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??!

PP who asked why Sainsbo's (ha!) was linky- hover over it and a message says 'shopping link added by skimwords' I saw it on a landyrover mention upthread too.

I actually didn't know what the upper age limit was. In our local car park the symbol is a person with a push chair. Nuff said

I think if they are in a booster seat they are more than entitled to use the spaces. Wait till your one is a bit older and your stretching in to do the seat belt up when your in standard space.

I'm sorry but it's so not hard to lug even heavy 6 month old a few extra steps. Save your energies for something worth worrying about

I actually didn't know what the upper age limit was. In our local car park the symbol is a person with a push chair. Nuff said

Sorry but that doesn't follow though does it. Disabled spaces are symbolised by a wheelchair but you don't need to be in a wheelchair to qualify.

Nuff said.

BTW you can get rid of the SKIMLINKs (the highlighted words that link you to external sites) by using an ad blocker. I use ad block plus on my iPad and iPhone iPhone and it works a treat. It's free.

Oh! Is that why I have no idea what posters are talking about?

Just how heavy is your baby op, that you can't carry them across a car park?
And how do you manage at home?

It's not about carrying children it's about getting the doors open wide enough to get them fastened in, I think the best idea is to make wider spaces for car seats away from the doors. Disabled spaces need to wider for access and close to the doors whereas parent and child don't necessarily need to be.

Piglet, nothing I like better than a pedant on a mumsnet thread. Obviously a wheelchair symbol means it's for anyone with a disability, a pushchair symbol is open to massive interpretation, hence this long and lively thread!

It's not about carrying children it's about getting the doors open wide enough to get them fastened in

OP talks about carrying her 6 month old baby when she's not 100% recovered from her c-section though. There's not a word about needing to get the door wide open in her first post, which does suggest she's more bothered about not having to carry her baby too far than about getting the baby out of the car.

OP, if you're genuinely finding carrying a baby across a supermarket car park to be an unmanageable strain, 6 months after a c-section, then I think you should consider going to see your GP about this to check whether all's as it should be. It doesn't sound normal to still be struggling so much with carrying a baby 6 months on.

I can't be arsed to read the whole thread but my kids are 9 and 7 and I often park in parent and child spaces. I like that there is space for the kids to stand at the side of the car, instead of behind or in front, I like that they are less likely to bash the car next door when they open their door, and my smaller child has ADHD so if he's being particularly bouncy, it gives me space to go and get him out and keep hold of him.

I'm a parent, they're children. Don't know what the problem is really.

Piglet, nothing I like better than a pedant on a mumsnet thread. Obviously a wheelchair symbol means it's for anyone with a disability, a pushchair symbol is open to massive interpretation, hence this long and lively thread!

You may think it's 'obvious' however some don't.

I'm not judging anyone we are having a discussion.

I don't think anyone would object to seeing someone who was struggling to get out of a car when parked in a P&C. But it would be sad if people were using 'hidden disabilities' as an excuse to park where they wish and to shut down discussion. It can't be used as carte blanche.

It is not up to passers-by to decide if someone is sufficiently struggling to be ok to use the space.

No-one needs a parent and child space. Time they were done away with.

It is not up to passers-by to decide if someone is sufficiently struggling to be ok to use the space. Absolutely, but some people seem to get very upset and precious at who can use a P&C space, or who trumps who.

I don't think the problem here was the mum in question - it's the fact that there is a ludicrous policy of under 12s in that particular car park.

In my view, P&C spaces should be for kids under school age. Common sense also would suggest that those spaces could also be used by those with temporary disabilities who don't qualify for a blue badge but can do with a bigger space closer to the entrance - eg if you have broken your leg and are on crutches.

And to answer the poster further up - yes, people really do queue up for them, rather than find a space away from other cars and walk a bit further! I never used P&C spaces when my dc was small because I could not be bothered to wait, and the car park was large enough to find a space away from other cars where I could get the door open easily etc.

Gloria no we don't all 'know' that these spaces are meant for parents of young children. Evidently sainsburys don't, seeing as they set the limit at 12, not 3 or 4. It's up to them to set the age limit on their own property, not you or the OP.

I really can't and never have been able to get myself in a state about crap like this.

I remember very clearly trying to park outside a supermarket with toddler DS and 2 month old DD (also post section) and had to park bloody miles away. Tough shit. I figured that if I was well enough to drive my car, I was able to walk for about 3 minutes to the shop.

Everyone has their own shit to deal with, if you let yourself get stressed out but stuff like this, you make things more difficult for yourself.

There must be plenty of us that really don't give a flying crap who parks where, no?

I have a 9 and 6 year old and will still use a P&C space if there's one free.

They're closer to the store and I like the extra width which means less liklihood of accidents with doors. Often I have the kids bikes in the boot as we'll stop and do a shop on the way back from the park at the weekend so the boot is full...so shopping bags get stacked in the front or back seats, and the extra width space is handy for that too.

I'm a parent with children and they're P&C spaces which make my life easier sometimes...so until they specify an age range, I'll continue to use them if they're free.

but for the ones with older children surely you remember when yours were small and in baby seats

I remember it well. It's a right royal pain in the arse and wasted at least an extra 45 seconds of my time when I was parked in a normal space and had to manoeuvre them in.

Seriously, they're hardly anywhere near essential. You don't see Tesco car parks full of abandoned cars in standard spaces because people have been unable to get their babies in, do you?

So many people need a grip, a standard space makes it a little harder is all, which most reasonable adults are still perfectly able to cope with.

CallingGloria - exactly. The OP must have been incredibly aggressive. If I were parking at the P&C spot with normal healthy 12yos (as OP suggests), I wouldn't be so quick to involve management.

Totally off topic but the 'calling gloriaaaaaaa, Gloria Gloria I think they got your number...' As a sodding ear worm now