To ask stranger to hold DD's hand

[BeakyFlapdoodle]

No more abuse please, I'm feeling wobbly enough as it is, but would really like an unbiased opinion.

I have two DD aged 2.5 and 6 months. DD1 goes to a small village nursery for a day a week and this morning I needed to drop her off at 9 in order to head into work to talk about starting back. So I was stressed enough trying to get everyone out of the house whilst trying to make sure I didn't look as though I'd been dragged through a bush.
I then became much more stressed when I realised that the road to DD's nursery was closed. The workmen told me that I needed to park the car on the already overcrowded village road and walk the ten mins up to the nursery. I parked in the only space available (bearing in mind I needed to lug two small children up a hill) which happened to be in front of a dropped kerb outside a pub car park. Yes. Totally in the wrong. But I checked the car park which was empty apart from one car (figured it likely belonged to the owner) there was literally nowhere else to stop (yes, I wish I'd parked in the carpark but I've had a recent bad experience with a landlord shouting at me for using his carpark 'illegally') and I reasoned that pubs don't get a huge amount of visitors before 9am on a Friday morning and that I'd be ten minutes.

I got the buggy out of the boot and fastened in the baby. I heaved the toddler out of the car amidst shouts of 'I want to sit in the buggyyyyy!' Locked the car and started to walk up the muddy hill towards the godforsaken nursery.

After a few minutes I hear a (not at all happy) shout of 'Excuse me!' followed by another when I don't stop immediately.
'You're blocking me in! Come and move your car!'
With the nursery now in sight, i explain to the woman (who I assume is another mum in the same predicament) that if I could just walk the 5 more minutes it'll take to drop DD off (as opposed to dragging them both back to the car, moving the car and then beginning the whole exercise all over again) then I'll run back down the hill and move the car immediately, but I'm running really, really late. This did not go down well.
Apparently I was 'breaking the law' by parking in front of a dropped kerb (fair enough..) and did I want the police to be called?

At this point (mega stressed) we turned around and started walking back towards the car and i suggested to my new shouty friend that the quickest and easiest way for me to move the car would be if she could stand on the pavement next to me and hold DD's hand and the buggy to avoid me having to get everyone into the car first. At this suggestion, she looked me up and down as though I were bloody Ian Brady incarnate and said:

*'what kind of parent are you that you'd leave your children with someone you don't even know?'

A bit taken aback, I explained that I had no intention of 'leaving them' with anyone, i was simply asking her to stand with them (in full view of me) while I moved the car for her.

Apparently, I am 'a disgusting excuse for a parent' for suggesting it and the abuse continued until I snapped and said 'alright, I'll leave the car where it is then!' Turned around and carried on up the hill.

So, I'd really like to know whether it was a completely unreasonable suggestion? Do people not do things like this to help each other anymore?

No not a horrid area just an area with a lot of self twats who dont care how their parking effects others and with people who are feed up as the school does nothing to help saying its nothing to do with them police only come once in a blue moon which stops it for a few days its not mostly stopped as the selfish gits now park legally now since the cost of repairing there cars was worth more then not walking an extra 200 or so meters

As the police were not coming around often enough so the tickets were not really a detertent of what £30-£50 ticket compared to a couple hunderd pounds of damage while i dont agree with vigilanty justice it certianly worked you park legally no damage, you park like a dick you have it writen on your car for all too see and it worked

I would have kept on walking. It's not advisable to let strangers hold your child's hand as its teaching them that it's ok which could leave them vulnerable. I probably would have risked the pub car park rather than blocking it.

I'm not surprised she complained to the nursery, too many parents think dropping off children means they can park like twats. Everyone is "only ten minutes" but there's so many of them that it adds up. The woman has no idea that you don't normally park like a twat, her only encounter with you has been because you did.

Pub landlord absolutely right to tell you off for blocking his car park as well!

YOU created the situation, no one else.

you park like a dick you have it writen on your car for all too see and it worked

You sound like a dick

You'd think no one had ever had a bad day, the way some of you are answering this stressed and probably mortified OP. Ffs.

It's been a bad day. Chalk it up to experience and try to have a relaxing evening. Hopefully you're ok other than the general stress of having two young children plus returning to work. Try to forget about it and move on. You're not a bad mother. Tomorrow is another day.

Don't worry about it. You made a decision in panic. They aren't always the best idea but we all do it. The woman may get fed up with people parking where you did and you were the last straw. Who knows. I would always help a young mum out or anyone really. Life is so hectic. Areas crowded. No room for manoeuvre. It's stressful. Once you get back into work you will be able to get more organised. Good luck.

Where did everybody else park who were taking their children to that nursery?

You are no different to any other parent. Buy you shouldn't have parked where you did.

Obviously the car park was been used, and although the pub was not open for business, they still take deliveries of food and supplies during the daytime, so you could have caused problems for more than just one irate woman.

It doesn't matter how late you are, safety of yourself and your children come first. A five minute trip is never five minutes. Park somewhere else.

It might be worth noting that my children's primary school had an agreement with the local pub for parents to use their car park for free between 8.30 and 9.20, and 3.0 to 3.40 (the school made special exemption tickets for us) Is this something you could suggest to the school?

What a bitch.

I think she enjoyed stressing you out!

Getting of the bus recently, I offered to either help getting the buggy or hold the baby while they got the buggy. Had a lovely cuddle with a baby.

You'd think no one had ever had a bad day, the way some of you are answering this stressed and probably mortified OP.

Most people can have a bad day without thinking they have any right to park and block people in. The OP is not mortified about her behaviour, she was more upset that someone wouldn't hold her precious child's hand, than she was about parking like a dick.

The woman sounds like a bitch to say that about your parenting, to be frank. That was a low and personal blow.

Midnite scribbler the woman told her, amongst other things that she was a 'disgusting excuse for a parent' to ask her to stand with the kids. Do you expect her to be fine with that?

Midnite scribbler the woman told her, amongst other things that she was a 'disgusting excuse for a parent' to ask her to stand with the kids. Do you expect her to be fine with that?

She was yelled at by a woman who had been delayed because the OP thought getting her child to daycare was more important than anyone else's needs. A woman had been told to hang around whilst said child was conveyed to daycare, instead of the OP apologising profusely for being a twerp and running back to rectify the situation. A woman who is then expected to play babysitter whilst the OP moves to some unidentified location at her own pace. The OP shows no remorse whatsoever for delaying this woman, and therefore can't really expect her not to be upset whilst the OP faffs around. She may have insulted the OP, but she didn't swear or start throwing fists, and quite frankly, I don't think too much of the OP based on her attitude either.

What a b*h. Sometimes you just have to live and let live. Realise you meant nothing by it, were stressed and late and no harm done. And the abuse she gave you completely unreasonable.

Plus I have never seen as much talk of dropped kerbs as on Mumsnet.