In thinking Mother and Baby car parking spots....

[Writerwannabe83]

....are actually for parents with babies/toddlers?

It was always my understanding that the wide spaces are for parents who have car seats and pushchairs to contend with, not for parents of 10 year olds who just want to park nearer to the shop, like a family that I saw today?!

I'm only moaning because I've just twisted and scraped my back trying to remove my car seat from my half closed back door door, in a very tight parking space whilst trying not to scratch the car I'm parked next to.

I was secretly fuming at those in the Mother and Baby spaces who surely shouldn't have been there, like the one I mentioned above.

And breathe

[KateSMumsnet]

Morning folks,

Thanks for your reports - just to let you know we've now banned bigdog888. If there's anything else you'd like us to look at, please do report it to us.

[hazeyjane]

dear god, I hope I never meet you in person, bigdog.

[saintlyjimjams]

Oh missed that - did he/she/it get even more offensive? Blimey.

[ChazsBrilliantAttitude]

Looks like this thread has achieved something positive then!

[hazeyjane]

Thankyou mnhq.

In a strange coincidence, an American friend on FB just shared this.

[TheFairyCaravan]

Kate why haven't you deleted Lally's post? I reported that last night, it has disablist language in it, and was the start of the vile stuff on the thread.

[SistersOfPercy]

Deleted posts and bigdog go together like strawberries and cream don't they?

[hazeyjane]

oh, I thought it had gone, I reported too.

[Pinkrose1]

I hope big dog being banned is a bit more final than a deleted post. Have also reported Lally who can't understand that using an offensive name to someone who doesn't have a learning disability makes it less offensive

[kali110]

Is big dog banned for good?

[thornrose]

I agree Lally's post should be deleted. I'm sick of being accused of being PO when I object to this kind of language, it's bloody exhausting!

At least Bigdog has gone under that name

[Andrewofgg]

Just one mildly silly and o/t reminiscence.

A few months ago I sent an email to several colleagues. The sign-off should have been Regards but I hit G instead of T . . . just as well they all guessed what had happened.

I set up an auto-correct to make sure it never happens again. If I ever need to use That Word I will have to remember to work round it.

[Andrewofgg]

Damn it. Hit T instead of G. You probably guessed that.

[SignoraStronza]

In our local waitrose the p&c spaces are often taken up by elderly people who are NOT disabled but probably should have surrendered their licence ages ago due to lack of spatial awareness, crap eyesight and total inability to manoeuvre a car into a normal parking space. I've seen them, grinding gears and bunny hopping around the vast car park before landing, often diagonally, in an extra wide p&c space.

[SignoraStronza]

So maybe they should have spaces labelled parent and child and those who are bad at parking!

[thornrose]

Whoops Andrew

[FraidyCat]

I love all this 'cars used to be smaller' stuff. My mum used to have a Volvo 240 estate when we were little. Bloody great tank of a car. Don't remember her having any problem parking it at the tiny car park next to the supermarket.

Parker's guide says a Volvo 240 estate was 1701mm wide, not including mirrors. That is narrower than virtually any car on the road today. One of the narrowest cars you can buy is a Prius, and that is wider than the Volvo. My 2014 Golf (theoretically a much small car than your mum's "great tank") is 1800mm wide, not including mirrors which would take it to 203cm.

[thornrose]

Yes, put crap parkers in a separated fenced off bit of the car park. Maybe pad the whole thing, bouncy castle style.

[Pinkrose1]

Hopefully bigdog is banned for good and if they come back will be spotted by their distinctive posting style. Sure as hell doesn't have the intelligence to be offensive by stealth!

[Boomeranggirl]

My hubby and I parked in a mum and baby spot with our 3 month old the other day. There was a space next to us free and a woman pulled into the slot in her car with no child in the back. My husband gets irked by this as we've have many a scrape trying to get in and out with car seats, etc because we couldn't get in to a mum and baby slot. So he says to woman (she can't have been more that twenty or so, very short dress loads of make up, big hair, looked like she'd been tango'd!) that it was a mum and baby slot, she replied 'I'm a mum' and he said 'but you don't have your kid with you and someone might need it', she told him to fuck off and stomped off!

I'm starting to despair that some people are just so self centred they literally don't give a monkeys about anyone else except themselves.

[LabradorMama]

YANBU but for some reason mumsnet is completely U about these spaces. I agree, I thought they were for parents with small children who need to be lifted out, hence needing more door space. Apparently though, they are for any Tom, Dick or Harry so one wonders why they waste their paint putting pictures of parents and children on them

There is nothing more annoying than waiting for one of these spaces, driving patiently round and round only to be pipped to the post by someone who nips in in front of you, usually having come the wrong way up the one way lane. Another waste of paint

[LabradorMama]

Someone without a child I should have said!

[Sirzy]

Don't waste time driving around waiting for a space then, simply park elsewhere and save yourself time nd hassle!

[thornrose]

Boomerang why did you post such a detailed description including her short skirt and fake tan? Genuine question!

[Branleuse]

I use parent and child spaces sometimes even if i dont have the children with me. Mainly because im shit at parking, and they give me more room