Woman Wonders If She Was Wrong To Insist A Pregnant Woman Get Out Of The Seat She Paid For On A Train
This woman was just standing up for herself.
Thinnapob Proongsak | Shutterstock When it comes to traveling, planning is key. This is especially true if you have physical limitations that require specific accommodations. That's exactly why one woman paid in advance to reserve a seat on a train for her hours-long trip. Unfortunately, other passengers weren't quite as forward-thinking.
The woman who booked her seat in advance took to Reddit to explain her encounter with a pregnant passenger who took her seat, leading to an uncomfortable confrontation.
A woman wondered if she was wrong to insist a pregnant woman get out of the train seat she paid for.
She explained that she had booked a seat on a train in advance because she was expecting to travel for around five hours. However, when she arrived at the seat she had reserved, a pregnant woman was already in it. She informed the woman that she was in her seat and asked her to move.
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"She checks her ticket and just says well I must have sit in the wrong seat and puts her head down," the woman wrote. She then reiterated that the seat was hers and requested to sit in it.
After this brief encounter, the pregnant woman's partner got involved in what the woman perceived as an aggressive manner. He suggested that she should find another seat, but she insisted that she had booked the seat his partner was sitting in. He then said that someone else took their seats and that his partner was pregnant. The woman told the man that while she understood, she had a heart defect and that everyone has their own medical issues and reasons why they can't stand for long periods of time.
The woman decided to stand up for herself and told the man not to speak to her like that.
When she told the pregnant woman's husband that she was going to get staff involved, he responded by swearing at her. She asked him to stop, and at that point, the pregnant vacated her seat even as her husband continued to berate the woman. "One of the men who was sat beside him offers that him and his partner sit in the seats opposite me (it’s a table seat) at which point he sits his partner down and then laughs at me and points in my face," the woman recounted.
The ticket master then came around and had the couple moved to their assigned seats and asked the woman if she was alright since another passenger complained on her behalf. She concluded her post by asking if she was in the wrong and if she should have just left them alone since the woman was pregnant.
Commenters believed that the woman was correct for standing up for herself.
"There's no reason why the husband, as the healthy one, should have stayed in his seat," one commenter said. "It's ridiculous that after hearing that you have a heart defect he didn't get out of his seat and give it to his wife, allowing you to take yours. Even if they couldn't sit in their seats there was no reason for her to have yours. The husband was being a selfish [expletive]."
"The self-entitlement was strong with this couple, and it reads as though you were as reasonable as you could be," another commenter said. "Love the fact they were escorted to their proper seats."
After receiving almost unanimous support, the woman posted an update to her original post. "As I don’t know how able I’ll be to respond to all the comments, thank you sincerely to everyone that has engaged with this post. I’ve learnt a lot about myself and my ability to let anxiety and over thinking get in the way of trusting my decisions."
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She explained that she went into writing the post thinking that she might have escalated the situation but was glad that people affirmed her decision to stand her ground. In addition, she said she has a long way to go on her road to becoming less of a people-pleaser. She thanked people who engaged with her post again and appreciated the insight it gave her into an " incredibly stressful situation."
It's important to stand up for yourself, even when it can be scary.
This woman faced a situation where she was being mistreated even though she knew she was in the right, and decided to stand up for herself. It's important that we remember to do the same when we are put into difficult situations.
Sadly, this woman's experience was not unique, especially for an individual with a medical condition or disability. Research from 2023 found that disenfranchised populations like women, minorities, and people with physical or mental health conditions are more likely to be targeted for this type of bullying and are less likely to stick up for themselves.
That's why it's always important to advocate for yourself, even when it goes against your people-pleasing tendencies. Don't let others intimidate you into being quiet. Just keep your head level, and remember there's no reason other people should feel comfortable walking all over you.
Sahlah Syeda is a writer for YourTango who covers entertainment, news, and human interest topics.