to expect people shopping at the supermarket without children to NOT park in the mother and baby spaces

[alicet]

Went to Asda this afternoon. As I was parking a lady was also parking next to me in the only other free mother and baby space. She then got out of her car, clearly had no child and walked into the store.

On my way out 2 young lads in a van pulled into the space I had just vacated.

This really p*sses me off. The car park is enormous - its not as though there are not enough spaces and indeed its very rare to have to walk very far anyway. These spaces are here for a reason.

Am I being unreasonable?

theres always a personal sob story - always - but you must accept that having kids isn't a disability.

i dont think M&T spaces are needed at all.

Pheebe

I have read the MN philosophy very closely, thank you.

Describing fellow posters as "fascists" isn't at all in keeping with the MN philosophy.

Where does it say that the purpose of MN is to discuss "anything new or old"?

No-one has said that this topic shouldn't be discussed, just that it comes up every couple of weeks, and always ends up going exactly the same way. You will see from my first post on this topic that I was quite nice to the OP!

Lovecat:

"And to whoever it was who self-righteously suggested we all walk to the shops - some of us don't have the luxury of local shops, and have to do dull things like work for a living instead of spending every day trekking several hours to the shops only buying what you're able to physically carry with a toddler in tow...."

Oh boo-hoo, my heart bleeds.

There is a whole swathe of this country who are unable to walk anywhere and are incapable of getting children across a car park and into a supermarket.

I feel sorry for the OP!!

As soon as I saw the thread title I thought Oh no

Lol, maybe when you sign up to join Mumsnet, you should have to sign to say you wont ever mention M&t spaces!!!!

and disbled spaces......

and MMR.....?

Maybe sausgae rolls also....??? Fruit shoots??!!!

hmm hmmm

oh here we go

no p&t spaces aren't NEEDED, like spaces for people with disabilities are.

But they do reduce the number of small kids standing in the road bit of the car park, and they do help harassed mothers somewhat.

SO whats the big fecking deal? They make life better for some parents who otherwise find it hard. Going shopping with 2 or 3 under 4s is bascially hell. Why not try to make life a little easier for the poor sods who have to do that?

We don't know peoples individual circumstances. The idea that people should be taking several toddlers and a weeks worth of shopping on the bus is a bit laughable-people have jobs and better things to do than fannying back and forth to the supermarket on the bus every other day. Some toddlers are utterly, utterly, impossible to keep still in a car park. And oh yes you can shop online IF you have a working credit card. Etc etc. These are hardly novel suggstions. To some people, these spaces make a real difference. Lets assume that if people feel strongly about them, their circumstances are such that they probably need them.

So whats the big deal? Its a matter of courtesy. A mother with 3 under 4s does need a wide space more than a convertible driver, no matter how great their need for pringles.

(I am very thankful that my local supermarket has a nice walkway with adjacent parking spaces that NO ONE seems to use, I imagine because it is further from the shop.)

Yes, just because something isn't "needed", that doesn't mean it isn't exceptionally useful, or that its existence should be abused.

I think we should all agree to disagree on this subject!!

If I dont have my child with me, I dont park in parent and child spaces as I know how bloody irritating it is when I do have my dd and I have to park right up the far end of the car park!

I need the space because of getting child back in the car seat. It makes life a lot easier than trying to squeeze in a tinyspace whne you have to get a child and half your body in the door.

I walk to local shops with my dd when topping up with bread and milk, but we do out tesco shop monthly which means £100 worth of food. I'l be buggered if im walking with that lot! And a child!!

Anyway my initial post wasn't meant to be a debate as to whether these spaces are justified or not. The fact is they DO exist and therefore I think its damn rude to park in them when you don't have a child! I also wouldn't dream of parking there if I didn't have ds with me

tee hee..what about pregnant women then!!! i cant get out of a normal spaces , especially 9 months pregnant and recently when i parked in a normal space some imbecile parked so close i couldt get into the car on my return and had to wait for them to return and when i pointed out how close she`d parked which meant i couldnt get in my own car she started a tirade of abuse at me and making out it was my fault and that i should have parked further over the other way..duh..i was there first!!!

Sorry, but I agree with alicet.

I couldn't park in a Parent and Child space, so made sure I parked away from the store so that there was space next to me to get dd2's car seat out without bashing the car next to me.

On my return from shopping, someone had parked next to me (fair enough) but I could not get the door open wide enough to get the car seat back in. I had to get dd1 and dd2 to sit in the trolley shelter place, whilst I moved my car out of the space to be able to open the door fully and get the car seat in.

here we go again

In this instance, SOBT, it is perfectly acceptable to dent the adjacent car with your car door.

Wahay! This old chestnut.

You are not being unreasonable to be a bit cheesed off about it, but it isn't the end of the world.

Thank goodness these spaces exist. Otherwise I would never be able to park my monster people-carrier in a normal space.

Not saying it is the end of the world, just annoying.

Cloudhopper - your "You are not being unreasonable to be a bit cheesed off about it, but it isn't the end of the world" would actually do as a formula answer to 80% of the AIBU? queries on here! perhaps it should be standardised as "YANBUTBABCOAI,BIITEOTW."

It is more than annoying when someone parks next to an MPV with 2 child seats in the back , and a mobile stuck to the baby's window. It is OBVIOUS a car seat will need to be out back into the car, but how, when someone parks so close.

Why park next to a family car when there are 200 other free spaces? WHY??

hjnymhmjnhmnjhyjhmjhm

I'm in favour and I use them for my slightly older kids (3 6 7) as they (ds1 and ds3) cant get a blue badge 9well one maybe waiting for letter) and they're the next best thing.

One near us has PG mother spaces too, did find that useful when far too big to climb out a car decently but without kids.

vcar aprk spaces here are too small for the cars- although we saw some hhorrors of smalls aces in the New Forest- and it can be hard aprking an Espace in thsoe places.

Do agree blue badges precedence, but M&T spaces useful too

Well, im definately in favour of these spaces! And I think its damn right Lazy and rude for people to park in them who dont have kids!! They are there for a reason!!!

True UQD. I have copied and pasted your acronym for future reference.

I always thought M&T spaces were purely to give you a bit more room so that you didn't put a big gash in the next car's door and were nothing to do with how far you could walk...it's just that supermarkets have decided for us that having a child is a 'disability' and put them next to the disabled spaces....

Anyhow, the reason people do it is because no=one says anything - this being the UK, they just glower quietly and hope that someone who is probably pretty dense in the first place will (a) notice the sign and (b) get back in their car, and move it somewhere else?

There are no consequences for anything. If it's raining - you go for the nearest space, that's all there is to it!

Message withdrawn

OK, cod: so when I've got the trolley with the two toddlers in, and I'm back at my car in a normal-sized space with a car parked on either side, where do I put the trolley while I'm unlocking the car/putting the first kid back in his seat? Bearing in mind that most of the damned things don't have brakes, and merrily roll away into the path of the traffic the minute you take your hand off them? Why should I have to park at the far end of the car park when it's peeing down?

I wouldn't for one minute suggest that P&T spaces are as important as disabled spaces, and would gladly give up a P&T space if a Blue Badge holder needed it. But the parents of small children do have specific safety needs that are met by P&T spaces.