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??

I've parked there without a child when heavily pregnant. It seemed an ok as child kind of there but not.... parked there to avoid getting boxed in/being unable to open door enough to get back in which sometimes happened in normal spaces!

"If I politely say "Excuse me, I'm not sure if you realise but you've parked in a P&C space" and someone replied "My teenage son has autism and ADHD and I need to use the space" I'd say "crack on"

Why should anyone give out personal information to the self appointed parking police. If my adult child needed the space I wouldn't need your approval.

Same, although my child isn't an adult. My response would be a very blunt "we need the space", I would feel absolutely no need to justify it to you or to disclose information you don't need to know.

Yeah it is annoying but as PP above says, life’s too short.....

Completely disagree. If you are using a designated P&C space and you are blatantly not a parent with a child, I've got every right to ask if you realise you've parked in a designated space. No, I'm not the parking police. I'm a parent. With a child. As per the sign. Next time I'll get the 'parking police' i.e. the store, to come and say something shall I? If no-one ever says anything then all the CFs will just keep taking the piss.

Most of the above is a moot point anyway because we all know full bloody well that the vast majority of people abusing P&C spaces do not have hidden disabilities. They are just lazy CFs.

God knows why anyone would begrudge parents with young children something that keeps their children a bit safer.

We have a blue badge, very recently acquired. Prior to that it could be a real struggle and yes we would use whatever space best suited our needs as we could not use the disabled bays.

If someone had challenged me I'd have told them to fuck off. However it only appears to be in mumsnet fantasy land where everyone is suddenly the parking police and goes about demanding intimate pieces of information from people to judge whether their reason for parking is acceptable.

P&C spaces aren't legally enforceable regardless of who's land they're on. There is no loss of income or earnings to be able to levy a fine for.

For the love of god Gilead and peach do you really not get boy racers where you live or are you being deliberately obtuse? They exist, in plentiful supply, they often occupy the p&c spaces (in fact in our local Tesco they often also have late night 'meets' that the police get called to) and they're not bloody disabled!

@Alonsosleftpinky. You are more than welcome to tell me to fuck off if you think that's an appropriate response to me asking politely if you realise you've parked in a P&C space. As I said, at that point I'd involve the store staff. They can then decide if they choose to enforce their policy or not. You can swear your head off at them instead.

You really think the store staff care?

If a space is free park there. If it isn’t free park elsewhere. It really should be that simple.

What those who feel the need to challenge don’t realise is that their need to challenge could make a shit day even shitter for someone who is struggling

Yeah any self appointed parking police would be told to jog on by me as well.

Its very easy - just dont be a dick

LittleLion No, we don't. I live very rurally. Strangely, round here, the people who abuse the BB spaces tend to be parents popping into the supermarket with their children after the afternoon school run.

As for those asking me questions, I've been abused by parents before despite showing my BB. So yeah, now they get told to jog on.

The store don’t care, they don’t want to tell potential customers where they can and cannot park. It’s also a courtesy so they will do nothing as anyone can actually park there you’d just look like a kid running to the teacher to tell tales!

Don't make me laugh op, if you had shouted at me for parking close to the shop so my mum didn't have to struggle across the car park I would have shouted right back at you and believe me you wouldn't have liked that.
You are not the parking police, you are a mother who was slightly inconvenienced when you went shopping and shouting in a car park with your child is really pathetic.
I can't believe you posted this on mn tbh like a cry baby who thinks she is ten men. Get a hobby ffs.

@beboldbebluntbehonest reminds me of when I took Mum shopping to our local Asda. The blue badge bays were full of non badge displaying sports cars (as standard) so I parked in a parent and child bay and put my badge up. While I was unloading my wheelchair a woman yelled at me "where's your kids?"

My mum stepped forward and yelled back "I'm her parent, she's my child"

I was 😂😂😂

Do people think it's fine when heavily pregnant women use p&c spaces? I'm getting to the stage where normal spaces are much too snug.

I was parked up next to a car the other day in the P&C space and in it were both parents, a toddler and a young child. The mother got out, collected a trolley and went to do the shopping on her own whilst the father and the children just sat in the car the whole time

It did make me chuckle.

@willynillypie I did when pg with my eldest but only at Tesco because at the time they said you could from 6 months pregnant. They gave out little badges too. I was huge with all my pregnancies- carried right out front and had polyhydramnios.

I'm a bit of a stickler for rules. It's being an aspie.

Mine are all older now so I don't know if it still applies.

Only in MN land are able-bodied CF using P&C spaces defended, and parents with small DC mocked for objecting.

A million times this. It's ridiculous.

@beboldbebluntbehonest well that's just you being lazy though. When I take my older relatives I drop them at the door, tell them to meet me just inside while I go park and walk to the door myself. You don't need a p&c extra width space - unless your mum has a wheelchair you didn't mention?

@StepAwayFromGoogle post at 22:17 last night is spot on. 👏🏼 Lots of good examples here of mothers with SEN older children who need to use the spaces. No one would begrudge that.

I also hate when parents use the spaces and one parent waits in the car with the car seats. Selfish behaviour.

@BishopBrennansArse that's ridiculous someone shouted at you. It's irrelevant you were there with your mum, you have a wheelchair. I thought everyone knew blue badge holders are entitled to use p&c spaces as spillover but apparently not. That woman was ignorant and aggressive, but your mums response wasn't needed.

It was funny though, jam.
I get shit for using blue badge bays all the time as people think I'm too young (even when unloading chair) so a bit of humour is needed sometimes.

@BishopBrennansArse that's horrendous. I really don't understand why anyone would abuse someone who has been awarded a blue badge to help manage everyday situations other people take for granted.

Because they think I'm using my nan's badge (she doesn't have one) 😂

Ok these threads never end well but I have disabilities a 21/2yr old and a 3months old and if their is no parent and child I never park in disabled due to being shouted down quite nastily one day.

I stood and cried quite soon after giving birth because someone came and parked so close to me I couldn't get the car seat in the car. It was an easy fix as I just popped the seat in the front of the car rolled the car forward then popped them in their isofix. It was frustrating and I was full of hormones so I'm assuming that was the reason for my reaction.

It's constant don't waste your breath on people just move on next time.