Lesson Learned – Never let your child be first or last to enter trains

Years ago, when our child was much younger, we were taking the train to the airport, each lugging a suitcase.  The platform was packed.  When the train arrived, I had my child enter the train first and then I lifted her suitcase up for her.  Suddenly the tram doors started to close.  I screamed “my daughter” and lunged my body into the closing train doors.  Thankfully, bystanders assisted and held the doors from crushing me in two.  It took some time for them to release and let me in next to my frightened daughter.

I’ve since seen this happen frequently where families are split up when train doors close between them.  We always now enter the trains with one parent first, then child and then the second parent.  But never, ever let the child climb on the train first.  Lesson learned – always enter train with parent/adult first, then children and lastly the second parent/adult so no child is left behind alone on either side.