Woman praised for refusing to give up train seat for mum with three children
A woman who turned to the internet for reassurance after refusing to give up her train seat to a mum with kids has been praised for standing her ground.
There a lot of instances when giving up your seat is considered the 'right' thing to do, like when an elderly person is struggling to stand on moving transport, or a heavily pregnant woman finds herself squashed between commuters.
Most trains and buses have 'priority' seats reserved for those who need to sit more than others, but in a post on the Mumsnet AIBU (am I being unreasonable?) thread, this particular woman explained she was simply sat at a table on the train.
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In her post, the woman explained that she was on her way back from visiting her dad when she boarded the packed train, and that she'd managed to find the seat to rest after having recently undergone shoulder surgery.
"I've got my backpack on the table and my big bag was put up on the top by a lovely man who offered to put it up," she explained.
When the train arrived at the next station, the woman spotted a mother with three kids making her way onto the 'heaving' train.
"Everyone files into seats and someone sits opposite me," the poster continues. "She then approaches and asks if the other two seats are reserved. I said no and she could have them and sat the kids down."
So far, so good, but the mum had another question for her fellow passenger.
"She then looks and me and says, 'I’ve got three children who need a seat, please can they have yours?'"
The poster explained that she stood her ground and said no, pointing out she's still recovering from surgery and so standing on a packed train would be too painful.
The mum apparently wasn't satisfied with this response, however, and said: "I have three kids though."
Clearly fed up with not being heard, the woman replied: "I’m not particularly bothered by the amount of kids you have but I will be staying in this seat as I need it too. If you have any issues please go speak to the train conductor."
In her Mumsnet post, the woman said the look the mum gave her 'could kill', adding: "So AIBU for not moving?
"The original guy who put my bag in the overhead rack ended up telling her to leave me alone as she kept repeating about her three kids. I feel like a cow bag but a justified one!"
After reading her story, it's safe to say most people sided with the woman.
One person pointed out kids are actually far more able to endure standing than adults, while another added: "As children, our parents always made us stand on public transport if adults needed a seat. I don't see any reason why that should have changed."
"You were there first, her number of kids is not your problem," added a third. "I assume you couldn't book? If you could, she should have done."
After a series of supportive messages, the original poster shared an update, stating: "Okay now I feel a bit better about it... nope couldn’t book it’s literally first come first serve.
"I would say all the kids look about 10 years + and all of them carrying football boots so no reason to need the seat."
Emily Brown