Pet peeves while riding amtrak

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My biggest gripe is trying to find a seat on a sold-out train and getting a dirty look from the other passenger when you ask if the aisle seat next to him is taken. Then that passenger has to get up to use the restroom every 45 minutes due to age/medical condition and I am awakened from my peaceful nap.
Sheesh! Perhaps around the third trip to the loo, one can suggest trading seats.

On a St. Louis-bound train a couple of summers ago, I watched a conductor rope off a block of 8 seats for a youth group, which boarded in Joliet. One member of the group moved to an unoccupied seat and sprawled over the pair. The next time he came through, conductor moved him back to the group and gave him a stern lecture. If he was going to the effort to keep a group together, he was also going to make sure a couple boarding later could sit together. (There was, and they did.) Kudos to the conductor.

Last time on #50 (Eastbound Cardinal) to Cincinnati, I asked my seat-mate where he was going. He said Charlestown, WV. So I switched to the aisle seat so as not to have to climb over him at 0300.
 
My pet peeve is the reverse of many others: adults who talk loudly while using vocabulary I'd rather not try to explain to children sitting nearby.

Terry
 
My pet peeve is the reverse of many others: adults who talk loudly while using vocabulary I'd rather not try to explain to children sitting nearby.

Terry
Agreed! I've heard coach attendants get after passengers for language but guess what happens when the coach attendants leave the car.. even MORE language directed at Amtrak crew now. Keeps the train travel.. "interesting" doesn't it?
 
My pet peeve is the vociferous cadre of recently retired teachers I always seem to be seated next to in the dining car. Miss Brooks and Mr Novak From Hell complain endlessly about Kids Today and yearn for the time when they could haul off and beat children into submission. The best way I've found to shut them up is to ask why, with so many elected officials genuflecting to the NEA, their union allowed this to happen.
 
Coming home from the gathering on 352 the wolverine this child was crying on and off throughout the whole trip and the mother even changed the child's diaper ON THE SEAT YUCK.
I'm curious where on the train you'd have her change the kid, I have never seen a changing table on the wolverine line.
you could bring a towel and use it over the toilet bench in the bathroom to change the child with. Im with simpythy if the mother is doing everything to try and quit there child but not if they just ignore the problem like it will go away on its on. this wasn't a baby either it was a toddler.

And your suggestion is RIGHT ON, most parents WILL bring a changing pad or sheet, just for that purpose.
Put me in the "unsympathetic" camp but changing diapers in public places should just not happen IMHO. And while you can't control an infant when they cry, you can certainly keep a child from running and playing through the train.

On my last ride on the crescent there was a group of kids in the lounge car who were basically treating the booths like a playground while the parents played cards. The lounge attendant finally had enough and put them in their place. Of course there mom got most upset and told other passengers how rude he was. Funny, I thought what he did was perfect. ha.

I have run into moms like that at stores who let their kids run wild while they shop. And when I tell their kids to cool it because they're in a public place, if the mother tells me I have no right, I give it right back to her and tell her that SHE has no right to inflict her kids on people when out in public. I tell her that my mom had seven kids to raise and there is no way she would have put up with the behavior that her kids were showing and that she taught us to respect other people when we were out in public!
While I understand the intentions, please rethink it. You have no idea of what is going on. The child may have autism, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or another special needs that cannot be seen. One of the interventions is extinction. You could actually be reinforcing behavior that is put on extinction. Obviously, this causes setbacks and they can be major. While I agree it is rare that it is behavior therapist and a client you just don't know. I actually had it happen not long ago. A gentleman came up, with well meaning intentions, and told my client "you need to listen to your mommy." I wanted to cry. It may also be a reaction to or a change of meds. You have no idea what these parents go through. They have to shop, often can't leave the kid with anyone else. I work with these parents and btw I am one of these parents. Just happens I have more tools because of my profession and I am so used to be stared at when I have my clients I don't care what people think. But believe me when you have to change meds it is a nightmare. But we still have to eat, have toilet paper, etc. If just one person would have came up and asked if everything was okay or did I need help, I would have broke down in tears and been grateful. While other cases is just not making kids respect and obey the parents and those around, you can't really change that. And honestly they aren't your kids. If someone told my child to cool it, I would tell them that I will handle my own child and walk away.
 
The only other problem I've ever had with passengers were with a pair of senior citizens in the roommette next to mine on the Crescent who thought that arising at 5 a.m. and then complaining to each other LOUDLY in the hallway as they slammed their doors and tottered down the hall to lodge additional noisy complaints with the SCA was proper behavior.
Now that you mention it, my biggest pet peeve is noise in sleeping cars. But I won't single out any age group. Often it is the "friendly" SCA who seem to have to carry on a conversation during late night or early morning stops. Stops are especially bad since there isn't the background noise of a moving train to mask the conversation.
 
