Car seats and car parks

[Planeticket]

We went to get some groceries and the parking was very narrow. There are parent and child spaces but these were full, many with people who do not have kids but that's fine, maybe they need to be closer to the front of the car park.

We chose to go to the back of the car park because we have twins in car seats who need to be carried and placed in (one of our twins is physically sn). The area we chose to park in had no one else in either of the spaces around us. Anyways, when we came back out of the store we were packed in. There were still spaces around the car park.

I go to put my son in the car but the gap is too narrow to get him in, so I open the door wider and it touches the car next to us. In the car was a lady who was just waiting in the drivers seat, and she came out very upset and confrontational.

She said she would appreciate if I didn't touch her car or whatever. I told her that we specifically chose this space because of our situation and I needed to get my son in the car and she could have chose to park somewhere else without being so close to another car with car seats in it. Nothing happened to her car.

AIBU to think she was being a drama llama for getting so confrontational about it? She didn't have to park so close to our car and this was particularly unwise if you see it has car seats in it!

[peppaaargh]

You expect everyone to peer into the car they park next to to check whether it has car seats in? You banged her car with your car door.

YABU and should've either waited for a bigger space or one of you back the car out rather than touching her car

[Hotpinkangel19]

I think YABU sorry. I'd also be unhappy if someone's door hit my car! You can't expect to choose where is suitable for you to park, and then expect no one to park next to you!

[NannyR]

If there were two parents, surely one stands with the children whilst the other backs out. She is entitled to park in a legitimate parking space.

[Nicknacky]

Why didn’t you chap her window and ask if she wouldn’t mind moving to give you more room? I’m sure she would have rathered that than you banging her car.

[Sirzy]

Surely you move the car out and then put the child in? Very simple if there are two adults there.

She parked in a parking space I don’t get why that is wrong!

[Purpleartichoke]

Not reasonable to risk scratching their car. You could have asked her to move. Since it sounds like you had a second adult, you could have moved your car.

Carrying a baby without special needs in a car seat is not a necessity. I highly recommend a sling. For the child with special needs who needs a car seat, your best bet is to always park at the end of a row so you have a door that can fully open.

[Excited101]

I think she’s being unfair, but you also shouldn’t touch her car with your door. It also depends how centrally she parked in the space.

[goldengummybear]

Yabu. It could be a company car. Cars are expensive so natoralky people will be pissed off about your door touching theirs. Why didn't you talk to the driver or if there are 2 adults, move the car or something?

[Excited101]

Sorry, should have said how centrally both of you parked in your spaces.

[CostanzaG]

Sorry but people shouldn't be expected to check if other cars have car seats in before parking. It's frustrating but unfortunately nothing you can do about it and she was well within her right to be upset if you touched her car.

[Darkstar4855]

YABVU. I would be pissed off if someone did that to my car. You cannot reasonably expect someone to look in the windows of every car they park next to for car seats. Next time just pull your car partially out of the space and then put the children in.

[Planeticket]

Nothing happened to her car, I'm not sure what I could say more than sorry? And the spaces are far too narrow. My husband wasn't with me in the same spot of the car park at that point. He was still going to grab some groceries. I didn't see her in the car because I was rushing, so yes I should have asked her to move, that was my fault.

[EggysMom]

This is sod's law, or murphy's law, or something. You can park at the opposite end of a completely empty car park, and somebody will always come and park right next to you. I think that people are scared their car might get lonely .... All you can do is plan ahead. If a lone adult, aim for the end of a row so you can always open one door fully. If two adults, expect to have to back out and re-park before seating the children.

[AKAanothername]

YAB a bit U, but car parking spaces in the UK are ridiculously small. They seem to be based on the width of cars from 30 years ago. Cars these days are much wider, even the small ones, I think the bigger issue is that space sizes haven't kept up with the change in car widths.

[PolarBearDisguisedAsAPenguin]

YABU. Whilst your children were safely in the trolley, could you not have moved your car over as you say there were still lots of spaces around?

[peppaaargh]

You say you were rushing. Not sure why if H was still in supermarket but I imagine it was quite a thud for her from inside the car.

You wouldn't have had to say sorry if you'd acted appropriately in the first place and backed the car out

[azulmariposa]

You can't park somewhere where there are spaces around you and expect those spaces to be there when you get back.
Also I'd be upset if someone hit their door on my car, no matter if it was gently or not. You could damage both doors.
The reasonable thing to do if she was in the car would be to say, sorry could you move as I can't get my car seat in and I don't want to damage your car accidentally.

[Expressedways]

Sorry but YABU to expect anyone to do anything other than park between the lines marking space and YABU to hit someone else’s car with your door and to think that’s ok because you have small children. It really depends on how close she actually was to you but asking her to move is a bit entitled as well, unless you’re talking a ridiculously small gap. Still that would be preferable to opening your door into her car.

And I know it’s tough, when DD was small I used to park in tight spots all the time (the car parks near us were so busy you had to pounce on whatever space was free). I often had to abandon the idea of taking the car seat out of the car but I never had an issue getting her in or out without banging other cars.

But if you said sorry and didn’t cause any damage then that’s fine, just forget about it and move on.

[malmi]

Never open your door onto another car. If you do and get caught you're going to get an earful, whether or not there is any damage.

[Planeticket]

I think I would get done if I left my children alone in the trolley while I parked somewhere else lol. Plus it wouldn't be safe for them.

[Thesnobbymiddleclassone]

You shouldbe have got your husband to back the car out of the space a bit to give you the room.

Stop being so entitled. She can park anywhere and parked there. Deal with it.

[Thesnobbymiddleclassone]

You shouldbe have got your husband to back the car out of the space a bit to give you the room.

Stop being so entitled. She can park anywhere and parked there. Deal with it.

[Nicknacky]

Done by who?! Don’t be ridiculous.

It would have taken you one second to glance in her window. Especially when you expect other drivers to look in yours for car seats.

[Sparklfairy]

Do some drivers use adjacent cars to line themselves up so they can get into their space? Don't understand why else you would do this, and is completely against British etiquette of personal space. If someone is sitting alone in a train carriage you don't go and plonk yourself next to them when there's dozens of other seats.

[Iltavilli]

So you expected her to look in your car to check if there were car seats (relatively small), but you couldn’t be bother to look into her car to see if she, a full sized adult person, was in (much bigger than a car seat).

YABVVVVVVVU and a quite a bit nuts.