Bad behaviour public transport1 - What can we do about the bad behaviour of children on public transport?

Does your child understand how important it is to behave on public transport, especially in the bigger cities where there are so many people trying to commute to work or home after a long day at the office? Sadly strict etiquette on public transport is on the decline; children are allowed to get away with blasting music from their headphones, leaving their rubbish on seats, shouting loudly and making an embarrassment of themselves with their friends.

 It is truly astounding to listen to the abusive language some children use at such a young age directed at other travellers. Have you taught your child how to stand up immediately when elderly or disabled people get on trains or buses and desperately need a place to sit down?

Teaching your children to behave on public transport

I ask these questions as we need to start showing our children how to respect the older generations, how to behave in confined settings such as on buses, trains, planes or indeed any form of transport during a long and tiring journey to our destinations. There is nothing worse than not being able to move away from misbehaved children as that is the only seat that is available for your journey! By having a peaceful travelling environment, this promotes a great sense of calm for everyone and therefore teaching your child to behave on public transport is so fundamental to adapting to modern living, especially in the big cities.

Bad behaviour is not acceptable from children

Anti-social behaviour is not acceptable in any shape or form, from swearing and using abusive language to running around up and down corridors or not having respect for the more vulnerable. Since we spend so many hours commuting every day, we desperately need to teach our children the principles and common decency of what is allowed and what is not allowed regarding their general behaviour on public transport.  Teaching them to stand on platforms waiting for transport patiently; and perhaps, if your children are very young, playing quiet games on the train to keep them occupied are just two things you can do to encourage good behaviour.

Children need to learn the meaning of respect early in life

As parents, teachers or carers it is our responsibility to ensure children learn the meaning of respect not only in relation to how they behave on and off public transport but also in any environment.  By nipping bad behaviour in the bud early and impressing the importance of what is acceptable in today’s society and what is not, we can avoid being held responsible in the future if we make a stand now! Insisting that our children adopt our own high standards is the best way to avoid embarrassing situations on public transport, where so many people have to share this environment every day.

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