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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to have had a lovely time holding a little baby today (parking and private drives related)

73 replies

baubleybobbityhat · 08/12/2011 22:16

So this morning I was walking home from school run. I only live about 4 minutes walk away from the school.

Anyway, a slightly frazzled Mum was getting her reception age child and little baby out of the car but she had done the cardinal sin of parking across a driveway Xmas Shock.

Owner of the driveway (which is a double driveway and already had one car parked in it) happened to turn up just as frazzled Mum was getting setting off towards school.

Driveway owner let down electronic windows (of 4 x 4 in zone 2 London oh yes) and let frazzled mum know in no uncertain terms that she wanted to get in to her driveway.

Frazzled mum said to year R child "ok, wait on pavement for me here, I've got to move the car" then went to strap her baby back in car seat.

I said "Frazzled Mum can I hold your baby?" and she was grateful and thrust gorgeous lovely beautiful about 6 month old baby boy in babygrow, coat and hat at me. So I held him and it was a lovely trip down memory lane while Driveway owner got back her rightful place in the driveway, and Frazzled Mum had to shunt around looking for another parking space, all the while both of us keeping an eye on the reception aged child waiting patiently on the pavement.

So, aibu to think Driveway Owning Mum was a complete and utter ARSE over this, especially as she has two small children of her own and could have cut frazzled mum a little slack for a few minutes?

And aibu to think Frazzled Mum was lovely because she let me have quite a long squidge of her utterly scrumptious ds?

OP posts:
Miette · 09/12/2011 12:23

Clearly there wasn't any parking available on the road, or frazzled mum would have parked there (I would hope!) The owner of the drive shouldn't have to park some way away from her drive. She could have had the weeks grocery shopping in the boot to unload for all you knew. YABU

cwtch4967 · 09/12/2011 12:32

I live 100 meters from dds primary school - people are always pulling half up on the pavement blocking my drive to drop of a child. I see this as I am getting ds into the car to take him to his special school - I then can't get out of my drive until the obstructing car has offloaded said child, violin pe kit - kisses etc. Why do the same people have to block me in every morning? My patience is running very thin now............They watch me struggling to get ds into the car, they know I need to leave for school !

HazleNutt · 09/12/2011 12:38

Miette, the OP said there was free parking 1 minute away, so the driveway owner could have parked there. what I don't get is why she was the one who should, even though she has a perfectly good driveway and the other mum could not.

giveitago · 09/12/2011 12:41

YABsobloodyU - as I have this bloody everyday from the entitled school run mums which meant I couldn't cuddle my baby as I was driving around and around with my gorgeous screaming baby in the back awaiting for their nibs to move their cars so I could just get home with my gorgeous kiddy. Or wait patiently for their nibs to move their f'cking cars so I could get our take my gorgeous baby to the gp etc. Sometimes I had to get a taxi because their nibs decided to leave their cars for hours whilst going to local coffee shop with their other mummy mates for a gossip. Lovely. But nice you got a cuddle. I'd never let a stanger cuddly my kid so I get a parking space.

cuteboots · 09/12/2011 12:41

very jealous of the little baby cuddle but I have no sympathy with drive blockers and its just asking for trouble....

giveitago · 09/12/2011 12:47

But very happy the OP got to cuddle a cuties - always nice.

cwtch - mine wore out when the my birth was affected by entitled parents parking across our drive then spouting human rights and refused to move just because I asked them to! My neighbours have lost patience as well as we have a very ill lady and the ambulance cannot get access to her because of people parked across our drive (and not to mention those parked in the drive, every day).

HairyBeaver · 09/12/2011 12:53

YabVVVVVVu!! I would go mad if anyone blocked my drive, frazzled or not

ShellyBoobs · 09/12/2011 20:53

...my birth was affected by entitled parents parking across our drive then spouting human rights and refused to move just because I asked them to!

Not sure what 'human rights' they think would entitle them to park in front of a dropped kerb; it's an offence to do that.

CheerfulYank · 09/12/2011 21:02

Awwwwww....baby cuddles.

Someone I know had to go back into work for a few hours (at our local video store/tanning salon/dollar shop :) ) and had to bring her five week old with her. I stopped in and begged politely asked to snuggle him. Oh he was so sweet!

lurkinginthebackground · 09/12/2011 21:07

YABU.
I would be seething if I was the drive owner.

