Parent and child parking! 12 and 9 year old?!

[AnySecondNow]

Just had a row with a woman in Tesco car park. I waited 15 minutes for parking - have to carry a fairly solid 6 month old to the shop (post cesarean - still not 100%!)

Anyway, this family were parked in child and parent bay with a 12 year old and a 9 year old. Both very capable of walking and opening doors! I commented that she was rude to park there, she said she was entitled to. Then her husband complained about me to the management!!!

Wtf!? Ainu??! Parent and child surely means young child that needs assistance??!

I parked in one today. I had my 81 year old mother with me who is probably more unsteady on her feet than your average toddler. I would have loved someone to have a go at me about it..

Sainsbury's goes up to 12 years old, but I seem to recall Tesco being just 5.

I would always say don't assume, and shut the fuck up!

Exactly, Foreverhungry - I couldn't agree more. And I really don't get why people are being so unpleasant. Disagreeing with the OP is one thing, being rude and agressive about it quite another.

These threads never cease to amaze me. Do people really wait for one of these spaces to become available instead of parking a bit further away and just getting on with it?
How do you manage in ordinary car parks?
How do you think we parents managed before the introduction of these spaces?
Fwiw, I'm waiting for knee surgery. I've done the getting babies and toddlers into the supermarket without these spaces and managed fine. But if there's one available now I will absolutely park in it. Not entitled to a blue badge (and rightly so) but until I've had my surgery I will continue to do so.

You're recovering from a major operation, you're carrying a heavy baby in a car seat

The OP had the surgery 6 months ago. It's not recent. If she's still being bothered by to the extent where she needs to wait for 15 minutes and have a row over a carparking space she really ought to see her GP.

To me it was never a case of being near the doors, it was a case of the space being wide enough to open the door fully to get a car seat/fasten a young child into a fixed car seat. My local supermarket has a full section next to the doors that are normal spaces and the parent child are further back with wider spaces.

Anyone can use them, anyone at all, nothing to do with anyone else. Flame me all you like but it is true.

I must be missing something, but I don't see why you need to fully open the car door to get a baby/child in or out.

I have no idea why car door is a link. I didn't do it!

I use P&C spaces with my 11 year old (who looks 15) and my 6 year old who looks 10. I use them when I don't have the kids with me sometimes. I have CFS and sometimes I just really can't be arsed to park further away

No one is being unpleasant. Someone disagreeing with you is not being unpleasant or 'inexcusably rude'.

you're recovering from a major operation

1). My sister had an emergency c-section - she was up and about a month later.
2). The OP had the op 6months ago not 6 days ago.
3). If she's still really suffering then maybe she shouldn't cause / escalate a row in the middle of a supermarket car park and potentially make herself worse.

Emboo I just clicked and it sent me to car parts on ebay

I know me too Away what a strange thing!

YABU they are entitled to use these spaces if they are for kids12 under.

I was up walking the DAY after my emcs! 6 months yea if it's still really bad see gp

Graphista I know it's possible. I was just being generous with my time line before any one got called mean again.

It's impossible to put a baby seat into the back of a car with the door half shut and extremely difficult to fasten a young child into a fitted seat leaning in through a tiny gap without chance of the car door bumping the next car.

I wish they weren't so close to the entrance to be honest - I'd rather they were further away with a safer walking route in. They would be less attractive to all the pricks with expensive cars.

They are there for people who need to open their doors wide. I had a friend who had twins and needed to use them as she needed to get both sides of the car open wide to get them in and out, she couldn't do that in a normal space.

There were occasions in normal car parking spaces when we would reverse to open back door to get baby and seat in... no fun.

Yes of course you are allowed to park in those spaces if you have older children but it would be far kinder to leave them for the people who really need them with younger kids. I have dcs under 12 and have not used them for years because my kids are very able bodied and i would be embarrassed to do so. How about putting other people's greater needs before your own.

"It's impossible to put a baby seat into the back of a car with the door half shut and extremely difficult to fasten a young child into a fitted seat leaning in through a tiny gap without chance of the car door bumping the next car."

Put older child in front passenger seat temporarily, get in backseat to strap in younger, then older gets in back seat strap in through half open door or from passenger seat.

Wow I'm quite surprised at some of the comments here... I wouldn't have said anythings to the couple with kids but it is really fucking annoying when people without kids at all park in these spaces.

Yes it's true that it's not against the law or anything but that doesn't make it right. It's like when people drive the wrong way around carparks (my DH does this all the time) - it's not illegal but it really pisses me off.

Getting babies and young kids in and out of the car is a pain in the ass. If you don't need the extra space, I think it's inconsiderate, albeit no illegal to park in those spaces.

Women who have had kids know what a pain it is to get babies/ small children in and out of the car. It's disappointing to see that so many of you couldn't give a shit. It's a small thing to make these parents lives a little bit easier - I accept it's convenience not a necessity. Reminds me of the DM articles about people not giving up their seats for pregnabt women... So much for the sisterhood...

Mollycule - molly cool more like

Women who have had kids know what a pain it is to get babies/ small children in and out of the car.

Of course men never have to do it do they...

It's disappointing to see that so many of you couldn't give a shit. It's a small thing to make these parents lives a little bit easier

Yes it is. It does not however make it right you shout at people to such an extent that management get involved. Lots of things make life easier. If it isn't avaliable then you fo something else not wait 15 minutes then harrass shoppers that have done nothing wrong.

So much for the sisterhood

The 'sisterhood' doesn't mean agreeing or blindly supporting others when they are wrong.