Welcoming a new baby into the family is one of the most life-changing and delightful events in life, but it also comes with plenty of changes and new challenges on a daily basis. Constantly needing to watch a newborn baby day and night and making sure the baby is properly fed, dressed and cared for can be overwhelming for new parents.
On top of that, parents have to find a way to change their typical routines as they adapt to having a new person in their life and tending to their child’s every want and need. Everyone’s situation is different, but it’s fair to say that each parent has their own set of struggles that they face during the very early stages of parenthood.
Before the baby is born, the mother also goes through a lot of challenges that are all her own. For example, taking care of your changing body and keeping yourself healthy is more difficult than it sounds. Moreover, pregnant women need extra care from their families to support them through what can be a challenging time. This also means that sometimes pregnant women get special treatment in public places.
One man on Reddit, however, was snot pleased with the treatment that some pregnant women expect and refused to give up his seat when a heavily pregnant woman asked him to give up his seat for her. He also presented his own reasoning for doing so and asked Reddit users if his actions were not right. Based on his post, most users were not on his side.
The original poster (OP) began his post by writing, “I take the bus to and from work (car got totaled about a month ago, still waiting on insurance to reimburse me so I can get a new one), and right now on public transit you have to social distance. This means limited seating.”
He continued, “At my job, I’m literally on my feet all day, and I work 10 hour shifts. It sucks but the pay is good, so I can deal, but after a long day, my feet are sore AF. I genuinely cherish the time I spend sitting on the bus ride home, knowing I have to walk another 15-20 minutes to my house from the bus stop. Which means more time on my feet.”
He explained that the previous night, he was faced with a situation that he disliked after a pregnant woman got on the bus and found there were no seats available. “I’m the closest to her, so she starts giving me the imploring eyes. I had my headphones on and tried to pretend I couldn’t see her, but once she started talking to me it became inevitable.”
He described his response, “I wasn’t rude or anything, I just told her no, I’ve had a long day and my feet are sore. I don’t want to give up my seat. She started crying about how she’s a pregnant single mom, and I told her I’m sorry, but that was her personal choice and she can’t expect other people to accommodate her life choices.”
He also reasoned, “We live in a state where birth control and abortions are free, so I don’t know why this should be my problem. It’s not my fault she decided to have a baby when she can’t afford a car.”
His refusal to leave ignited a series of events: “After going back and forth for a bit, an old man finally shouted that I’m a “worthless punk” and offered his seat to the lady,” which was followed by “As they were trading seats, the bus driver had to slam the brakes for whatever reason, and the pregnant lady and the old man both fell. They started yelling at me, calling me all sorts of nasty names, but I just looked the other way and ignored it.”
When the OP got home, he told his family about the incident and was thoroughly scolded by them for his selfishness. Due to the negative reaction, he asked Reddit users if he was actually wrong, and was met with a barrage of criticisms.
The top comment stated, “Did you know that being heavily pregnant really alters your balance, let alone the tired thing? No – you didn’t ask her to be pregnant, but you can, as an able-bodied otherwise healthy person just choose to be nice. By being a selfhsh [sic] grumpy bugger a heavily pregnant person and an old person fell over. Bringing up the contraception/abortion/’breeding’ angle too really makes you an [expletive]. I bet you’re a real ‘nice guy.'”
Another comment added, “Here [sic] being a single mother who has to take the bus is a “choice” and yet, his car accident is just unfortunate circumstances. Really, if he didn’t want to deal with other people he really shouldn’t have taken the bus. He should have made sure he had a car, since his life choices make his feet hurt.”
What do you think about this man’s actions? Do you agree that pregnant women should not receive special treatment? Tell us your thoughts, and be sure to pass this on to your loved ones.
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