BEIJING, April 21 -- Instead of exercising in parks or shopping in wet markets, some senior parents in Yangpu District in Shanghai have a different routine every morning - they line up at a bus terminal so that their children can sleep longer and still get a bus seat to school.

    Some call it coddling children in one-child families, some say it makes young people less independent. Others say Chinese parents naturally want to help their children and are willing to sacrifice because of long commutes on crowded buses and a hectic life.

    Some sociologists say it results from poor public transport, but should not be encouraged.

    At 7am every day, elders show up at the terminal of the No. 37 bus on Qiqihaer Road. They line up for seats on newer, air-conditioned buses, wait for at least half an hour, then give the places to their children.

    Most said that their children didn't ask them to do it. One young woman rushing for a seat shook her head when asked if she asked her parent to stand in line - then she boarded.

    "It takes an hour for my daughter to get to her office every day," said a 58-year-old retired teacher surnamed Zhang standing in line. "I hope to make her a little more comfortable on the way."

    Almost all parents in line expressed the same wish for their children's comfort. They said young people work hard in a hectic society and need enough sleep to keep fit - time shouldn't be wasted queuing for seats.

    Retirees say they have time, so waking earlier to hold a seat isn't an issue.

    "Aged people are used to getting up early. I get up at 6am even without waiting for a seat," said Zhang. "But young people are fond of sleeping. So I'm willing to wait in line instead of my daughter."

    A bus station employee said parents arrive at the stop and stand in line almost every working day. Some have been doing this for over two years.

    "How can my daughter do her work well after being squashed in the crowds on the bus for an hour or longer?" said a mother surnamed Chen. "Holding a seat, so she doesn't have to stand all the way, is not only for her comfort, also for her work."

(Source: Shanghai Daily)