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 think the solution would be for parent and child spaces to be further way from the entrance than ordinary parking spaces. All you need is a wider space and a trolley park next to it where you can easily grab a trolley to put your baby/toddler in. No one else needs one of these spaces and if the ordinary spaces where nearer to the door people wouldn't abuse the P&C spaces unless they drive a massive car which they can't park

Very true santaslittlemonkeybutler but the goldfish comment made me genuinely laugh.

YABU. I use parent and child parking when I've got my younger two in tow. They are 8 and 9. If I can avoid taking them across a busy car park with cars coming from all directions while guiding a trolley at the same time, I bloody will.
Don't like it? Don't care. If you approached me all puffed up full of my-child-is-more-important-than-yours bluster, I'd send you packing.

It's a tough one. She is technically allowed to park there, but does that mean she should? Personally I get really annoyed at young couples or blokes on their own, I tend to see that a lot at my local supermarket. I stopped parking in them as my DS reached around 4. We've got a 6 month old now so have started using them again when they are available.

I agree they should be ideally for younger children and babies but surprised you really felt the need to accost somebody, especially in front of their children, whose ages I assume you are guessing.

My child is 8 but looks about 12. I would have told you to fuck right off

She is technically allowed to park there, but does that mean she should?

Absolutely no reason why not. They are allowed to park there so they did. They did nothing wrong.

Sainsbury's parent and child parking says clearly and in black and white:

Child up to the age of 12 years old

So there.

A couple of weeks ago I foolishly went to a Tesco on a Saturday. No blue badge spaces, went into a P&C space. Got harangued in the store, I kid you not, somebody followed me into the disabled loo demanding evidence of my disability. She left when I offered to show her the knickers I'd just shit because she was holding me up! And then, I got harangued for using a P&C space when I and my dd looked absolutely fine. She got told to piss off too.
Bored with it now.

WHy would you complain to the management? She HAD kids with her.

You have a baby (congratulations) not a terminal illness. Why didn't you park somewhere else?
Bugger waiting 15 minutes for a space, special or otherwise.

There's no ethical debate... the supermarkets offer a facility with their own rules... all else is just the wants and entitled demands of some apparently more deserving parents!

Tesco's Baby Club sent me a parking disc to display so I could use the P&C spaces but they expire on your child's third Birthday so I guessed that meant you could only park there until then. Never used as it as had no car and don't really like the concept of these spaces they cause too much aggro but, whatever

Dream
I am sorry but I have to challenge you on that point.
I am pretty sure its in black and yellow.

In my experience. Men try to ignore this sort of behaviour. The Ex has had a few choice comments made in his direction re parking spaces etc. Until they see the DCs get out the back of the car.

If he was as blase as my DCs Dad is, he'd have got in the car with the family and drove off ignoring you. You mentioned her DH reported you to management which makes me think there's more to this 'suggested it was incosiderate of her' than you're letting on tbh OP.

I love the p&c spaces. The space for getting babies out (where the door needs to be fully open) is brilliant.

But I would never ever go up to someone and call them rude. Or think my children were priority over someone else's.

Even the guy that parked in a p&c space next to us (sports car, no car seat, no children). None of my business.

We avoid a busy time where possible, or online shop.

And yes, anyone disabled should be able to park in p&c if their spaces are full.

It's a tough one

It really isn't. Its just a case of one parent parking in a space that another parent wants.

The rest of us just take the grips we were born with and park elsewhere.

DawnDonnaAgain I hope you told them to FOTTFSOF. How horrible.

To be honest most kids that age don't need to use those spaces but in our store they mean you are straight onto the path without crossing traffic. Since people often drive like nutters in car parks I would use one with my 6 and 8 year old if there was one free. Also as others have said you can't tell what someone else's situation is. My daughter's 10 year old friend looks perfectly normal but has developmental delay and needs help doing up her seat belt. Either way you can't really go shouting at people. If they' d no kids fair enough but kids are still kids.

It's a tough one

It's not. The woman parked in a P&C space. They're a courtesy, not a legal right. The fact she had children with her and still got flack for it is unfathomable.

Still cant work out for the life of me why some people are of the opinion some members of this generation have an entitlement problem...

If they' d no kids fair enough

No it isn't fair enough tbh.

No one knows if people have disabilities.

So how long did the exchange last that husband thought getting the management involved was appropriate? Did you hang around arguing while the management came out or did they hunt you down in the store afterwards. Just trying to get an idea of how long you were expressing your views for? Seems an extreme reaction of the husband if all that happened wa an exchange a sentence or two. Makes me think it was a tad more heated than you are letting on!

As long as dd is in a hbb I will continue to use a p&c if one is free as I will need to fasten her belt for her due to the seat design. I can see that being at least 10.

The woman parked in a P&C space. They're a courtesy, not a legal right. The fact she had children with her and still got flack for it is unfathomable.

It really isn't unfathomable. At 9 and 12 with no disabilities, there is no need whatsoever to park in a P&C. Other than laziness or a sense of entitlement that says "I have my children with me so I am damn well parking here" What is unfathomable ism someone can be so self they can not comprehend that the spaces are for people who need them, not as a badge for having procreated.

Still cant work out for the life of me why some people are of the opinion some members of this generation have an entitlement problem...

Because they have. Not necessarily just of a particular generation but the ever growing number of people with "I can, its legal so I will" as a basic attitude is sad.

Good grief! It's a fucking parking space that's all! Why on earth were you waiting 15 minutes for it and then entering into a full on slanging match?

The problem with P&C spaces a people like the OP grow a sense of helplessness and think they can't possibly cope if they can't park in one. The funny thing is they manage perfectly fine in every other carpark, like the multi-stories and hospital carparks, where they don't exist.

Soup - how do you know if either of the children had a disability?

"in our store they mean you are straight onto the path without crossing traffic"

Same at our local supermarket. I hate crossing supermarket car parks with kids that are not yet au fait with negotiating traffic. Fine on the way in as I have my hands free, but running a gauntlet going back to the car with a trolley. People reverse out of spaces without looking first, all the time.

So yes...given p&c spaces lend themselves to safe passage in and out of the store for kids, I use them. If I get there first OP it's tough shit.
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