To be suprised

[1DAD2KIDS]

I parked at the supermarket with my toddler in a parent and child space (1 of only 2 spaces). A woman parked in the other parent and toddler space next to me. It was clear she didn't have a child with her. I pointed out that it was a parent and child space. She said I have a car seat. I pointed out that having a car seat was not the same as having a child with you. I was expecting abuse or her to just walk off but surprising she mumbled something (I didn't hear) got in her car and drove off.

One part of me felt a bit of a dick, I mean who made me the parking police. But then I thought no. There are only 2 parent and child spaces in the carpark. Its massively selfish and unfair for her to take a space away from someone who has to get young children out of the car just because she was to lazy to park further away.

Because you'd have no right to tell me where I can park, and I'd find you aggressive and overbearing.

@tinysparklyshoes if someone pushed in front of you in a queue at the supermarket, would you say something to them?

I may, but that isn't the same thing at all.

You did the right thing. If you had said nothing you'd be on here ranting about misuse of parking spaces. The woman was using the space for her convenience rather than thinking of others. You only feel bad coz you think she might have felt bad and you're a nice person. If everyone took responsibility and tried to make a difference and point out when something is wrong then the world would be a better place. But most folk don't. We complain about dog poo but don't confront the owner coz we're too scared. We complain about pot holes but never report them to the council coz we can't be arsed.
My Mum has a disabled badge. She'll say to me 'oh just park in the disabled space and I'll put my badge up' even if she herself is remaining in the car. I then ask her well I don't need a badge and me taking up this space is depriving someone else who might need it - but she doesn't see this. Even when I point out that what if we arrived at car park and she was getting out but then found that all the disabled spaces were taken up by folk remaining in their cars whilst someone able bodied person was taking advantage.
Just to repeat - you took responsibility and did good. Relax

It is the same thing.

You did the right thing. If you had said nothing you'd be on here ranting about misuse of parking spaces. The woman was using the space for her convenience rather than thinking of others. You only feel bad coz you think she might have felt bad and you're a nice person. If everyone took responsibility and tried to make a difference and point out when something is wrong then the world would be a better place. But most folk don't. We complain about dog poo but don't confront the owner coz we're too scared. We complain about pot holes but never report them to the council coz we can't be arsed.
My Mum has a disabled badge. She'll say to me 'oh just park in the disabled space and I'll put my badge up' even if she herself is remaining in the car. I then ask her well I don't need a badge and me taking up this space is depriving someone else who might need it - but she doesn't see this. Even when I point out that what if we arrived at car park and she was getting out but then found that all the disabled spaces were taken up by folk remaining in their cars whilst someone able bodied person was taking advantage.
Just to repeat - you took responsibility and did good. Relax

It is the same thing.

You did the right thing. If you had said nothing you'd be on here ranting about misuse of parking spaces. The woman was using the space for her convenience rather than thinking of others. You only feel bad coz you think she might have felt bad and you're a nice person. If everyone took responsibility and tried to make a difference and point out when something is wrong then the world would be a better place. But most folk don't. We complain about dog poo but don't confront the owner coz we're too scared. We complain about pot holes but never report them to the council coz we can't be arsed.
My Mum has a disabled badge. She'll say to me 'oh just park in the disabled space and I'll put my badge up' even if she herself is remaining in the car. I then ask her well I don't need a badge and me taking up this space is depriving someone else who might need it - but she doesn't see this. Even when I point out that what if we arrived at car park and she was getting out but then found that all the disabled spaces were taken up by folk remaining in their cars whilst someone able bodied person was taking advantage.
Just to repeat - you took responsibility and did good. Relax

I love that people are coming on here to call the OP unreasonable when they would tell a woman with her children to ‘fuck off’ in public.

You should be so proud of yourselves..

The correct response OP was of course to tut audibly and glare

Sorry, my post button got stuck!

It's not the same thing at all.

And I wouldn't actually tell you to fuck off, I'd just look at you like this and think it in my head. Because I have more manners that the people who think its ok to "confront" others in the street.

