To think that people who use parent and child spaces without children are selfish *****

[hotcheeto]

Fill in the starred swear word as applicable.

I've only started truly noticing how many idiots do this since I had my baby 4 months ago. I can't believe how many people I've seen do it. And yes I always call them out and have had some pretty disturbing abuse thrown back.

I have also always reported to the shop staff to be told it isn't illegal and there's nothing they can do bar having a parking attendant out constantly which isn't possible (I know this isn't the shop staff's fault).

No disabled spaces? Fair enough, crack on. But this isn't the case 99% of the time. People use them because they are close to the entrance. I would rather the spaces be far away from the entrance with a small trolley park nearby with car seat/child seat trolleys.

Yesterday I purposefully parked straight down the middle of two normal spaces because I didn't want to risk having to reverse out just to get my baby's car seat back in. As I was walking in I witnessed 3 separate very able bodied people walk back to their cars without children.

Just really pees me off 😒

You are being petty.. the are handy spaces but not a right of parenting. If you are worried about space when opening the door, park farther away.

You obviously have special skills that allow you to see if someone has any sort of additional needs by looking at them. Well done.

Try getting twins in and leaning across to middle to do up third child with a space that doesn't let you open doors more than 45 degrees or doing up a seat when your 9 months pregnant and can't get through the gap to reach the child seat. Let alone when a twat parks over the line.

This was a very long time ago as the "babies" are now men in their 20's but at the time one was a small baby and one was an under 2. Back then-and I might be wrong but in this case the car seat was one with a handle but no push chair frame so I had to carry.
It was absolutely pissing it down and I had to park at the back as no parent and child spaces open.
As I went by with toddler, baby and umbrella a woman with no children was unloading her shopping.
I said those are for people with children.
She said I know-I just dropped mine off at school.
Some people...
🙄

YANBU but I suspect this thread will quickly fill up with dozens of people arguing that everyone without children who parks in parent and child spaces probably has any number of invisible disabilities and it's totally wrong to think that lazy people exist in society.

If parenting parking was farther away people would not be so keen to use them, I don’t think it’s the additional space they want, it’s because they are closer to the shop. So move them away from the entrance, problem solved.

I kind of get your point but parent and child spaces are a bit of a grey area anyway, only really there as a courtesy unlike disabled parking. (I mean, you don't see them on high streets or in other public parking areas really...at least, I never have!).

I parked in one the other day. Car park was jammed full. I've just had an operation. I don't have a blue badge but temporarily I have limited mobility and cannot get into the car without the door being fully open. I also have a crutch which I may or may not need/use, depending on pain levels. If you'd seen me, you might well have thought I wasn't in any way limited in my mobility or in need of the space. When I'm better I won't need to do that, but till then I'm afraid I'm going to be selfish.

Never understand the entitlement for P&C spaces, how do you manage in places that don't have them? They're a convenience if available, not something to make a fuss about.
Park in an empty area of carpark and push your poppet in their pram to the store.
I know MN aren't fond of 'in my day' comments, but I had my kids in the 90s and managed to convey said children out of cars to shops without special spaces.

What’s the alternative when she needs to get a car seat in?

I hated when people parked too close to me when my DC were babies & I then struggled getting the car seat in.

However, 3 DC & lots of spaces, I really didn't encounter it that often. If someone was parked too close on one side, it was unusual if that were on the other side too.

I also used a buggy or sling, or carried them to the trolley, once they were more than very tiny. Moving the car seat was always a bit of a hassle.

I think parent and child spaces should be put at the far end of the car park, not near the shop entrance. It seems obvious to me.

Totally agree. Parking across 2 spaces actually makes you worse, that’s twatish behaviour IMO. Whilst inconvenient, there’s nothing wrong in parking in mother/child spaces, but what you’re doing is wrong.

If they put parent and child spaced at the far end of the car park, I’d be interested to see how many parents bothered to use them.

FWIW, I’d never park in one, but people did manage perfectly well for years without them. I can see why people with pushchairs and things need the extra space, but when parents use them with school age kids, I do think it’s a bit entitled.

Maybe they should be pushchair parking.

