To think that this Times article about selfish mothers is vile

[mumbot]

www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/janice_turner/article6916343.ece

A bitter and one sided view of motherhood. Do you agree?

[nowwearefour]

the link doesnt seem to work?

[shonaspurtle]

You do know it was written by a mnetter don't you?

No, not vile. A bit ranty in parts but she makes some very fair points.

[JodieO]

Just going to read it. Not sure what difference it makes that a MNetter wrote it though?

[nancy75]

no point reading it, i have already read all of it as posts on here

[StealthPolarBear]

link

[Ewe]

YABU

I think it makes a good point and I quite agree, the worship of children and sense of entitlement has gone too far.

What specifically did you think was vile?

[StealthPolarBear]

don't understand!
Is that made up from threads on here?
or were the OPs of those threads journalists?

[StealthPolarBear]

and did everyone know that except me?

[picmaestress]

No. Have a biscuit.

[StealthPolarBear]

just seen the P&T spaces thread

[Lulumama]

it's hardly groundbreaking stuff is it

M&T spaces are a privilege not a right, we have it so easy , where's teh respect gone... yada yada yada

[shonaspurtle]

No, it's based on the writer's own personal experience and observation. Not a cut and paste job.

She posted about this incident on here too though. Just seemed a tad aggressive to start a thread calling it "vile" if you knew the author would probably be reading it - which, granted mumbot may not.

[Northernlurker]

I think the point that some parents seem to worship at the altar of THE BABY or THE CHILD/REN is a good one but I think recycling her own and other peoples posts on here is rather lame. Heaven forbid a journalist actually move away from their computer and talk to people.

[electra]

Bitter indeed! What a stupid article. Did the woman ever stop to think the note-writer did so because they generally do that kind of thing, not because they were a parent - how ridiculous! Some guy once put a really nasty note on my car because he didn't like that I parked outside his house (tough - I wasn't in front of his drive!). That was to do with him, not his age or whether he has kids or not.

[JodieO]

Ok read most of that and got bored near the end, very angry towards children it seems, something else there too but can't put my finger on it.

Really though, if people want to be nice to their children why does that bother other people so much? Let's send them down the mines or up chimneys to work instead like the "old days", they'll really know what living is like then won't they.

My father is disabled, in fact he's paralysed from the neck down BUT he would not allow my mother to park in a parent and child parking space if there were no disbled ones available at a supermarket as he says he knows how difficult it can be for someone with small children. That's his opinion as a fully disabled person. He's seen how it can be when you have a few young children and they are lively and may run off etc and also single parents.

Just because this person thinks that way about her parents (who are able to walk) it doesn't give the view of every blue badge holder.

I don't see it as "worship" of children, more giving them a loving life, in regards to the rest of the article not the parking btw. Each to their own but it's certainly not for me. I have three children and I don't think it's hard but I do like to treat my children as people, just like adults are and they deserve respect and love just the same.

Just because years ago there weren't spaces doesn't mean we should all bow and scrape in thankfullness; it's all very Uriah Heap, ever so humble. Maybe that's what some people would prefer? Everyone to be humble; then maybe they would feel better about themselves?

[JodieO]

Agree Northern, what a novel idea that would be? Maybe they should try that one week, leave the house and talk to people to find stories, wow now that would be unique. Far too difficult to do in reality though eh, much easier to steal what other people write on forums.

[motherbeyond]

she's just sharing her own experiences.I can imagine myself saying the same kind of thing in 10-15 years! plus,she's angry that some twat has upset her parents.I am very protective of my gran ,who is about the same age, and if that happened to her, i would be fecking steaming for weeks!

[Anifrangapani]

That made me laugh.... I could have written it myself.

There are people in all walks of life that feel that the world owes it to them. They do seem to be more in evidence as collective hand wringing about the kids, work, me time et al is getting more coverage, and communication with disparate like minded individuals is easier via the internet and media.

When you have people on the internet sharing "scare" stories of inconsiderate behaviour towards them or their offspring, and a collective "poor you I feel your pain" / "how very dare they" in response it fuels the sense of entitlement. Take a breath girls and save your indignant outrage for bigger battles.

You can see it in the cycle forums - someone will say "I was nearly knocked off my bike today by some c**t in a car". it will very quickly degenerate into a swapsy of encounters with bad drivers and near misses, until it gets to the "all drivers are cocks - why don't you wee in his shoes" stage. They conveniently forget the times they were driving and came a bit close to a cyclist because tehy were a bit tired / cyclist dinked to go around a pot hole.

[Stayingsunnygirl]

The incident that she recounts at the start of the article, and the P&T thread, seems pretty vile to me.

Are you condoning parents treating two elderly people with mobility issues and a blue badge in that way, mumbot?

And I happen to agree with Janice that children should stand up on buses and trains to let adults sit down - I have always made my children do this.

[scottishmummy]

dont think it is vile.some parents are selfish and egocentric.quite tame and lame article though with some broad generalisations,did snigger about the london bus mum and her gargantuan pram

[TheFallenMadonna]

I don't get all the fuss about journalists and MN. TDW has been posting on here for years, and has talked about things on here that have subsequently appeared in her columns. And why not? If I were wanting to get a sample of opinion from our demographic I'd damn well come on MN too.

[ronshar]

At risk of swimming against the crowd. I do think that maybe she has a small point.
Why do the P&T spaces have to be right next to the supermarket doors? I can undersatnd why the blue badge spaces are.
I have three children the youngest is 13 months. I am more than happy to walk across a carpark to get to the shop!

Why does a parent sit in the back of the car so a child (who shouldnt even be there) can sit in the front????

A child should give up its seat for an adult.

What happened to respecting your elders?

[JodieO]

It's hardly riveting content for the Times though surely? Isn't this what we all chat about on here anyway and perhaps in RL? It isn't something I'd particularly care to read about in a newspaper to be honest. It's hardly news or even new....

[Weegle]

JodieO well I am a Blue Badge holder (and a parent of a young child - soon to be children) and frankly if the BB spaces are full then I absolutely would expect a badge holder to feel their need greater than any of those categories of parent you suggest may be more entitled to a P&T space. Yes it's hard getting small kids, baby bucket seats etc in cars, and holding on to them, making sure they don't run away but it is NOTHING akin to the disability criteria that someone has to meet to be eligible for a BB. Pain, fatigue and physical inability (not to mention access for mobility aids) are all considerably harder to deal with than the task of getting babies and children in and out of cars and across carparks for a normal able bodied adult. And that's coming from someone who sits in both camps. You simply cannot compare the two - hence one is a legal right and the other is a courtesy.