I got back from some business travel last week, and I've been musing about these 2 incidents -
I am 34 weeks pregnant (so last week I was 33 . . .) (in other words, no secret there's a baby in there!). I was traveling with a colleague who is equally as pregnant. Both of these incidents were outside the US, but involved Americans.
In the first, we had to take a fairly long train ride (over an hour). We boarded the train with about 5 other colleagues, and it was crowded. The seats were configured 4 seats facing each other, and there was one set of 4 that was unoccupied because someone had put 2 suitcases in the "aisle" between the 4 seats. My PG colleague was "last woman standing" without a seat" and she looked around the train car and said (very nicely - she is incredibly sweet and unassuming) "do these cases belong to someone?" a couple of times. No one answered. Our other colleagues started telling her, just push them out of the way and sit down, and she said she didn't want to touch somebody else's things. After a couple of minutes of silence, this woman who was sitting right across the aisle from the cases spoke up and said "those are my suitcases and I'm not moving them!"
Our other colleagues spoke up, and started saying things like "can't you see how pregnant she is - she needs a seat, please move them . . " but the woman turned her head and totally ignored them. Finally, our colleagues took turns standing in the aisle for the whole train ride so she and I could have seats for the whole time.
In the second incident, I was by myself. I had checked out of the hotel, and was waiting for my car to the airport. I had some time, so I went into the hotel restaurant for some lunch. The hostess was leading me to a small table, and the only way to get there was to squeeze between the bar and a pillar. The hostess squeezed through fine, but I couldn't quite make it with my GIANT stomach. There was a woman sitting on a bar stool who was contributing to the tightness of the space. I stood there a second but she didn't move. The hostess said "ma'am, could you pull your stool in so this lady can get through?" The woman loked right at her and said "no!" The hostess was gobsmacked! She backed through the space again, and led me to another table for 4, which she put me at all by myself, apologizing profusely.
Now, I am the last person to ever think pregnant woman are sick or afflicted and need special treatment because they are delicate flowers, but in both these situations, it seems that all that was required was common courtesy. I was really shocked at the rudeness. Why would people act like that?
Anyone else have similar stories?
Jane
I am 34 weeks pregnant (so last week I was 33 . . .) (in other words, no secret there's a baby in there!). I was traveling with a colleague who is equally as pregnant. Both of these incidents were outside the US, but involved Americans.
In the first, we had to take a fairly long train ride (over an hour). We boarded the train with about 5 other colleagues, and it was crowded. The seats were configured 4 seats facing each other, and there was one set of 4 that was unoccupied because someone had put 2 suitcases in the "aisle" between the 4 seats. My PG colleague was "last woman standing" without a seat" and she looked around the train car and said (very nicely - she is incredibly sweet and unassuming) "do these cases belong to someone?" a couple of times. No one answered. Our other colleagues started telling her, just push them out of the way and sit down, and she said she didn't want to touch somebody else's things. After a couple of minutes of silence, this woman who was sitting right across the aisle from the cases spoke up and said "those are my suitcases and I'm not moving them!"
Our other colleagues spoke up, and started saying things like "can't you see how pregnant she is - she needs a seat, please move them . . " but the woman turned her head and totally ignored them. Finally, our colleagues took turns standing in the aisle for the whole train ride so she and I could have seats for the whole time.
In the second incident, I was by myself. I had checked out of the hotel, and was waiting for my car to the airport. I had some time, so I went into the hotel restaurant for some lunch. The hostess was leading me to a small table, and the only way to get there was to squeeze between the bar and a pillar. The hostess squeezed through fine, but I couldn't quite make it with my GIANT stomach. There was a woman sitting on a bar stool who was contributing to the tightness of the space. I stood there a second but she didn't move. The hostess said "ma'am, could you pull your stool in so this lady can get through?" The woman loked right at her and said "no!" The hostess was gobsmacked! She backed through the space again, and led me to another table for 4, which she put me at all by myself, apologizing profusely.
Now, I am the last person to ever think pregnant woman are sick or afflicted and need special treatment because they are delicate flowers, but in both these situations, it seems that all that was required was common courtesy. I was really shocked at the rudeness. Why would people act like that?
Anyone else have similar stories?
Jane
That was very nice of your co-workers to let you 2 have the seats though.
Seriously, as a mom to girls, I love when I see young boys acting this way, and of course, I love that sometimes when my dh and I aren't always pleased with each other, he still treats me well as an example to how their future husbands should treat them.