This attitude really bugs me. Just because you struggled why would you not agree with something that makes life a little easier for others? It's like saying my great grandma used a bucket and a mangle to wash clothes, what's the need for a washing machine, she managed fine.

Probably more than you think, not all but definitely some. https://www.dpt.nhs.uk/news/invisible-disabilities-week-2022#

Amazing wasn't it!!

Your assuming a supermarket on its own with empty spaces further away, mine is in a complex there's never spaces further away.

I agree its annoying when you can't see an obvious reason. However, I managed to get 2 small babies and a toddler into a car using normal car spaces. I parked further back to have free space either side most of the time and walked. I never got irritated cos I never looked for the larger spaces. Be happy when you get one and adjust when you don't.

They aren't enforced like disabled spaces unfortunately so anyone can park in them.Morally wrong but not unlawful.

She has said there were disabled spaces free. Which tend to be in a better access place than parents ones....and we would still display our blue badges.

I disagree entirely.

They are exactly intended as a 'right of parenting'!

They are particularly useful when you have more than 1 DC.

I remember many stressful occasions with 3 DC, 4, 2, newborn, a trolley full of shopping & a busy car park. You are trying to make sure everyone is in the car safely, and the wider spaces really help with this - you can have the trolley close to the car, easily insert toddler / baby while older child has space to get in themselves.

People without DC, or with older DC, who use P&C spaces are horrible people.

YANBU OP but weirdly enough, on a website designed for parents, to support and assist parents, you'll get told that you're selfish, disabilist, lazy and entitled for wanting to use something designed to support and assist parents

I once said to someone that their kid was really cute (they had no kid with them) and they slammed their doors and sped off in a total rage. Touched a nerve maybe.

I know it is a divisive topic (oddly - I don't see what is a grey area about a spot being referred to as parent and child and people without children parking there) and everyone is entitled to their opinion.

I take the car seat into the shop with me at the moment as my baby is still young. I'm not going to leave him on the ground or in the trolley when I inevitably get stuck with two cars either side of me. That just isn't safe. FWIW I did park at the back of the car park when parking across 2 spaces and I'd do it again if there were no parent spots free 🤗 I don't think it's unreasonable and I don't think I've undermined myself either. My child is going to be safe and that's that. Also wasn't the AIBU question.

And yes again I don't have magical powers that allow me to detect disability. But I assume a majority of people with disabilities that require a closer spot to the entrance would have a blue badge.

Lots of PP saying "back in my day "

Back in your day cars were smaller and not as wide. We make new cars every year but not new parking spaces.

Mine is a 7 seater but huuuuge. I genuinely struggle to fit into smaller spaces, issues with space either side of the car and often have the back end sticking over the space- because it simply doesn't fit. If there's a pole/wall/anything at the end of the space, it simply won't fit.

Yes, parking in them if you don't need to is a dick thing to do. I have no issue with people using them if they need to but don't qualify for a blue badge, (or of course if they do but the disabled spaces are full). But a lot of the time, people are just lazy.

I wish they'd put some parent child spaces at the far end of the car park. If I've got the pram I don't need to be close to the shop, I just need a bit of extra space around the car. And being far away would deter the lazy people.

I think heavily pregnant people should be able to use them, in other countries they are for pregnant mothers and p&c, I parked in an Aldi when I was about 7 months pregnant , SPD, PGP, in a lot of pain and not very mobile, space either side , came out and two giant SUVs either side of my tiny Suzuki, parked right up to and one over the whole lines . I physically couldn't get in either door. I've been fat, fat squishes or you can climb through a boot if needed, I couldn't get into my car. Luckily a nice man seeing my predicament offered to climb in and reverse it out for me.
Also when my gran was terminally ill she applied for a blue badge but the process took ages, then she was rejected, appealed and got one. In the meantime my mum would use P&C spaces. She needed a wheelchair most of the time and would have to be almost lifted from the car seat. So you had to have it wide open, an idiot with a 10/11 year old shouted at my mum and my dying grandma for doing this as her need with her child was apparently greater.
Surely the answer is just bigger/better car parking spaces all round. Go to a Costco no issue getting anyone out in any space.