The whole thing reads to me as though you're expecting post upon post of how "brilliant" and "amazing" you did with your Parent&Child parking-space vigilantism.

I don't understand at all why it's not the same thing. Two different but comparable situations. Neither is enforceable by anyone. They are social niceties really. But in one situation saying something is overbearing and aggressive but in the other situation it's fine?

I love that people are coming on here to call the OP unreasonable when they would tell a woman with her children to ‘fuck off’ in public.

And to call her aggressive and overbearing too! Amazing.

tinysparklyshoes

Because you'd have no right to tell me where I can park
Yes she does. Anyone has the right to tell you where you can or cannot park.

I'd find you aggressive and overbearing.
What in the OP's post which points to any aggressive or overbearing behaviour?

I was once told off by someone for using a p&c space without my son in the car, I hope the idiot who glared at me felt embarrassed when my sons dad dropped him at my car in the place we normally do ‘change over’

Why do people think they know everything??

Pushing into a queue and parking in a P&C spot with no children are exactly the same. neither are legally enforceable and are just a convenience/social nicety. It's just good manners not to do it.

OP kinda makes me want to get me dad to park in one of these "parent and child" spaces next time he comes over for a visit.

Me: 39
Him: 70 odds.

Childish, but hey.

Why is it that every time this subject comes up some twunt completely misses the point of P&C spaces and starts going on about the fact that 'people with kids don't need to be nearer the door' etc etc.

THEY ARE WIDER SO PEOPLE CAN GET CAR SEATS OUT OR GET A CHILD OUT OF A CAR SEAT WHICH IS MUCH EASIER WHEN YOU CAN OPEN THE DOOR THE WHOLE WAY

Yes it is possible to do the above in a 'normal' space but usually involves some contortion (which generally causes pain to the many of us with back problems) and runs the risk of hitting the car next to you with your door.

If you park in these spaces without a child you are being rude and unthoughtful and you may well be making someone else's life more difficult because of your own sense of entitlement. If you are ok with that, fine.

people really need to dry up over P&C spaces. Do we really need another thread about this!

Why not just leave people alone to make their own moral judgement on P&C spaces? If she parked there without a child that's her business, why do you think you can comment on it to her? I find all these threads bizarre, and i find it hard to imagine anyone has ever had an encounter like this!!! Just going around chastising grown people.

I've parked in one 2 weeks after spinal surgery when I couldn't open my door enough in a normal space. Car park was rammed, no spaces on the end of a row and I wasn't/couldn't use a disabled space. I needed to be able to open my door fully, spin round then stand up
Fine to drive but wasn't allowed to bend or twist around like you would to get out a car normally
That's the only time I've used one

People are free to make their own moral judgements on anything they like!

Just as other people are free to say something to somebody doing something they deem morally wrong. That's how many, many social norms are upheld (see the queue example upthread).

My local Waitrose has their p&c spaces at the end of the car park, so if you imagine the car park as a U, the disabled spaces are all the way on the left, and the p&c spaces at the bottom of the U. Works really well, there’s only 5, but I nearly always get one. If I don’t, I just find a space at the end of a row.

I do find them useful when wrestling ds into the car but I do wish they’d move them away from the front of the car park. That way people who really do need to use them will.

I think it comes up so often because the treatment of it is bizarre! MN generally is all for, having a backbone, establishing boundaries, having an adult conversation, challenging cheeky fuckery etc yet with P&C spaces it is the person pointing out that someone is potentially taking advantage of something when they shouldn't really be that is the entitled one?

A whole host of hypothetical reasons is offered as to why the person possibly really did need to park if the P&C space and because of these hypothetical possibilities you are unreasonable to say anything. There are loads of hypothetical reasons why someone might justifiably need to jump a queue too yet it's fine to say something in those situations it would seem. It's odd.

Just as other people are free to say something to somebody doing something they deem morally wrong. That's how many, many social norms are upheld (see the queue example upthread).

Sure.

I do wonder whether OP would have been quite so quick to challenge a 6 foot 4, 20 stone bloke who parked in the P&C spot though.