To Give Up, or Not Give Up, A Seat

For years, I took public transportation to work. It's not always the most pleasant ride, but it's reasonably priced, fairly consistent, and pretty safe. I've been lucky in that the route I would take was not too busy and therefore I usually got a seat. However, when I was pregnant, I would have to take a very busy line and would frequently be stuck standing.

As I've mentioned before, I'm not the tallest person in the world, and when I was pregnant, I was huge. I had to stand on a bus/subway probably 20 times while pregnant, and only once, at the very end of my second pregnancy, did someone give up their seat.

Giving up a seat to a pregnant woman is a no-brainer. Seriously, guys, we know you aren't that engrossed in your newspaper. You just don't want to stand.

Two things happened this week on public transportation that made me realize this business of giving up your seat isn't as easy as it appears. The other day, I saw a young woman standing while holding crutches. I asked if she wanted my seat and she rolled her eyes and said "no, I'm fine".

Later in the week, a young woman came on the subway carrying an extremely heavy backpack. A business man offered her his seat so she could read (she was holding a book reading) and she said "No, why would I need your seat?". He looked really embarrassed but told her he felt bad that she was trying to read while standing.

So, do you offer your seat? Should you?