Who’ll stand up for the hassled mother on buses and trains?

[whole diary]

[stuving]

Hah!

When I was a kid, we were expected to stand up so that our seniors could have a seat. So when & why has that changed?

Assuming 70 is the new 65, I hope soon to be able to pull rank on most kids.

But ... does anyone know the rules of this game? I guess it's a kind of scissors/paper/stone, perhaps old age/youth/physical disability/mental health/(not necessarily a mum) with young kids/with lots of baggage/twitter addict/local politician/just plain stroppy/...

[Marlburian]

I'm nudging 75 and it was back in 2012 when a male member of the Romanian Olympic rowing team insisted that I had his seat on a bus near Staines. Since then, several attractive young ladies have offered me their, err, seats on the Tube and I've always declined. One said "Let me know if you change your mind"; as I left the carriage, I good-naturedly said to her that four days ago I'd walked for eight hours with no rest and only yesterday had I been cutting down 30-foot trees for environmental reasons.

But I'm conscious that I'm getting a bit clumsy on my feet and if I get off an evening rush-hour train at Tilehurst I usually wait for the hordes (some intent on their screens) to get up the stairs before me. Nowadays I don't feel too bad about taking one of the "priority" seats near the doors but usually offer it to someone appearing to have a greater need. (I confess to making a point by offering it in a louder voice than necessary.)

Marlburian

Marlburian