On our last trip in June, I remember one night when the bus was busting with people on board. My daughter sat on my lap, sort of, and my feet were KILLING me. I think that night, I would have paid for a seat to sit in. My feet were hurting so much, I really did feel, first come, first serve. About 10-15 minutes later, I recognized a woman standing with a cane about 5 feet away from me. (5 feet on a bus is a lot, with many people in between) No one had given her a seat. I was shocked. Right then the first stop came and a couple people got off, and the seat next to me opened up. I plopped my DD7 into the open seat, and offered my seat to the woman. My daughter, who was exhausted, had a few tears running down her face, not understanding why I wasn't sitting with her. After we got off the bus, 2 stops later, I gently explained to her when you see someone who needs a seat more than you do, it is the right thing to do to offer it. Then she nodded she understood, and all was well.
The moral of my story is, people can be selfish, and unfortunately pain probably supersedes rational thoughts on the buses after a long day. People are tired, cranky, maybe in pain, and unthoughtful.. I agree a toddler could easily be sitting on a parents lap. There are thoughtful people, and unthoughtful people. Unthoughtful people aren't bad people, their just... unthoughtful. I'd like to think I'm a thoughtful person, and hope I'm raising my girls to be like that also, by explaining things like giving up your seat in certain situations. But had my feet not been feeling like they were going to explode, (my podiatrist would not be happy
), I'd like to think I would have noticed the woman at the beginning of the bus ride. I think this probably happens to a lot of people were they just don't recognize what the situations is in front of them, like adults standing and wee bitty ones sitting in a seat on a crowded bus.