Parent and child parking

[spiderbear]

It winds me up so much when people without children park in 'parent and child' parking. Is it just me that has a go?? I just can't help it. I find them so ignorant and selfish. Just had to say something to someone at Tesco- she was with her (I'm guessing 20yr old) daughter.. and wouldn't even look me in the face.. I'm heavily pregs and also with a 2 yr old. But her daughter piped up saying they'd just dropped her dad and sister off at the entrance - which was rubbish as we'd been behind them coming into the car park!!
Am I out of order having a go ?? Should I just let it be? Or should supermarkets do more to stop this themselves??

you've totally missed the point. Car seats are a fucking beast and I can't fit mine out of the car without the door open to its widest setting. My child is also really, really heavy for her age

So why not leave the car seat in the car then? I've never understood why people insist on lugging babies around in them, makes no sense at all.

They're a luxury not a necessity. My mum managed perfectly fine without them and she had 7 of us.
Completely different to disabled spaces where people need them

The hidden disability argument fucks me off. If you have a disability, get a blue badge. Otherwise you park in the normal spaces surely? P&C spaces should be 'driver and car seat' - getting a car seat out or a child out of a car seat without scraping another car in a usual width space is a nightmare. I also agree I'd be more than happy to have p&c spaces at the far end of the car park to avoid the issues of lazy fuckers parking there entirely.

*disclaimer - I am all for people with blue badges parking in p&c spaces when no disabled spaces available.

I wasn't entitled to a blue badge hence not using the disabled spaces. Yes, I used the parent and child one, I was waiting for spinal surgery and struggling

YANBU, but for some bizarre reason on MN, parents with children wanting to park in a P&C space are sneered at and called entitled. In MN world everyone without a child who parks in one needs it more than you, for some obscure reason, it's never just that they're lazy arseholes.

Also someone will be along to say "it's only a trick the supermarket use to lure parents in". Did I miss a memo, are we supposed to be cross about supermarkets making the effort to attract customers?

Also you'll be told - "it's not enforced by law" - we'll neither is pushing in in a queue but you still don't do it.

I honestly think this anger at parents having something for themselves feeds into resentment of mothers and there's quite a lot of misogyny at the heart of it 🤷‍♀️

Sirzy all supermarkets round here have them, and I wait for one as I need one with my 2 (waiting for someone who doesn't know me to tell me that no I don't need them).

"The hidden disability argument fucks me off. If you have a disability, get a blue badge. Otherwise you park in the normal spaces surely?"

Some severely disabled people cannot get blue badges.
There are adults with my child's profound disability who do not have blue badges because they do not have that criteria for those on PIP but they need the space more than a toddler does.

I find it interesting that so many people say on these threads that it'd be better if they were further away. At my local supermarket they are. They're along the side of the building and the main carpark is at the front. You have to drive past the p&c spaces to get to the main bit, so they are just a little bit further away from the entrance. They are nearly always empty. The couple closest to the main carpark are sometimes in use but that's it.

Tbh I would prefer to see these spaces right at the back of the car park as they wouldn't b abused. Loads of space then guaranteed to open car doors and manoeuvre car seats in and out,

This.
Our local Tesco has a few p&c spaces nearish the front of the shop (there are lots of disabled spaces - quite rightly) and a load more at the back of the car park. I always park in the p&c ones at the back and there's only ever one or two spaces taken. Much prefer them because it means I have plenty of room to get the pushchair out and once DS is in the pushchair I can easily walk the extra distance to the shop.

You want to go to my local Waitrose, they have about 20 p&c spaces.

If you have a disability, get a blue badge. Otherwise you park in the normal spaces surely?

You obviously have no idea how hard it is to get a blue badge.

P & C bays are useful when you have a baby in car seat as they are wide enough to open the door. People upthread have suggested finding a normal space with enough room to get seat out - this is daft as you can't count on the space beside your car being free when you get back.

I don't use these spaces now my child doesn't get lifted out in his seat. Dunno why people with non-infants really have to use them.

I don't shout at people who use the spaces without kids though. I just assume they are selfish tbh.

Lie always thought that the idea of them is to make it easier to get baby car seats in and out, and buggies , prays etc. I don't understand why a young able bodied adult with autism would require one ?

If you have a disability, get a blue badge. Otherwise you park in the normal spaces surely?

Yeah? And while I’m waiting? I’ll continue to use whichever space I can get in and out of. Love to see you go against me over it, I’m just waiting for the day someone does.

Fortunately though, where I live, most people aren’t total twats though

isadoradancing123 it's not that hard to think of reasons why.

It's selfish to use them unless you have a small child or are disabled. Only on MN would it be wrong to say that!

I'm with you on the sentiment OP and I did once leave a note on someone's windscreenbecause they literally pulled in front of me and stole the parent and child space then got out with no child(and there were plenty of disabled spaces available) but I don't think i've ever confronted anyone. In the history of confronting people over parking spaces has it ever ended on someone saying,"oh you are absolutely right I will move my car immediately I do apologise."? These people are selfish idiots so expect them to act like selfish idiots.

@Ellendegeneres if you were obviously struggling to get out of a car or were disabled then I doubt anyone would challenge you - why would they? I certainly wouldn't. Would you not use a disabled space if they were available, by that same logic? I've already said I'd have nothing against disabled people using p&c spaces when no disabled spaces available, in fact I think they should take priority.

I get annoyed about clearly able-bodied people without blue badges parking in them and sauntering in because they're near to the shop. Hence why I would prefer them to be further away! Although I'd caveat that by requesting availability of trolleys with seats near the spaces too.

I'm perfectly capable of walking to the shop, just need extra bloody width for the baby! I also usually do park at the far end of the car park when no p&c spaces available but have so often returned to find a car parked next to me. I've seen people online straddling two spaces to get round this issue but I don't have the balls for that.

I don't understand why a young able bodied adult with autism would require one?

Do you know anything about autism?

Wait for the 'hidden disability' posts OP.

I don't understand why a young able bodied adult with autism would require one?
You could start with the National Autisitic Society website.

I have an 8 year old and I use p&c spaces when I can. I am waiting to be judged for it. He can't walk properly and we are sorting out a blue badge. I don't take him for a main shop but if we are passing a supermarket we will pop in. He also uses a lift for one floor. Please don't judge until you know the situation.

Wait for the 'hidden disability' posts OP.

The OP has said there were plenty of disabled spaces.

I’m sure that with a normal sized car, with a normal sized car on both sides there would be plenty of room to get a child car seat out.