What is with childless people parking in family spots!!!

[Asher09]

I have a toddler and a baby - so thats 2 car seats and a double pram. I genuinly need a fair bit of space when parking and recently I've seen so many people without children parking in the family spots - its so frustrating!

Surely family spots are there for a reason - they're closer to entrances and allow more space to get in and out. Its so helpful to a parent!
When inconsiderate people park there without thinking it leaves me driving around with a screaming toddler and a crying baby trying to find a decent spot where I have some room - some car parks have such narrow spots its impossible to get my kids in and out without hitting a car.

I've caught some people in the act, and have confonted them 'Hey I think you've left your kids in the car' but no one thinks they sre doing anything wrong or should move.

I think family spots should have the same rules as disabled spots. Just don't know how that would be implimented.

Yes, but you know as well as I do that her comparison was along the lines of ‘these spaces are for a designated group so should be protected’ not ‘being a parent is as hard as being disabled’. You know that, as do all posters, but… you see an opportunity to berate OP, you go for it. That seems to be the approach.

But that would remove one of the explicit purposes of P&C parking.

They reasons they are where they are is to reduce the distance small dc have to navigate around moving cars. Especially reversing cars and cars so tall they can't see small dc. Parents frequently have multiple children. One in a pram and one or two walking. Or a shopping cart and one or two walking.

It's a hazard.

No, that’s not remotely how her comparison in her Op came across at all to many.

also amusing that “berating” the Op for offensive comparisons is wrong, but ok for you to berate people for having a different opinion.

Hilarious hypocrisy on here at times

All parking spaces should be at least 30% wider. Even if that means fewer spaces available. Cars (and baby equipment for that matter) have all massively ballooned in size but car parks haven’t taken that into account. I say P&C style spaces for all !

Depends on the car park. Our local tesco has plenty space to do this. The one in the next town has other shops so you really struggle sometimes to find a space.
Our aldi spades are massive but it's a newer shop so maybe going forward wider spaces will be built.

In my day you just squashed the wean in the footwell and got on with it. No need for dramatic big safety seats.

"kitsuneghost · Today 09:40

In my day you just squashed the wean in the footwell and got on with it. No need for dramatic big safety seats."

😂

Don’t be silly. I’m not berating people for having a different opinion. If I’m doing any berating it’s of people being unnecessarily aggressive to OP.

If you want to pick holes in every OP looking for a ‘way in’ to tell them off, that’s your prerogative. But don’t be surprised if people see it for what it is.

Our local Tesco has started issuing fines so YANBU

Helfs · Today 09:54

Our local Tesco has started issuing fines so YANBU

Good. More places should.

So it is for you to berate to berate people if you don’t agree with them

Enjoy your berating and patronising. You’re very good at both it seems. And likewise, people can see that for what it is.

Before they existed?

…I’m sure people did cope, when cars were fewer, cars were smaller, spaces were larger, and you could get a bottle of ginger beer and a caramac and still have half a crown left to buy some johnnies. times have changed. Not least because we now have something called ‘Health and Safety’ which means Isofix, and car-seats the size of a fucking armchair.
So you can be nostalgic for the good old days, when your children didn’t even have to wear seatbelts, but those days are gone.. It’s partly the reason why there are more of these kids making it to adulthood.

In Germany and South Korea, China and Indonesia they even have women's only parking spaces close to the every with better lighting. For safety. Bet that blows your mind

Telling people with kids they should just suck it up and shop online is outrageous.

Is it OK to tell very old people with limited mobility the same thing? Because that’s happened on this thread.

Well as a major aspect of them is to reduce the distance for small children to walk amongst giant vehicles reversing who can't see them, it would kind of make them partly pointless. If a parent has a baby on one arm, pushing a shopping trolley with a wonky wheel with the other and trying to manage two under 5s wandering about next to them it makes sense to reduce the likelihood of someone in a giant 4x4 reversing into them would you say?

The ableism that is generally rife on MN is absolutely rife on this thread

"BIossomtoes · Today 10:07

Telling people with kids they should just suck it up and shop online is outrageous.

Is it OK to tell very old people with limited mobility the same thing? Because that’s happened on this thread."

No of course it isn't. But it hasn't been said by me. I've only seen it on here once (but TBF I haven't read every single post - there's loads) in response to someone else suggesting thats what parents should do. In a works both ways sort of fashion.

The ableism that is generally rife on MN is absolutely rife on this thread

Absolutely agree 100%. So many people showing their belief that young children are less important than the rest of society.

The minimising of ableism when you know very well what was being meant just make the point tbh.

very crass.

That’s not ableism.

Right. Now I see why you were determined to misinterpret OP’s first post and why you’ve gone for me.

I genuinely don’t think OP was being ableist. I’ve checked again and she said there should be rules to protect the purpose of the spaces, as there is with disabled spaces. At no point did she say those spaces were of the same level of importance.

Subsequent posters have said that in their local supermarket the p&c spaces are protected with a system of fines. So there you go.

Supporting rights for the disabled doesn’t mean you have to despise parents of young children and begrudge them any little way of making life easier.

So, YABU to think they are similar to disabled spots. I have a disabled father and it is impossible for him to use regular parking spots. We can manage regular parking with toddler.

YANBU to express annoyance because it is frustrating when selfish dick take the spaces. It is another example of the shooting trolley theory. An indicator of a kind person, doing something you don't have to do out of consideration for someone else.

"Supporting rights for the disabled doesn’t mean you have to despise parents of young children and begrudge them any little way of making life easier."

This. With bells on.

FWIW I fully support rights for disabled people. I don't expect a medal for that it's just called being a decent human being. It doesn't mean I can't also support other groups too.
If you don't have a blue badge then don't park in a disabled space. If you don't have young kids (or a disability) don't park in a p and c spaces. Simple.
And I support fines being given out to people who take the piss.

I didn’t go for you, I replied to your post. Now you’re being silly.

Her suggestion they deserve equal legal protection did say that she thinks they are of equal importance.

supermarkets issuing fines is not remotely the same as legally protecting p&c spaces the same as disabled spaces, which was the OP’s suggestion.

Why would I, a parent of 6 children including 2 young ones, despise parents of young children? Your assumption that anyone who disagrees with the OPs suggestion doesn’t have young children themselves says a lot

Your unwillingness to accept other people have, and are allowed, different opinions to you (backed up by your belief that it’s ok for you to berate people you think are being offensive to the Op, but not ok for anyone who found the Op to berate them) is quite tedious.

have a good day

whatthehelldowecare · Yesterday 08:25

I'm 7 months pregnant and on so many occasions recently have struggled to get back into my car in a normal space because someone's parked too close to me. I feel I need the extra space of parent and child now more than I will when the baby is here 😅 park in them guilt free”

So you should, you’re about as “parent and child” as it’s possible to be 😁

👍🏻