up a space in the rejected queue.

Because if every did this, what looks like a small queue to other people and staff could actually be a huge queue. One adult could hold the queue for a family group, a teacher could hold the queue for her class. Where do you draw the line? Everyone needs to queue so people know who is actually waiting.

Personally, I also think learning that they need to stand in queues for things they want is a good lesson on rules and structure

You can't queue for people- particularly not 3 of them- you can hold someone's place in the queue if they need a break- but it has to essentially be them that is queuing- otherwise it is not a queue,it's a free for all.

This! Completely unfair, others might assess whether to join the queue based in how many waiting, ridiculously entitled approach, queuing and waiting your turn is part of life

Only if you had a hand written sign.

We had this the other day at a theme park. At the very end of the day they announced last riders so me and my kids joined the cue for one of the rides with a few people in front, the attendant then put a cine behind us to show there was no more room on that ride. We then continued to wait for the ride to finish and as the guy opened the gate to let everyone on, about 5 children came running over and jumped in with their parents who had been holding the line for them. This meant as we got to the gate the ride was full, luckily the attendant had seen us in the line and told the queue jumpers and their line holders to get off. If they had queued up altogether we would have gone on a different ride as that one would have shut behind them.

That is the definition of queue jumping. And rude IMO.
Someone did this to us in Spain a few weeks ago, stood saving a space we thought for 3 people, nope, suddenly out of nowhere another 6 people show up and in the chaos my kids somehow got pushed back even more.
I had to muscle them back in front of three grown adults to put them where they should have been. The adults were all livid, but I pointed out my kids had been there a LOT longer than they had, and when my kids were actually ON the ride, I saw another 4 kids join those adults!
so rude.

No don’t do that. It’s not fair that some children stand and wait, while your children don’t.

You seem like a horrible person tbh OP.

I don’t see the point of asking. You are absolutely determined that you are right, and that’s fine. The world is full of entitled people and that’s a way to live. My dc aren’t ‘miserable’ when they are waiting for things because I’ve brought them up properly.

YABU. At Disneyland Paris last year, myself and my daughter were in a 75 minute queue for one of the most popular rides. Loads of small kids waiting really patiently. With about a quarter of the queue to go, 10 adults pushed their way through the queue to join the one person in their party who was actually queuing, a few people ahead of us. Furious people in front of us confronted them, and punches were thrown! The group of adults were thrown out of the line by staff!!

I think for one child fine… possibly two… but 3 seems a bit much especially as there were only 4 trampolines. Presumably though people knew it wasn’t you who wanted a go and that there were children turning up. Same with the face painting someone else mentioned.

Poor form. But you know that OP. Otherwise you wouldn’t be here faux naively asking about it.

This is a bit different!! We’re talking about young children. Not 10 adults

I don't really understand why anyone would even think that was okay.

I bet there were a lot of comments from others in the queue about this.

You are a grown adult. Come on.

You’re right, but I was thinking more of the other kids waiting patiently for their turn, as would be the case in the OP’s post

Carry on OP. You'll be chucked out of most UK theme parks for this.