One mum has reignited that old debate 'should children be made to give up their seats on a bus for elderly people?' after posting her recent situation on Mumsnet.
The mum explained her scenario on the forum saying she was riding the bus with her two small children, aged 4 and 6, who each had a seat. An older woman got on the bus and was 'shaking her head' at the mum for not making her children give up the seat.She posted: "I was on the bus this morning and my two children were sat in the seats, this is a small bus and gets very busy. After a few stops an older woman got on and kept loudly bitching that my kids didn't give up their seats and shaking her head.
"For context my son fell on this exact bus flat on his back and banged his head on the floor a few months back as he was standing up (and holding on) but the bus whizzed around a corner so now I try to make sure they always get a seat.
"Should children always give up their seats for an older person? WIBU (would I be unreasonable) for not making them?"
Many people were quick to slam the mum, saying that she should have made the youngster share a seat due to their young age.
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One commented: "If possible I would have sat one on your knee or encouraged them to share a seat."
Another said: "At four and six I would have had them squash up so someone else could at least perch on the end."
However many people were quick to jump to the mum's defense, one said: "'Children should be sitting down on buses as it's safer for them. There is a tendency for people to treat kids like second class citizens - they were on the bus first and therefore got the seats and have no moral obligation to give them up any more than the adults who were on the bus first. That's how public transport works and if she doesn't like the rules, she is free to get a cab!"
Another commented: "I'd not ask my children to stand. They have as much right to a seat as anyone else."
Some disagreed and said her six-year-old child should have been made to stand, as someone commented: "That's just basic consideration. Can you six-year- old ride a scooter? If so, he's got a sense of balance."
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Many people commented that it all depends of the age of the elderly woman too, to which the mum replied: "I'm not sure how old she was it would be a guess 60s?"
It seems the debate is still up in the air of who should stand and who should get a seat.
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