My pet peeve is the vociferous cadre of recently retired teachers I always seem to be seated next to in the dining car. Miss Brooks and Mr Novak From Hell complain endlessly about Kids Today and yearn for the time when they could haul off and beat children into submission. The best way I've found to shut them up is to ask why, with so many elected officials genuflecting to the NEA, their union allowed this to happen.
I'll admit to being a two-time loser in the teaching game, but I don't recall encountering this problem in the dining car.

But your rhetorical question about teachers allowing this to happen is one I've asked myself for a long time. I suspect it was a case of teachers figuring that if they didn't hold students to a standard, the students wouldn't hold them to one.
 
If someone told my child to cool it, I would tell them that I will handle my own child and walk away.
and that's the problem today. While you maybe standing up for it A train is no place for kids to run around and play hid and seek and other-stuff. How would you feel if we ignored your kids cause you didn't like someone trying to clam them down and later find out they got there toes cut off in between the cars. KEEP YOUR KIDS SAFE AND UNDER CONTROL ON A TRAIN. if they have medical problems fine ALL THE MORE REASON TO KEEP THEM UNDER CONTROL. Don't let your kids play in between the cars or with the doors. I don't want to see a child get hurt or killed cause a parent could care less. I see that all the time on the news. Its also a great way to get your kids kidnapped. they wander into another car while you argue with someone who tried intervene and another person walks off with the kid. CHILD ABUSE IS EVERYONE'S BUSINESS.
 
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Its also a great way to get your kids kidnapped. they wander into another car while you argue with someone who tried intervene and another person walks off with the kid. CHILD ABUSE IS EVERYONE'S BUSINESS.
So how many kids have been kidnapped on trains? Did you get kidnapped on a train back in the day?
 
You have no idea of what is going on. The child may have autism, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or another special needs that cannot be seen.
From what I'm hearing rates of mental disorders in American children are increasing far faster than anything which could be explained by improved diagnosis alone. So what's actually going on and why are American children experiencing mental deficiencies in greater numbers than children in other developed nations?
 
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My pet peeve is the vociferous cadre of recently retired teachers I always seem to be seated next to in the dining car. Miss Brooks and Mr Novak From Hell complain endlessly about Kids Today and yearn for the time when they could haul off and beat children into submission. The best way I've found to shut them up is to ask why, with so many elected officials genuflecting to the NEA, their union allowed this to happen.
Well maybe they were from Georgia which specifically disallows teacher's unions...
 
Its also a great way to get your kids kidnapped. they wander into another car while you argue with someone who tried intervene and another person walks off with the kid. CHILD ABUSE IS EVERYONE'S BUSINESS.
So how many kids have been kidnapped on trains? Did you get kidnapped on a train back in the day?
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My pet peeve is the reverse of many others: adults who talk loudly while using vocabulary I'd rather not try to explain to children sitting nearby.

Terry
Oh God, you just reminded me of this idiot in the SSL on the Cap Ltd once when I was going from Harpers Ferry back to Cleveland. He kept loudly telling racist and gay jokes to his friends and was beginning to upset people around me. I was about to say something when he finally left.
 
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And honestly they aren't your kids. If someone told my child to cool it, I would tell them that I will handle my own child and walk away.
I've finally gotten to the age where I can say "I remember when." Autism is one thing and having an autistic cousin, I would recognize the symptoms. But I think ADD, et al is simply a manifestation of the institutionalized pharmacopoeia running our country and parents using medication as a way to handle/excuse their kids. "I remember when" I was a kid and you did not only what your parents told you, but you did what all the parents on the street/in the neighborhood told you and if you talked back, your parents were going to hear about. Now with our litigious medicated society, we have raised a generation suffering from the Entitlement syndrome.
 
And honestly they aren't your kids. If someone told my child to cool it, I would tell them that I will handle my own child and walk away.
I've finally gotten to the age where I can say "I remember when." Autism is one thing and having an autistic cousin, I would recognize the symptoms. But I think ADD, et al is simply a manifestation of the institutionalized pharmacopoeia running our country and parents using medication as a way to handle/excuse their kids. "I remember when" I was a kid and you did not only what your parents told you, but you did what all the parents on the street/in the neighborhood told you and if you talked back, your parents were going to hear about. Now with our litigious medicated society, we have raised a generation suffering from the Entitlement syndrome.
This really isn't the forum for it, and I don't disagree that it's overdiagnosed and overmedicated, but ADD/ADHD certainly is a real medical condition requiring medication in some cases.
 
