To think it wasn’t wrong of me to use a parent & child parking space?

[AngeloMysterioso]

At a supermarket today- I didn’t have my DC with me, however I am 6 1/2 months pregnant with DC3 and suffering with what I have come to refer to as “arse daggers” - very painful shooting pains in my glutes that leave me hobbling in a most inelegant manner by the end of the day.
The parking spaces in the car park are very narrow, to the point where I struggle to fit myself and my bump out of the door and it was all getting a bit ridiculous, so today I decided to park in one of the P&C spaces (of which there are many, and I didn’t take the last empty one) so that I wouldn’t have to squeeze out of the door and would have less distance to painfully shuffle into the shop.
Afterwards I was putting my shopping in my car when I was accosted by some absolute cowbag who berated me for taking a P&C space even though I didn’t have a child with me. I pointed out the obvious, bump, mobility problems, plenty of spaces to go round, and she said I still had no right to park there and potentially deprive someone with a child of a space. At this point I decided not to bother engaging and just got in my car and left.

Was I BU?

The awful thing is that despite you knowing your pain levels yesterday were unbearable, people are still giving you a hard time, including the woman yesterday leaping out all guns ablazing to wag her finger at you,

You caused no harm to another human being, and your need at that moment was real, you weren't making it up.

if there were lots of spare spaces for M&C to use, and even if 4 or 5 other pg women also needed to do the same in that specific car park it would still have been fine. End of the day they are better being used than sitting there empty.

it's like disabled toilets, if people use them mindfully and quickly go in, do their business and get out quickly then no harm is done. Yes of course there 'could be' someone waiting, but the reality is if it's tumbleweed, nobody around then people need to just mind their own business and the world would be a much happier place.

They're a courtesy and a marketing ploy and not protected as disabled spaces are.

You're in severe discomfort and I see nothing wrong with you using a facility which makes shopping more accessible for you.

For me that also applies to others with accessibility needs not covered by a blue badge.

I checked with the supermarkets and they checked policies and told me it was fine to park there if you were pregnant. As far as I’m concerned it’s their car park and they define the rules. Not some busybody from the car park.

You can park there as you are pregnant.

I needed those spaces more while pregnant than with a newborn or toddler. (And I was pregnant with a toddler... it was easier to get her out the car than me at times! Plus if necessary she could get in the opposite side and climb over, I couldn't. (Although I might need to get out of the car after leaving the space to do her straps).

Extra space makes things easier with children, but most of the time you can manage fine without it. Actually I lot of older people need it more (the not quite disabled enough for a blue badge people) The safer walking route helps, but varies anyway.

You needed the space. Pregnancy isn't a disability but some of the symptoms are!

It’s fine Op. fgs

You are just looking for an argument
Grow up and stop making yourself look like a twit
@AngeloMysterioso you are pregnant, use the space if you need to, it's what it's there for, to help parents

Keep parking in the p&c parks. In many countries they are for pregnant women as well. I would say NO to parking in a disabled bay unless you have a blue badge but p&c are fair game. I’d far rather see you there than able bodied young men picking up protein shakes who seem to hog all the p&c spaces at my local Sainsbury’s.

You are a parent with child.... just not out of the womb yet. I don't think you were being totally unreasonable given the context and circumstances. I know it's not technically right but surely somebody could cut you some slack in this instance.

Completely agree! In real terms they are helpful to avoid a kid banging theirs into the adjacent parked car once you get over the stage of physically lifting a baby baby seat out. I really can’t get worked up at pg people using them … show a bit of compassion people - as others have said, they are not an entitlement like disabled spaces, they are a courtesy to help and let’s face it, circumstances such as the OP are entirely valid (and certainly beat the majority of random people that park in them having a faggggg while
waiting for their partner to shop).

Meadowhall have now implemented a age restriction on p&c spots and you have to apply for a permit for them. 🤯

Don't worry about it - a reasonable decision in the circumstances. The woman who intervened WBU.

I can’t believe some responses. P&C spaces aren’t protected like blue badge spaces. Park there as much as you want.

Wouldn't bat an eyelid at this. It's the rows of high end luxury, often very large, cars with no kids in at all that bother me.

I think it's ok for you to use and I wouldn't have challenged you either. I never challenge anyone because you never know who might actually have a valid reason. I assume most people do have a good reason to park in those spaces. So yes, I think, it's fine but please remember to extend the same courtesy to others and to accept that they have a reason as well that is probably equally valid to yours.

I think it's fine for you to park there under the circs. Forget about her.

You are a mother and child. The spaces don't specify that the baby has to be born. Don't sweat it OP, it's not the end of the world. Hope your arse daggers improve soon!

Sometimes I wonder if my view of the UK is disproportionately skewed by what I read on Mumsnet.

As someone not from the UK and one who doesn't live there, I find it mind boggling when people suggest they can't take their kids out of school to attend the wedding of a close family member because the school won't allow it, or they are worried about asking permission, or they'll have to pay a fine. It's such an alien concept to me.

But then I read this thread, any my mind is blown. What the fuck is wrong with some people? Parent and child spaces are a courtesy, not a legal right. Like others have indicated, there is no governance of them, no badge requirement, etc.

The OP had a need that not everyone has. A space was available that met the OPs need, at no cost to anyone else. Yet, so many here, and the batshit busybody in the car park, pile on because it says the space must lay in waiting ready to accept an as yet unseen and unknown parent with a child in tow.

As he got older, my Dad, whilst not eligible for a blue badge, found getting in and out if the car a lot easier with the extra space a P&C space provided. He benefitted from being closer to the door and not having to negotiate a trolley through a car park. Not once in about 5 years of doing that here was he ever challenged. Some people would even offer to help him when they saw he'd parked there. Do you know why? Because not everyone's an asshole.

Stop being assholes to people who need a bit of extra support every now and then. A sign doesn't make it okay to not use common sense. And a sign certainly doesn't make it okay to abandon empathy.

It's up to store owners who uses them, they aren't legally enforceable, ignore the entitled parent brigade

Ignore the silly bint and carry on.

As a one off I wouldn't worry about it 🙂

Sainsbury’s confirmed pregnant women can use the spaces so everyone’s opinion on wether it’s appropriate is irrelevant

Parent and child spaces are not protected parking spaces. As far as I’m concerned anyone that wants to can park there.

Your are a parent with a child so I think you are perfectly entitled to use those spaces. There are normally loads free anyway, and SUV drivers seem to think they can park there whether they have their children with them or not purely because their cars are too wide to easily park in the normal spaces. That's a seperate issue but the point is, you have more reason to park there than most so that woman should have kept her thoughts to herself unless she wants to challenge every person she ever sees parking in them without babies/toddlers in tow.

Definitely use them and don't give it a second thought, OP.