... to expect people who use parent & baby car parking spaces to have children with them?

Oh, there you are!

Oi, Jimjams... come back. I need to insult you.
You never did get back to me on the parking thing I CATed you about. You're bleeding hopeless woman - sat there watching Trisha and painting your toenails all day, I'll wager

Meeee? On a parking thread? At this time of night? With my reputation?

Peachy - if people come over for a good gawp I've found that if you physically can hold eye contact with the person and mouth "don't stare" at them they will generally shuffle off with just a few backward glances. Sometimes you can;t do it because you have to be 100% dealing with arms and legs, but if you can it does work well.

I don't think DH wouldcall me restrained LOL!

I think ball breaking bitch would be more like it TBH.

I blame it on the LEA.

Peachy that is horrid.....people tend to look don't they...I don't have sn children, so, can't actually compare it, but I find it bad enough when you get the accusing looks when you have 2 Tots trying to out-tantrum eachother...but at least that isn't always...and like I said, you can't really compare that....although, seeing that probably most people actually have lived through that experience, it never seizes to amaze me how lil people show understanding for it? I suppose there is no hope then if you have a sn child that others would be understanding.

Peachy that would drive me nuts and I admire your restraint, don't think I could keep so calm

lol pinktulips, I am glad that it wasn't jsut me noticing that...I am sure that by law it is illegal to park over the white lines...or has somebody just told me that as a wind up, lol!

And, yeah, I can see the humour bit about the cops using a p&t space whilest being there for a parking problem in the first place, lol!

My parents managed without a car, still do despite Mum being disabled and largely unable to walk(but she won't admit she is- too much pride).

I hate the staring looks from old aldies. That time I got knowcked out, some old biddy just stared at me through the whole incident with a reallya ccusatory look on her face . And when DS1 does the supermarket bit we get comments of whya ren't they controlling him. Erm, because we can't. Sorry. (In Asda one shop assistant called her mates over for a look- I wanted to flip but Dh forbade me).

I'm pretty certain my parents managed without them (but then, I think my mum took us on the bus most of the time) and i cannot understand why people get so wound up about it. If I can't get in a P&T space I park as near as I can and the DTs cope, often by climbing across the backseats to both get out of the same side if necessary. To suggest that we 'genuinely need' these spaces is just laughable, frankly.

you see i am more than used to filty looks, just cos my three don't use a wheelchair some people think i am taking the mick parking in the blue badge bit,an elderly lady who was parked next to me the other week saw fit to wave her blue badge at me so i got out my three kids blue badges and my own that has expired and waved all four at her
i get annoyed at people who park in the blue badge bit without a badge cos they are just gonna be a minute, or just popping to the cash machine.

snort... the irish can't park for shit. dp goes into parking rage every time we're out as every other car takes up 2-4 spaces (i mean it takes a concerted effort to take up 4 spaces!)

can we all agree though that a cop car taking up the p&t spot at a health centre is bang out of order though? i mean they were there to sort a parking violation fgs! does no one else get the irony of that? could care less if anyone else took it but a freakin cop car!

OH, also, another reason was, that if P&T spaces were taken , generally all the other spaces near that trolley park would also be taken or unusable (I mean, the Irish just can't park within their white lines, lol....),so, I had to park right at the back, out of sight of the trolley park, and the trolley park at the back was always empty sods law, I suppose

I got p-ed off by a stupid 2 seater Smart car parked in a P&T spot. OK, they did have a carseat in the front but did they really need an extra wide space for their toy car??

Jimjams, I obviously can't say for 100% sure that I would defiantely know there was somehting wrong with your son or whatever, but I honestly do seem to have some sort of radar, not sure if it is to do with Nursing or not, maybe I am weird afterall.
As for teh NI thing....well, when we moved out there we had a fair few Bombthreads, things like that, and security was upped and I just always had this paranoid feeling....probably not helped by me suffering (mild)PTSD/PND.
We did actually, and still have a Irish registration, we never bothered to change it.

Apologies 3andnomore- you're right it's BoPeep who was busy blocking people in with her trolley. I misread. I do think it is worth remembering that even severe disabilites can be very hidden though. Usually if I take ds1 shoping I have him on his belt, but I'm trying to drop that a bit when I'm with someone else. And really if you see him at a time when he's walking quietly you would have no idea. If he started going off on one you would. I don;t think being a nurse helps at all with someone like ds1 as he doesn't have medical needs. We have had contact with some very good phlebotomists who were obviously experienced with the ds1's of the world, but other experiences of drs and nurses has been that they really haven't had a clue about his disability - they don't really have any reason to though.

One thing I'm interested in is why you didn't feel safe walking across a car park to get a trolley in NI (genuine question). Was it because of having a GB plate, or specifically because of being in the army (so worried about being tailed or whatever). I only ask because we've spent quite a bit if time in NI with GB plates and I've never felt unsafe there (although I've never been over as a service family). Just wondering whether I should have!

it was walking sticks at dawn.

someone once told us 'parent and child are over there'. we hadnt had a chance to get the badge up and clock sorted.

that is terrible misdee....lijke I say, for me, saying if it was "obvious" wasn't so much to what one sees, it really wasn't, but now, I get why you and jimjams got ticked off.

possibly, but unless you are trained (like you are) then it isnt obvious to every tom dick or harry. little old ladies used to yell at him for taking one of their spaces.

Misdee, one can usually pick up though if someone just doesn't "look" right, he did probably "look" off colour if he got easily breathless, etc...

i want to shop nooooooooooow.

all the kdis are asleep. dh is clicking behind me.

driving me batty today.

lol Intergalacti

but he didnt look weak or use crutches. unless you say him half way round the shop feelign abit breathless you wouldnt know.

God Misdee. Can you imagine shopping in the evenings? I don't pretend my situation is anything like yours (Dh works nights so I have to stay in- no babysitters and no car) but it is horrid being cooped up isnt it? And very isolating.

In term time I can actually go without the kids (last time i was alone with the kids in town (Dh was talking to someone at the bank) DS1 had a meltdown and knocked me (over and out, albeit briefly). Bt I am already starting to panic about half term- a whole week of being indoors and internet shopping (very difficult when you have dairy and allergy free diets to cater for).

Sorry for appaling spelling, but typing faster then I should.