Rosie Millard article on travelling with kids(STimes?)

[unicorn]

Anyone read it?
Thought it was quite amusing and perceptive re British public.. just wondered why on earth she wanted to travel by train with 3 kids + Nanny + violin+ computer etcetectec...
If you are reading this Rosie- please enlighten me!

[unicorn]

well, I was just curious why she was doing it in the first place- surely she/ nanny can drive- and don't tell me they haven't got a supercharged people mover!.
presumably then it was for the benefit of this article (which seems rather calculated-and probably subject to artistic licence)

Tell me I am wrong Rosie!!

[mummytosteven]

which section of the ST is it in - am trying and failing to find it online

[unicorn]

in news review section I think mts

[frogs]

I use that train line with three kids all the time and have never had a problem. But I've got very good at working out which is the unbooked carriage so that we can beat everyone else and get four seats round a table without having to pay for the under-fives. However I confess that single people sitting by themselves have been known to go elsewhere when they see us coming.

The article didn't quite ring true for me either -- having just done the same journey by car, I'd say TRAIN every time.

Must add that I live just round the corner from Rosie Millard and her children always seem perfectly pleasant to me.

[unicorn]

even with kids so young frogs?
I have a sense of sympathy (a little bit) as when we travelled by plane to S.Italy when dd was just 18 months- she screamed for the whole flight- and fell asleep on touchdown... the passengers HATED us and we were exceptionally stressed. (the stewardesses just ignored us) so travelling in a public setting with my kids has never been a viable option.

[mummytosteven]

the one thing I was curious about - why was she taking a car seat with. really makes me feel she was going to meet dh down there, and drive back with him, and she was just doing the train journey for the article

[frogs]

Yes, even with littlies -- I've been doing that run since they were born. Infinitely easier than going in the car, and quicker too.

Most memorable journey was last Autumn half-term, heavily pregnant and with three kids in tow, two of whom had a tummy bug and were sicking up into plastic bags en route. Amazingly, everyone was really nice to us.

[Paula71]

Haven't seen this article so don't know how long the train trip was. Taking it from what you've all said she had a hard time of it. Poor dear, she did have a nanny with her though so it couldn't have been too much hassle for her.

I have now taken my ds twins (2 1/2) on the 20 minute train journey into Edinburgh a couple of times, no trouble at all, other passengers either weren't bothered or thought the boys were sweet in their excitement over public transport. There are only problems if you make them.

Maybe someone can enlighten me as to what the big deal was? I am probably missing the point as usual!

[Marina]

Which line was it? We recently returned from a train round trip of 600 miles by Virgin and could not fault their customer care after a bit of a bumpy start (no reservations made for return journey, thanks to non-existent engineering work). I travelled solo with children of five and one. I was dreading it (ds gets motion sickness, dd just wants to crawl and eat carpet fluff or ANYTHING she finds on the floor), but it was good in the end.
Rosie Millard might have made the journey by train because the car journey is a nightmare (London-Carlisle is on the M1 and M6 and l-o-n-g by A1/A66).
I wish I'd seen the article. I would do this journey by train again for sure. Ds loved it when he wasn't chundering.

[bettys]

The article's here

It didn't quite ring true for me either. I can't imagine people being quite so rude, and having met Rosie Millard ages ago I can't imagine her 'cowering' or taking such rudeness so meekly!

[Tinker]

Why was the ranting a 'Classic British moment'. It's never happened to me.

[Marina]

Thanks bettys. Does not tally in any way with my experiences on public transport, and my two are talkative to say the least. We were in a very mixed carriage, with someone working on his laptop opposite, oldies and students as well. Not a whisper of complaint.
Sounds like embellishment for the sake of a good, outraged article to me. But I MUST NOT let my instinctive irritation at the way Rosie Millard does her job overpower me...

[emsiewill]

What an absolute load of old cobblers. I have been travelling on trains with my 2 (now aged 7 and 5) since dd1 was a tiny baby. I have never had any problems like this.

I've used many different lines / rail companies, and had the same experience on all of them - mostly people just ignore us, as we ignore them, sometimes people smile at us, sometimes they even talk to us. My sister travelled from London to Liverpool last Friday, and her dd (4) had a major full-on head spinning tantrum, shouting, swearing, kicking etc. One person made any sort of comment to my sister - and that was an older lady who said "they're a trial, sometimes, aren't they?". Hardly spitting vitriol.

I know this article must be made up, because British people (even if they are absolutely fuming) would never come and shout at you - they just sit there and tut, don't they? And if it is true, then she was singularly unlucky.