MabelLucyAttwell · 09/12/2011 21:18

I hjeld a stranger's baby once when at a bus stop. A bus was approaching and she needed to fold up her pushchair so I offered. A good deed a day helps to make one feel better.

allohora · 09/12/2011 21:22

this is just usual anti 4x4 crap.
A work van was across my drive earlier. I didn't need to move the car it was blocking in but I still seethed quietly until it moved.
We (i.e. all parents) frequently get letters from school reminding us not to take our car into the actual road if at all possible and please never to park across the drives. If you live in a road that has a school and it happens day in, day out, must drive you mental.
No matter what, there's no excuse - YABU.

MrsSnow · 09/12/2011 21:27

White lines are there for a reason. Nothing more annoying coming back to drive to find an abandoned car over your entry point.

BUT I agree driver could have been slightly nicer.

BarbarianMum · 09/12/2011 21:29

We have tennis club down the road from us and I am constantly having my drive blocked by inconsiderate heifers who just need 15 '5 minutes' to pick up/drop off their lo s.

And of course I am very understanding about it. I mean, if they didn't use my drive they and their sporty offspring would have to park further away and might have to walk up to 100m to reach their destination. And sometimes it rains you know.

YABU

diddl · 09/12/2011 21:35

Of course if there hadn´t have been another car in the drive it wouldn´t have mattered.

IIRC you shouldn´t prevent people getting out of their drive, but it´s OK to park across an empty drive.

VivaLeBeaver · 09/12/2011 21:38

IIRC you shouldn´t prevent people getting out of their drive, but it´s OK to park across an empty drive.

Thats not what the police have told me when I've discussed the issue with them. They told me its illegal to park across a dropped kerb.

Hulababy · 09/12/2011 21:42

Legally it might be okay topark in front of a drive, but really - why would you? It;s just not right surely?

If driveway mum could have aprked up easily then why couldn't have the frazzled mum have parked there in the first place?

The fact that driveway mum was out again within the hour suggests she ws possibly in a rush herself, hence wanted to park on her own drive way quickly, get sorted so she could get out again.

NellieForbush · 09/12/2011 22:25

YABU. There are dozens of reasons why driveway owner may want to put her car on her drive and leave again quickly. (heres some: desperate for a wee, then has to carry a large heavy object back to the car and dash out to a Dr's appt about her painful ankle)

Or there may not be any and its still her drive and that's it - wtf shouldn't she park on it?

Sounds like frazzled Mum may have been feeling a little entitled "I'm totally frazzled by two kids I can park anywhere". Also sounds like there was alternative parking really nearby which she should have used in the first place lazy bitch

IReallyHateMyCat · 09/12/2011 22:38

You clearly dont have to deal with tossers parking in your drive daily. This woman does.

No matter how cute and squidgy baby was she doesn't own the world because she bred.

Chynah · 09/12/2011 23:25

Maybe the driveway owner just wanted to use her drive because its HERS - there should be no reason to try and make excuses for her!

Once again today my drive was parked across but today DH hwas home and had popped out and came hme unable to park - cue instant phonecall to get someone to install fencing! Slightly happier.

Kippersbigfeet · 10/12/2011 01:05

It is illegal to park across a drive if a car is on it. It is not illegal if the drive is empty. I have called the police twice to have a car removed when I was on call ans needed to get out. They take the registration of the car and phone the owner. They are fine with that however they have said they wouldn't help if I was just wanting to get back in my drive. My next door neighbour has also phoned to get a car moved so he could get out but just parks on the street if he can't get back in. We are the only two with driveways but out of 7 close houses there are 15 vehicles so on street parking is not easy at times.

zest01 · 11/12/2011 08:13

yabu about her parking across the drive - if there was parking on the road for the drive owner then surely the frazzled Mum could have parked there?! I don't get why people think it is ever ok to park across a drive. I pay extra to have a house with off road parking so why should I have to park on the road? With 5 DC it would be a nightmare trying to get them safel into the house with shopping etc from a few mins away and that's why I made the decision to pay for a house with a drive.

I have been that frazzled MUm running late and trying to get the kids into school - sometimes you have to accept that they may be a bit late in - not the end of the world and better than making someone else late by blocking their drive imo - no excuse!

Ellefabulosa · 11/12/2011 08:29

If she had a baby with her in my opinion she should have had the foresight to park properly no matter how far away. Across someone's access to their property is not a parking space and unless it's life or death people shouldn't park there. For people living near schools this sort of carry on really affects their ability to enjoy their home.

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