PBA, here is another little tidbit for you. When you are invited to a bris, the seats that are set up are also meant for the “Adults” and not for the kids who’s parents seat them leaving adults standing. Same goes for a kiddush in shul where parents have the chutzpah to seat their children and become oblivious to the adult invited guests who have no where to sit.
Although children are important and special too, they are NOT the first to be considered in these cases. They are young and have the koach and were-with-all to stand through it or sit on their own parents’ laps.
And just to satisfy your curiosity, yes, I would have had no problem asking Esther to have her daughter switch seats with me if I found the other seat too uncomfortable. As Esther said herself, her daughter is very petite and would have had no problem sitting in a seat facing the wall. Esther was being a bit stubborn which she herself admitted. It was as simple as just moving down a seat and there would have been no incident at all. WE women do it all the time in shul. It is NO big deal and that is why this whole story was so upsetting. Young women don’t usually have a makom kavuah but many older women do and WE usually respect that. Other than that, we are always moving around accommodating or just depending on who is there. So being stubborn about a seat is NOT the norm for women and I am sure that the older woman was a bit surprised by Esther’s response.
By the way PBA, is this how you raise your children? Is this what you would have done? My kids and grandkids would give up their seat for an older person even if it meant they would stand!