People who park in child and parent spaces when they don't have kids.

"I always wonder why people are trudging to walk around a supermarket if they don’t have the ability to walk from the parking space to the door.
Wouldn’t an online shop or someone going for him be a much better solution for someone so ill?"

He is a grown adult. He can decide for himself what he wants to do and what is best for him.

I was horrified when my friend parked in one with a 10 year old. They’re for younger kids surely not fully grown kids who don’t need extra room to get out the car.

Couldn't give a single iota of fuck about who parks in spaces which only exist as a marketing tool.

What do you do if you drive into a car park and all the parent and child spaces are taken by parents with children? Whatever you do then, just do that and probably find a better way to waste your time than checking if someone has a blue badge on display in a parent and child space.

Yes, bothers me sometimes. Single able bodied man sauntered out of a Lidl one the other day. I had to go to end of car park, hoist out a toddler, I’m very pregnant with sciatica and that day had a heavy trolley to push further. It’s just a courtesy to leave them free for someone who needs it more than you. Prior to pregnancy, I parked wherever with my toddler.

I had a friend who parked in one to visit the toilet on the way home from work. She had cancer and when she had to go, she had to go. This was the nearest space to the supermarket and the car park wasn’t full. She was berated on her return by a mum in another P&C space - who had two teenagers sitting in the car 🙄

Thankfully, I rarely needed to use a P&C space and would always look for a convenient spot that wasn’t one. Yes, there are people who abuse them, but you really don’t know what people are going through.

You do not need to be on PIP or AA to have a BB. Her GP can write a supporting letter to help with a BB application.

Been googling this PM. She is over state pension age (70) so she cannot have PIP. PIP is only for people under 65.

The only other thing would be attendance allowance. But since she can hobble to her downstairs bathroom and back for a wash, she doesn't qualify for that. Attendance allowance doesn't care for if someone's mobility problem restricts them being able to leave their house or not. Bleugh!

The book about Being a Carer that I'm reading calls this "Officaldom"! That feels right!

I have always said parents and child spaces should be at the back of the carpark with a safe path to the store. That way you get the benefits of the extra door space but won’t have the issue of people parking in them who just want to nip into the store.

as it happens I don’t think I ever used them myself. Not sure why but we always found a space elsewhere that we could use easily.

Maybe the kids are in the boot?

“No one is entitled”

Actually, people with children travelling with them are entitled. That’s literally why they have an adult and a child painted on them, and signs. They dictate who is entitled.

You were parking there legitimately and shouldn’t have been bollocked for it, but IMO there’s nothing wrong with asking someone “do you have children with you?”.

I always work on the basis that you never know what is going on in a persons life and therefore you can never really label their behaviour as self etc.

You should without doubt be using P and C spaces.

butdo apply for PIP for her, it isn’t means tested and like you said can often be a gateway benefit. Also look at applying for a blue badge anyway as they are available to people who don’t get higher mobility if they meet the critiera

I assumed the poster I was replying to was a woman. So your comment that I assumed its only women who do the shop is totally wrong, and irrelevant.

Its great how his vision is so enhanced it enables him to see exactly who has taken the last p&c space whilst he is circling the car park endlessly.

Your comment that "i should hear how annoyed he gets" suggests youre in the car with him. Id just send him on his own in future then he wont need to worry about a p&c space.

I dont want to hear how annoyed Random Man gets btw 😆

@MindYourUsage so sorry to hear that: completely agree that is a need whereas parenting is not.

You say helpless woman but the male father of my children is no more capable of getting a toddler out of a car seat when you can’t open the car door more than a few centimetres wide without touching the car next to you than I am. And you should hear how annoyed he gets at having to drive round a packed car park of a weekend trying to find a space where the door can open fully because someone without kids has just taken the last Parent & Child space. It’s like proper stereotypical thinking only the mum’s are doing the supermarket shop with babies and toddlers. Cringe.

It angers me too.
If I’m with my partner it’s not so bad having to go in a normal space, as one of us can reverse out the space whilst the other gets the baby and his car seat. But when I’m on my own and there’s no parent and child spaces, and I go in a normal bay, I’m fucked if someone parks next to me as I really struggle to get the car seat in. If I was struggling with this and happened to see someone without kids using a parent and child space, I’d be fuming.

lol how the hell do you know that?

When you had cancer treatment like I have do come back and post about how you’re feeling! Trudging round shops is actually staying independent, choosing something to eat that looks appealing and everything tastes “odd”.

Once you got a trolley it really helps as you can lean on it whilst you’re “trudging” round the supermarket .

Hope that explains it all for you.

Agree. The martyrdom was very strong in that post. All bow at the altar of parenthood!

I cant speak for anyone else but for my mum she loves her shopping trips. She's stuck in the house most of the week with little joy in her life. Going out once a week, picking a bit of nice food, being out etc. is something she really looks forward to. Even if it does take us about 2 hours with all the little breaks she needs 😩

Because he wanted to? It’s none of your business. People with cancer have a lot going on already without you judging them.

I think I get annoyed because I am a mum running around doing things for others.

You’re no busier than anyone else.