"Never mind, boy", said you?

This morning, the NTUC queue at my place was very long. It's a Sunday. Everyone was looking for the shortest queue. I was in line waiting to pay for my bread and several can-food items. When it was my turn, a boy in school uniform (8 to 9 years old) tried to cut queue by pretending to be unaware of the long queue behind me. He was holding just a bread. I told him that, "the queue is at the back". He moved to the other counter and came back. The old couple behind me told the boy,  "Never mind, boy. You just got a bread". They made way for the boy to cut queue,  without the having the courtesy to ask the next six or seven people who were queuing. 

I was flabbergasted. 

First,  the old couple failed to inculcate and impart good value to the boy. A queue is a queue,  regardless of number of item (unless he is disabled or frail). There was a 7-11 shop nearby and there is bread and no long queue. Obviously,  the boy didn't want Gardinia bread (at 7-11) and took the bread at NTUC.

The old couple failed to acknowledge the people queuing behind them.  The slot was not theirs to give the boy,  unless they wanted to forgo (or surrender) their spot and start queuing behind the 6 to 7 people. They didn't. 

A lot of parents inadvertently (or purposely) teach their children (above 7 years old) to cut queues,  grab seats in MRT like vultures, rudely move through crowds,  impatiently waiting for their turn to view books at bookstores by repeatedly saying, "excuse me,  excuse me, excuse me...." to drive the person in front to move away,  and many more. 

When these kids become adults. I hope the old couple will not complain if they can't find a seat on MRT (when these young adults pretend to sleep), or seeing their queues being cut frequently.

If you allow children to do the things you wouldn't want adults to do, don't be surprised when these children will grow up being inconsiderate. That's called karma.

There was no good deed the old couple did today. Just like giving handouts to beggars (the easy way out). You might feel good about it,  but the aftermath will bite you back one day, e.g. More people cutting queues or more "beggars" on the street.