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??!

[000SARA000]

Sorry-I misread whose dh it was....you still could have parked further away and got a trolley.

[lalalalyra]

I daresay people probably judged me for parking in one with my 13yo yesterday. Until she hits the deck you can't tell she has a disability. When Tesco move the disabled spaces closer to the store than P&C I'll make use of her blue badge, until then I'll use P&C and make no apologies for doing so.

[Celticlassie]

Is a lot of the issue not to do with p&c being extra wide spaces to open doors wider / get car seats & buggies out, etc? Surely you don't need that with a 9 and 12 yo?
In saying that, I'd probably have just parked further away if there were no p&c available.

[TheWinterOfOurDiscountTents]

YABVU to start a row with anyone in a parking lot, for any reason! They are entitled to park there, anyone is in fact, as P&C are just a convention, not any kind of legal thing.

I hope you're feeling a little silly now.

[NancyDonahue]

How do you know they were 12 and 9?

[Cheby]

Technically they were probably ok. Morally they were being stupid. They don't need a P&C space; you need the space to get children belted in to car seats safely. If they strap themselves in they don't need a wide space.

[MyWineGlassIsHalfFull]

Celtic-they are a convenience yes as they are wider.

But if you can't get a baby out the car without damaging your car or someone else's I'd argue that you probably shouldn't have a licence.

[BlahBlahBlahEtc]

At my asda it's under 6 but it's sign posted

[TisMeTheLadFromTheBar]

I thought u5 was "the norm". 12 seems very lazy unless they have a genuine reason such as a disability

[tenterden]

YABU

It's under 12 at all my local shopping centres. I can't believe you sat there for fifteen minutes waiting for a space.........

[Rainmaker1]

YABU. I would've told you to fuck off!

[ShotgunNotDoingThePans]

Is a lot of the issue not to do with p&c being extra wide spaces to open doors wider / get car seats & buggies out, etc? Surely you don't need that with a 9 and 12 yo?
The extra width is helpful if you have a buggy/carseat, but not necessary.
Again, it's purpose is to bring in customers by making the wxperience more convenient for them. Doesn't mean it's an entitlement.

[sobeyondthehills]

Passes around the popcorn

[Screwinthetuna]

I agree that they don't need it but I wouidn't go and row with someone just because their kids are older. The space either side is also good for an overenthusiastic 9 year old who lobs out their door without looking if they're too close to another car.

[atheistmantis]

You don't know if they had a good reason for parking there; we used them when my then 12 year old was on crutches after a broken leg but got a few inconsiderate people complaining - he needed the wider spaces to be able to get in and out easily plus it was hard to walk far on them.

[MyWineGlassIsHalfFull]

Op?

[Rhayader]

Generally that's within the rules - up to 12.

I'm sure that there were people using the spaces with no children who your annoyance should have been directed towards (although it sounds like you didn't see them).

Waitrose seems to be the worst for this out of our local supermarkets. Not sure why.

[70isaLimitNotaTarget]

Wineglass I've had other cars parking so close that I cannot open my boot or my door, so that arguement doesn't wash with me . Actually had to send DH into Tesco to find the prat who parked this close > < to my door when I was 8 months pg with DS (and DH doesn't drive so he could'nt have moved the motor nor did I fancy shifting my bulk over from the passenger side)

I stopped using P&C when my DCwere old enough to get themselves out of their seats with help from me un-buckling.
DS wouldn't let me be in P&C spaces once he was school aged .

[ShowMePotatoSalad]

Cheby no one without a disability NEEDS those spaces. There are loads of places that don't even have P&C spaces, so do people with kids just not go there?

[ilovesooty]

If they complained about you my guess is that you were abusive and confrontational.

[CherryChasingDotMuncher]

Oh yay a P&C thread where the parking martyrs can come and tell us yet again that it's terribly entitled to park in a parent and child space if you're a parent with a child, it's not legally enforceable and you're a lazy disablist if you want to park in one of those spaces, and my all time favourite - "when I had young children we didn't have them and we coped". Off to find my bingo dabber for this one.

Oh and YANBU. A 12yo and 9yo, unless they have additional needs, do not need to park there. It's ridiculous to assume everyone without small children parking in P&C spaces must have disabilities. They're being twats on a "well they're my children" technicality.

[MyWineGlassIsHalfFull]

70-so maybe the people who park that close to your car shouldn't have a licence then? Can't park and inconsiderate

[CherryChasingDotMuncher]

I don't be go to a supermarket unless they have P&C spaces, but every single one round here does. I'd also wait for one, I need the door space

[brasty]

It wasn't my sister was it? She parks in P&C parking spaces with her older children, and even when she just has her 13 year old with her.

[Butteredpars1ps]

They said they were entitled to park there. I wonder if one of the family had a BB and that's why they reported you OP?

I'm guessing it was more than a passing comment...