Every trip to the surgery with a child can feel like a real ordeal. It’s especially tough when your child is ill, crying, and coughing. All you want is to get advice from the doctor and a prescription, then rush home before your childs temperature rises. These were the thoughts running through my mind as I sat in the waiting area.
This time, I came alone to collect a certificate for nursery since my child had recovered. I was already registered in advance, but there were plenty of children under the weather, and I wanted to help out a bit. So I allowed a couple of families to go ahead of me. There was one woman with three daughters, all strikingly similar and constantly asking their mum when they’d get to go home. The mum looked exhausted, juggling all three, and she hadnt booked an appointment. She was waiting for a chance to slip in. I suggested she go ahead of me.
The rest of the queue didnt take kindly to this. The mums muttered something under their breath, but there were also two dads with their sons sitting nearby who seemed to be mates. They were surprisingly quick to unite against me, criticising my decision and questioning why I let someone jump the queue when everyone was in a rush.
Thats exactly why weve got the online booking system, young lady! If you let everyone go before you, youll be waiting three extra hours! one of the men said.
The women sided with the dads, grumbling about how Id already missed my appointment slot and should head straight to the back of the queue.
I get iteveryone wants to get out of the surgery quickly, and its not a place people enjoy lingering. Still, I think its important to have a bit of compassion and consider others. What if one day they need urgent help and no one is willing to let them through? Ultimately, its up to each person whether they let someone jump ahead or not. I realised once again that had I not let that mum with her girls go before me, nobody else would have offered.
Do you believe its alright to let someone skip ahead in a surgery queue, or do you think everyone should stick to their scheduled slot, keeping things orderly and avoiding all confusion?
