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Did your parents make you stand up for adults on public transport?

(62 Posts)
biglouis Sun 19-Feb-23 18:18:51

Mine did. It was just an understood "thing" that children did not sit while adults were standing. Not just disabled, pregnant or elderly adults but ANY adult. It was just a politeness thing about showing respect for your elders.

Very small children/toddlers sat on their mothers knee and older kids were told to get up. Or they got up automatically and offered their seat.

I was just reading a weird tale on Mumsnet about a women with three boys (aged about 10) who expected an already seated adult woman to stand so that one of her kids could sit down.

She would have got a very snippy reply from me.

Calendargirl Mon 20-Feb-23 07:31:26

It’s no wonder that some children grow up thinking they are royalty

Especially when someone buys them a silly tee shirt with the words ‘The whole world revolves around me’ which I saw on a little girl in the street.

“No it doesn’t” I thought.

lixy Mon 20-Feb-23 07:39:25

Yes, stood up on buses and trains. I rather enjoyed hanging on to the grips as we hurtled along.

We also stood up at school when an adult came into the room. At home the TV went off when visitors came and they had first dibs on chairs. We held doors open as a matter of course.

I remember my brother being very disgruntled when an aunt arrived just as the FA cup final was about to kick off. She had come for a chat while her husband watched the football. Luckily her husband took pity and let my brother in to watch with him!

Allsorts Mon 20-Feb-23 07:49:38

100 per cent they did. Quite rightly.

Chardy Mon 20-Feb-23 08:07:35

I've noticed recently that some people expect you to walk in the gutter, so they can walk side-by-side, and continue their conversation. A older couple, 2 young mums with buggies last week. Grr.
I was taught one person should walk behind if there is limited space, and taught my kids to. (And my DGD)
I hold the door for anyone behind me.

NanKate Mon 20-Feb-23 08:15:28

My son took his family to London to a show as a Christmas present. They travelled on the tube. It was busy on board and my youngest DGS 10 asked an older lady if she would like his seat and she gratefully accepted. He hadn’t been told to do this. I’m so proud of my lovely lad.

Witzend Mon 20-Feb-23 09:00:19

I use buses a lot, and very often it’s young people - almost always apparently perfectly able-bodied, who plonk themselves in the disabled/elderly/heavily pregnant seats, even when there are plenty of seats further back.

And then are so glued to their phones - or pretend to be - that they don’t notice some doddery old person needing that seat. So someone (often me) has to tell them.

Re people who dump their bags on the seat next to them, in the hope of keeping it free, I never have any hesitation about asking them (politely enough) to move it. I do get the odd eye-roll, but that bothers me not at all.

NotSpaghetti Mon 20-Feb-23 09:03:00

That made me smile Chocolatelovinggran as I saw the same thing happen on a train about six months ago!
#comeuppance grin

LadyGracie Mon 20-Feb-23 09:07:49

I always have, even now I’ll give up my seat for someone who needs it more.

NotSpaghetti Mon 20-Feb-23 09:07:54

Whiff I loathe the massive pushchairs on public transport. It makes me want to shout fold it up!
... some of them probably don't actually fold though - in which case they should get a different one grin

Margiknot Mon 20-Feb-23 12:24:26

Yes another that was brought up to give my seat up to anyone who might need it more - and that included healthy adults when I was a child. Buses and trains go faster now so little ones should be safely tucked in a seat or on an adults lap ( or held by their parent if too big for a lap). When my disabled son got too heavy to sit on my lap I would stand and hold him on a seat if only one was available. I would not expect to give up my seat to a healthy able 10 year old! I would not mind moving to an alternate seat to keep a young family together especially if there was only one adult to care for several children. I often need a seat nowadays- ( it must show!) its usually older men - or polite overseas visitors who offer me a seat.

nanna8 Mon 20-Feb-23 12:50:11

We noticed how polite young people in Singapore are in trains compared to our young ones here.