Thursday 7 July 2011

Spoilt brats

I don't like or dislike children. I just have no particular interest in them.

The concept of having my own never occurred to me. It always strikes me as bizarre when people call adults selfish because they have chosen not to have family. I am not aware that I have a duty to reproduce.

Anyway, what I do not like are spoilt brats. And selfish mothers. Getting on the bus yesterday with three bags of shopping in the heat of the day - who occupied the first four seats on the bus? Yes, three children and their mother, who, was approximately half my age. Did any of said three children get up and offer a 52-year-old woman their seat? Of course not. I wasn't the only middle-aged or older person standing either. They weren't toddlers. They were children of say, junior school age. They didn't have any bags or baggage. They could quite easily have taken seats at the back of the bus, which is what a woman with her two children did yesterday. Another seven-year-old boy (I know how old he was because he started chatting to the others) also sat next to them - he was travelling on his own.

So I could see no reason for these three and their mother to take up the first seats on the bus. They were looking sulky and bored. One of them stared at me. I glared back at it. The middle one stared too. I glared again. I suppose it could have been worse. They could have been screaming. Grumpy old people like me grew up in the days when we stood up on the bus to let older people have our seats.

What is so special about today's children that they NEED to sit? Why do they lack basic manners and courtesy? The only people I ever seem to see giving up their seats for older people (and I mean older than me here) are adults of varying ages, as I would still do too. But children? They never give up their seats. Precious little gits, presumably with rude and badly educated parents.

If you are a parent and your children are ever unprivileged enough to get the bus on the rare occasion you are not ferrying them around in your SUV, perhaps you could suggest they may wish to offer their seat to an older person. And not take up all the front seats when there are plenty at the back. Thank you.

4 comments:

Totty Teabag said...

Our gua-gua has a prominent notice reserving the front seats for the old and infirm, and drivers who enforce it.

roughseasinthemed said...

I do think old and infirm should get priority. Closely followed by middle-aged women with vast amounts of shopping :D

Vicky said...

Ah, but you're missing the point, most of todays youngsters don't know what their legs are for, unlike us older generation, who walked or cycled everywhere whatever the weather, and on the odd occasion when using public transport always gave up our seat for someone older or disabled, todays youth are cosseted in comfortable air conditioned motors, god forbid the fact they may have to use public transport, let alone have to stand on their legs while travelling on it!!

roughseasinthemed said...

Ha!!!!! Very funny Vicky. And so true.