Where Have Manners Gone?

Today, I went to TJ's to get the rest of what I needed to make chicken quesadillas (thank you, Ria) and chicken tacos (Mom's idea).  Although I've never had chicken tacos and Mom was too busy going "You've NEVER had a chicken taco?  EVER??????  As many tacos as you've eaten, none of them have been a chicken taco????  You eat TEN AT A TIME!!!!!!!" to be helpful as to what to get, so I had to wing it.  She's helpful.

On the way back, as the trolley rolled up, I noticed that there were some standees in the aisle, and I thought, "Ah well.  My bag is kind of heavy, but I'll deal."  But as I got on, someone who had been sitting in the second row got up and exited.  I thought, "Sweet!  My lucky day!  I can sit there!"  And JUST as I was about to claim the seat as mine, some little twerp (I'm bad with kids' ages, but he was definitely no more than ten years old) jumped off his mom's lap (I'm assuming it was his mom) and slid into the the seat.  I sighed loudly and rolled my eyes.  I took my place down the aisle (courtesy dictates that you walk down the aisle as far as you can so that other people can get on, although not everyone does this, so the trolley driver ends up telling everyone "Move back so people can get on, please!") and glared at the back of the mom's head.  That's when I noticed - wait, she has another kid beside her.  And wait!  There's another kid across the aisle!  There are all of these people standing and she has three kids spread across the trolley taking up seats!

There's no way in hell my mom would have let me sit down when I was a kid when grown-ups wanted seats.  I don't blame the kids; it's the parent's job to teach them this level of courtesy and respect.  So I continued to give my best death glare to the back of the mom's head.

At the next stop, an older gentleman got on carrying an obviously heavy bag.  He got on, looked at the kids, sighed, and took his place on the standee line two spots from me.  We made eye contact, I looked at the kids, the mom, rolled my eyes, and shrugged my shoulders.  He kind of gave me a rueful smile and shrugged back.  And then I continued my death glare.  (If you're familiar with my Looks, you know the death glare is not to be messed with!  lol)

When we got to the 40th Street Portal, a lot of people exited the trolley, and a two-seat row by where the man was standing emptied.  He sat his bag on one seat and sat on the other.  He motioned to me and yelled back, "You sit here?"  I asked him if he would be sitting, just to make sure that he would also be sitting - not just saving a seat for me.  He said yes, so I made my way up and sat by him.  I told him, "I'm sorry you had to stand while those kids had seats.  It's embarrassing."  He asked me where I'm from, and I told him, and I found out he's from Mozambique.  Then it was time for me to get off the trolley.

But - really.  I can't imagine raising my (thus far non-existent) child(ren) in such a way that they would feel entitled to a seat while someone (1) older and (2) carrying something had to stand in the aisle.  That's just incredible to me.