. . . to feel a bit pissy about giving someone's kid a lift

[spiritedaway]

I offered as they have 2 smaller kids that were out in the cold at night for a 8 o clock pick up on foot. It's not out of my way but will make things a bit more hectic than usual! Just became aware they are rather proud themselves in a hippy type way for managing without a car and actually, compared to myself, are very well off. I will still do it, and not a biggy, but do you think if people are all preachy about not having a car or the expense that goes with it, they should accept lifts ?

I can't drive, and if I could I couldn't afford a car anyway. All my friends have cars but I very seldom take or am offered lifts. I'm always very conscious that they cost money to run, and I can't offer a lift in return, though I do have 2 town centre car parking spaces in front of my house to offer, which friends often use.

If someone offered my snowbound kids a lift I'd be grateful and so would they. But it's a silly OP. YABTU. If you didn't want to give them a life, why did you? People who always cope without cars usually have a plan. We don't live our lives in expectation that car-owning friends will fit in with rescue us.

I'm always reluctant to ask, There is one exception. Recently I've been accepting a lift to the supermarket every week from my neighbour. She takes her cousin too, and we have coffee at the end. It's a nice little social interlude for me. I get isolated, as I'm forced to work from home because one of my kids is disabled.

I must admit, I felt a modicum of chagrin.

YANBU.

You made a kind offer, out of concern for the two smaller siblings (question: if there are two parents why couldn't one do the pick up and one stay with the other children?) under the mistaken belief that they couldn't stretch to a car. You then find out that they pride themselves on not having a car. despite "always asking for lifts and saying their kids were freezing having to walk in the snow".

So they are hypocrites, pure and simple; and if anyone is sneering at the other, it sounds as if it is them, not you. And I think they set you up, guilted you into it.

You also said "Now they are posting stuff about the cost to the environment and our children's future through making unecessary car journeys." - where are they posting this? Could you leave a comment along the lines of 'so you won't be wanting lifts any more then?'.