To think that you should not use the parent/child spaces at the supermarket once your kid is over, say, 5?

[SuzysZoo]

Ok - fine if your child has special needs over 5 but otherwise you should not park there. Surely it means you have a non-walking child/toddler/buggy/car seat. Kids getting out of cars in those spaces in school uniforms annoy me...AIBU?

I like the signs here in Australia that make it abundantly clear that the spaces are for parents with children who need pushchairs/buggies. We parked in one the other day, with DS (3.7) and I actually felt guilty that he was awake and therefore didn't need to be put in the pushchair. We did have the pushchair with us though.

OP - you are being a nob re. the disabled - surely, if ALL the disabled spaces are full, you wouldn't begrudge them using a P&C space? If you would then you are horrible.

ahhh but if they put them at the back of the car park, then all the children would melt when it rained!

our local sainsburys re-did their car park a few months ago and they had private parking wardens patrolling the disabled and p&c spaces. it made me laugh, what a brilliant idea! no sign of them now though.

i am usually happy to parade my baby, toddler & pre-schooler across the car park past unqualified p&c space users when we can't get one, but was not impressed last week to see a lady park squew across the space and saunter off as her kids (none in car seats) got themselves out the car and traipsed after her. i did glare, hoik up my judgy pants and talk very loudly to my 3 kids about getting them safely strapped into their car seats.

if anyone deserves a p&c priority space it's meeeeeee!

but in all honesty, i don't like confrontation and if people want to be twats then i am fully prepared with provisions to get my 3 kids safely into the shops from a regular space.

I have a 5 year old and a teenager am I allowed to park their

Oh a agree BTP, but half the posters here that say they want these spaces for the wider space and talking shite, they just want to be nearer the door! its like its some sort of competition on who deserves these spaces the most!

only of you drive a 4x4 maypole1

Since my DS moved out of his newborn carseat (you know, that comes out of the car), I dont have trouble getting him in and out of the (wide) car in a normal space. Not that I wont use them if they're available, and okay, I do get a tad annoyed at workman parking there in their vans but I really dont think its such a big deal. DS is only 9m by the way, and a sod to get in his car seat as he goes like a plank.

if

i went to tesco the other day with my dad and he said shall we park in P&C

'competition on who deserves these places the most' :o

That's exactly what I think when I see the queues fo these spaces whilst the rest of the car park is nearly empty.

OP YABU and who really cares about parking spaces

I haven't parked in the P&C spaces since my DTs were 3.5 and I stopped using a pushchair. But then i have a people-carrier with sliding doors which does make a huge difference.

I did see a woman park in one once and get out with a child that looked about 13 (but who could have been as young as 9 if I want to be charitable), which did make me raise an eyebrow I'll admit, but I can't say I got worked up about it.

These days I tend to avoid the whole controversial issue by shopping online.

You seriously tell people off in the car park?

I wish everyone who gets so hot and bothered about 'the rules' for things like car parks would take all that time and angst and direct it at, say, local councils, government ministers, all the people tearing up disability benefits and medical services and letting bankers keep their bonuses, etc and so on.

Although P&C spaces are convenient, they're certainly not essential. Have you considered parking at the far end of the car park where there's loads of empty spaces and you can get DC in and out of the car without any hinderence?

OP - you are being a nob re. the disabled - surely, if ALL the disabled spaces are full, you wouldn't begrudge them using a P&C space? If you would then you are horrible.

At the risk of being flamed, and bear in mind I'm no Barbie doll myself, that would depend upon whether they had a 'real' disability or were just fat. And please don't tell me that sometimes weight can be a symptom of the disability, I KNOW that, but I also know there are people out there who's disability is CAUSED by their weight and who don't lose the weight and therefore make themselves feel a lot better because they're lazy.

All very interesting. Perhaps the solution is to not have P & C spaces as such but to just put up a sign that says, instead of P & C,...... "Spaces for parents and children/toddlers, or for people who are a little bit c**p at parking their car, or for abled-bodied people who are a little bit lazy to walk very far". That should cover it.

Tanif - really? you want to discriminate against fat disabled people?

Tanif - good plan unless you then have to leave baby twins in car while you walk 200m to get a trolley (can't carry both twins).

And if you were suggesting that they are "just" fat, as opposed to fat AND disabled, then I doubt you'll find many of the "just" fat people have Disabled badges. Unless they're crippled by their weight and you would have NO idea how that happened.

that would depend upon whether they had a 'real' disability or were just fat

Oh fuck off!

i've never heard of anyone who's overweight and makes themselves feel better by being lazy? how does that work?

thumb reread my comment.

suzys there are trolley parks all over the carpark. Park next to one...