To have asked if the lady had children with her in parent and child space?

[CoffeeCoffeeCoffeeCat]

So I know I probably was being unreasonable (pregnant, hormonal, toddler playing up royally that day!) but I just wondered how long I needed to feel mortified for.
Waiting to pull into a parent and child space but due to layout of car park other car got there first. Lady got out, locked car, started walking away. I couldn't see any child or car seat in the car from my view, so pressumed she was doing my massive bug bear of using P&C space with no child. So I wound down my window to call her out on it.
Coffe "Excuse me, how many children do you have with you to park in that space?!"
Lady "What?"
Coffee "It's a parent and child parking space for people with children!"
Lady"Of course I've got a child with me"
Coffe (hands shooting up to mouth in dismay) "have you? Oh I'm so sorry."
Lady (extremely cross) "don't you judge me, how dare you"
Coffee "I am sorry, you must hate it when people park in these spaces without kids too tho? I didn't realise"
Lady-storms off sending me evils.

I wasn't judging her and unsure how she thought I was, just when she locked the car and went to walk off without getting a child out, it looks like you dont have a kid with you surely! She was going to get a trolley which was obviously fine, and I won't be questioning anyone about their accompanying child status again, but it was a fair enough assumption no?? And I wasn't agressive about it at all!
Had to do my shop in Sainsbury's instead of Aldi as that's where she headed, and I was too miserable/embarrassed to bump into her.
Small local area and now living in fear of bumping into her
How unreasonable was I?!

Loads of disabled spaces?! Wow. There are never any free in any shop where I live and I'm in rural Wales.

There's never 'lots of disabled spaces'. In my nearest Asda. There's 10. Compare that to the 20 odd p&c spaces available instead. At least this Asda has it sorted though. BB spaces as close to the entrance as possible. P&C spaces a bit further away.

So glad I do online shopping now and avoid all this unnecessary palava!

Crunchy I'll think of your crunched up scowling face as we park in a P&C bay, we've got DC but it's more down to them being closer to the store than Disabled Spaces. Seeing as DC have to help push me, put my wheelchair together, id rather not heighten their chances of spinal and joint problems, which they currently have a chance of inheriting from me anyway.

We only go out if we've got to get a gift, or if I've promised a treat, otherwise others are called on to help.

The age old eternal debate of being a parent isn't the same as being disabled applies. You can try and find a corner spot, or far away from the store where no one parks.

It never occurs to me to police others parking, I know some do, taking delight in a disabled driver parked in a bay sans badge. Like some form of moral superiority, for which I'd advise take up reading or some other hobby, a lot less stressful.

Isn't it easier to go oh well no parking in P&C for me, over bursting blood vessels from rage? Not to OP but the other delightful souls who see light emanating from a P&C space if free, as if hallowed ground. Today the Gods have spoken, I am the chosen one, for I have, a P&C space.

Well today I had a car pull out right in front of me at a roundabout, causing me to brake sharply and gesticulate rather impolitely.

To add insult to injury, I followed said car into the supermarket car park where the tosser parked, child free, in the last P&C space (I had DD with me).

This was annoying, I'm not going to lie and say that it wasn't. But I still wouldn't have said anything.

After I posted earlier I popped out to get some stuff and parked in a bay that was marked as both P&C AND disabled.

I had a look at the other spaces - there were the requisite number of bays just for blue badge holders, but all the P&C bays had both the P&C markings and disabled symbols.

I guess that the retail park has either had issues with parents kicking off when a disabled person has parked in P&C or they know that there's not enough 'just' disabled bays there (there arent).

It gave me the warm fuzzie. Incidentally all the BB bays were full again, so I went in a P&C/BB bay.

Our local shopping Centre bust be disgruntled mners because they recently repainted their entire carpark and replaced all p&c places with disability places.

*must

Can't believe these folk who think they are car park police. Cringing on your behalf.

I wasn't judging her and unsure how she thought I was

Come off it, of course you were! that was the entire point.

Don't confront people, mind your own business, and stop lying about it when you do.

I disagree. Do confront people, just always be polite about it and flexible to their individual reasons too. As a mum with 3 small children i have every right to politely ask if someone who clearly has no children realises they are in a P&C spot. If they politely say they have a very bad back or whatever that's enough for me to say fair enough, have a nice day.

But yes, people should be challenged by the people the places are there for if it looks like they are misusing them. Just be polite and don't assume they are just a dick.

Are you a parking attendant then? Or just a nosey cow who appoints herself parking monitor?

Do confront people, just always be polite about it and flexible to their individual reasons too

There is no polite way to do it, and its not for you to decide if their reasons are good enough. No matter how you "confront" someone you will always look like a massive dick. For a good reason.

JaxingJump who the hell do you think you are? People aren't obliged to share their private medical history or personal circumstances to justify themselves to you.

If someone with no kids pulls into a P&C spot in front of me when I've a car load of kids then it's not a strange thing to ask if they realise it's a P&C spot.

It is a rude thing to ask though.

What do parents without cars do? Get on a bus or walk with the pram and shopping.

My heart truly bleeds for anyone prevented from parking their car in a p&c space.

If you asked me I'd say yes and then walk off.

I don't think it's rude. i think the onus is on the person with no children using the P&C spot to expect to be questioned but of course there's no need to not be polite about it on both sides.

Why should anyone have to justify themselves to a stranger? What has it got to do with you really?

Nobody needs to expect to be questioned by busybodies as they go about their day.

I don't blame you as I'm sick of people using the spaces that aren't entitled. I don't use them now my children are 12 and 9 so don't need the wide space. I do however have a blue badge and have a relatively invisible illness. I know many get questioned about parking in disabled when they clearly have a badge. That really winds me up as does people parking in disabled bays with no badge

They don't have to answer to you. You are saying that you have a right to question a total stranger to see if their explanation is satisfactory to you. Are you really so arrogant that you believe you have a right to be told about people's health problems or those of their family members?

Sirzy, what is has to do with me is that I'm a P&C. If I wasn't or my kids weren't with me, it would have nothing to do with me and I wouldn't remark on it at all.

Just park elsewhere if a space isn't available, why anyone else has chosen to park in the space still has nothing to do with you. Just because your a nosey cow who wants to know other people's business doesn't give you a right to!