I'm surprised no one has mentioned the practice of saving seats in the sightseer lounge yet. Some people seem to think it's OK to leave their belongings on the seat and disappear to lunch for an hour and a half. I see this on the #5 out of Denver pretty often: I walk into the sightseer lounge and find lots of empty seats with books, bags, or articles of clothing placed on top of them. Their "owners" are out having breakfast, but apparently wanted to "reserve" their seats for the scenic climb into the Rockies.

Yes, I agree with you, how would you all handle this situation?? Would it be really tacky to wait 10 or so mins and then just move their stuff and sit down?
 
I think ADD, et al is simply a manifestation of the institutionalized pharmacopoeia running our country and parents using medication as a way to handle/excuse their kids. Now with our litigious medicated society, we have raised a generation suffering from the Entitlement syndrome.
Interesting theory but I don't quite follow you. For instance, how do you explain countries with far more entitlement programs having far fewer cases diagnosed? How exactly has treatment become the indirect cause of improper diagnosis at the same time that litigation has supposedly skyrocketed? Wouldn't improper diagnosis and over-medication become a substantial liability in an increasingly litigious society?
 
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If someone told my child to cool it, I would tell them that I will handle my own child and walk away.
and that's the problem today. While you maybe standing up for it A train is no place for kids to run around and play hid and seek and other-stuff. How would you feel if we ignored your kids cause you didn't like someone trying to clam them down and later find out they got there toes cut off in between the cars. KEEP YOUR KIDS SAFE AND UNDER CONTROL ON A TRAIN. if they have medical problems fine ALL THE MORE REASON TO KEEP THEM UNDER CONTROL. Don't let your kids play in between the cars or with the doors. I don't want to see a child get hurt or killed cause a parent could care less. I see that all the time on the news. Its also a great way to get your kids kidnapped. they wander into another car while you argue with someone who tried intervene and another person walks off with the kid. CHILD ABUSE IS EVERYONE'S BUSINESS.
My children are respectful and under control usually. I say usually because I do have a child with a mental diagnoses. When he is having a maladaptive behavior, I am there. I do not walk away and it is pretty obvious I am not oblivious. It is more frequent with my clients. With my own child, I see the precursors/antecendents and if on a train (or other place that could be unsafe) I stop it. However, this is not the best for teaching replacement behaviors. In my opinion, removing a child who is having a fit in the store (usually because they want something or to go home) is reinforcing the child's behavior. Usually so is attention, so getting a stranger to say something just makes it worse. Say no, ignore the whinning and finish your shopping. You cannot control a child with autism, bipolar, schizophrenia or even ADHD without a lot of intervention. I would rather see a child have a fit in a store, not get their way and learn from it. If you do this enough, the child will stop. With some disorders you need to treat first (i.e., bipolar, ADHD, etc)then use behavior therapy. While others behavior therapy is the first line. It has worked with my own child and we usually only have problems if meds need to be changed/have been changed. If anyone is wondering but doesn't want to ask he has mood disorder-nos (a nice way of not labeling a 7 year-old bipolar yet) with possible adhd.

The train isn't the store. The post I was referring to was in a store. A child, regardless of diagnosis, cannot be allowed to run around. I would inform the conductor (assuming he/she hasn't already noticed). Because no matter what you say when you have a parent who doesn't follow through 1) the kid isn't going to change and 2) the parents aren't going to do anything. Believe me. I have parents who come to me who want me to "fix" their kid who won't listen. I work with so-called typical kids too. When I tell them that the child isn't the problem - they are - some of them are never heard from again. So I know not everything is a disorer/disease. Some children's behavior is just a result of it getting them what they want.
 
And honestly they aren't your kids. If someone told my child to cool it, I would tell them that I will handle my own child and walk away.
I've finally gotten to the age where I can say "I remember when." Autism is one thing and having an autistic cousin, I would recognize the symptoms. But I think ADD, et al is simply a manifestation of the institutionalized pharmacopoeia running our country and parents using medication as a way to handle/excuse their kids. "I remember when" I was a kid and you did not only what your parents told you, but you did what all the parents on the street/in the neighborhood told you and if you talked back, your parents were going to hear about. Now with our litigious medicated society, we have raised a generation suffering from the Entitlement syndrome.
This really isn't the forum for it, and I don't disagree that it's overdiagnosed and overmedicated, but ADD/ADHD certainly is a real medical condition requiring medication in some cases.
I agree with both statements. Many children with adhd/add are just being kids, testing the boundaries. Once you have seen a kid with what I refer to as real ADHD, you know ADHD. It makes your jaw drop and you say "that is adhd." It is so obvious. Harder to see when it is comorbid with another disorder (like autism) but in a child with no other disorder it is in your face.
 
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