Oooh, this has made me

[dinny]

The journey to Cornwall from Paddington is sooo long - would be hard work taking young kids on it. I think RM was being unreasonable - there are family carriages on Great Western trains and I would use one if travelling with young children (but would have to be desperate to do a journey that long by train with dd).
I remember getting annoyed by people's children being noisy on trains before I had dd - if you don't have kids it can be hard to empathise.

[wobblyknicks]

I've recently done that return journey twice, going to see essbee, once at easter and once about 2 months ago and both times I didn't have any experiences like she supposedly had. And I had a buggy, 2 bags and a huge suitcase as well as dd.

Firstly it wasn't raining either time, but thats besides the point. Everyone was happy to help me every time I had to get on and off the train - maybe it was my general air of uselessness and desperation or maybe it was the obviousness that if no-one helped me I'd never get on and would hold the train up for weeks!!! There were also people always willing to help me up and down stairs when I needed to change platforms - even one older lady who didn't realise how heavy my case was and I hope didn't have chronic backache afterwards!!!

As for on the train, everyone was either interested in dd or just politely kept themselves to themselves, no-one openly looked harshly at me for having dd there. Ok, that may have something to do with her huge smiles to everyone - maybe Ms Millard and her kids just look like the kind of specimens people want to be nasty to!!!

She must be either making half of it up, or just have that look that invites trouble and gets it from all and sundry.

The only area of my journey that was hard was being on a train for so long and having to change platforms many times - nothing to do with fellow passengers!!!

[whizzz]

Hmmm I thought it was a tad exaggerated. As someone has said I couldn't imagine the British 'ranting' at the kids. Maybe at the Stag party ???

[Paula71]

Having read that I can honestly say the whole incident sounded rather made up. I can't imagine two separate women saying such stilted statements, too rehearsed sounding IYKWIM.

[Linnet]

I didn't know that you got family carriages on trains going long distances. Mind you the last time dh and I went on a long distance train was before we had our children.

Today we took dd2, 10 weeks old, on a train for the first time to Glasgow, the journey is 1hr and everything was going swimmingly until half way through when she was trying to find her thumb and managed to poke herself in the eye, she hasn't figured out what to do with the rest of her fingers yet. She screamed for ages and the train was packed and nobody said a word. Well the old lady sitting beside us did she commented to dd1 that dd2 must have a sore tummy. DD1 nodded sagely and rolled her eyes as if to say yet again, lol

[3PRINCESSES]

I've only just got round to reading this, but must say I'm getting a little bit fed up of this kind of article. It seems that these columnists take an episode from 'Ordinary Life With Kids' and pump it up to bursting point for the purpose of illustrating whatever issue they're trying to hammer home. This piece, like many of India Knight's, had me scratching my head and thinking 'No-o, sorry, just don't get it Rosie. Nothing like that has ever happened to me at all...' when obviously the reaction she wants other mothers to have is one of outraged empathy - 'OOhh, YES! I am a social LEPER since having children! I am scorned and sneered at in public! It's not like this in Italy!' etc.

Nope. Sorry Rosie, I don't buy it either. But an ordinary old train journey when the most upsetting thing that happens is a bit of spilt juice just wouldn't make good copy.

[unicorn]

slightly in Rosie's defence here (as it seems nobody else has 'bad experiences' in public)
We were once in a Harvester (yep- that bastion of nouveau cuisine!!)when my ds (then about 18 months) started kicking off.
A bloke turns and glares several times at me and eventually shouts- Can't you shut him up?!!!!
I was gobsmacked...and reminded him that this was a Family friendly (HA) restaurant- and children do cry.
so I can see a bit of what the article was trying to show.. but yes, probably a bit O.T.T.

[Azure]

Wow, what a cynical lot you are! I read the article on Sunday and commiserated with her.

[KeepingMum]

I thought her article was a bit over the top as well. Granted I only have two children not three, but I don't have a nanny to help out and I have never had this type of reaction on a train. It makes you wonder what exactly her children were doing to provoke the responses. They must have been dong something if it prompted the fellow passengers to lose all British reserve and comment on them and not comment on the Stag weekenders. The only slight looks of disapproval I get on the train are when we spend too long in London and have to get a commuter train back with a toddler and baby in a pushchair. Obviously I have no right at all on a commuter train with children between 5 and 7 o'clock

[bundle]

dh used to work with rosie. haven't read it but will be back when I have.