Called a "c*nt" in front of his kid over a P&C spot...

[SorryIParkedWrong]

Hi all,
Need a sanity check on an interaction I had yesterday that's still bothering me.
I used a Parent & Child spot yesterday at a quiet retail park. I know, technically wrong, but I was doing a massive haul for a house move and needed the boot space, and loads of other P&C spots were free so I wasn't leaving anyone without.
The issue happened when I got back to my car after shopping. I was in the driver's seat, engine on, and was just about to reverse out and leave.
A car pulled into the P&C space next to me. A woman got out with her young child and. She came right up to my window, which was cracked open, and said in a really aggressive tone, "You shouldn't be parked there."
Not wanting any drama or to explain my point to an emotionally enraged individual, I just said, "Ok," and put the car fully in reverse to leave. That's when she and the dad who appeared completely kicked off. Standing right by my car door, she launched into an absolute tirade.
She was shouting all sorts - "cunt," "fucking little shit," "look at your shit car," "fucking shit driving." All while her own young child stood there watching the whole thing.
I briefly stopped reversing, said through the window "I hope you have a lovely rest of your day," and then started to move again. She and her husband just kept going with the abuse, so I stopped the car again because I was just in disbelief. I looked at her and started laughing at the sheer absurdity and the level of her rage.
I know I shouldn't have used the spot. But AIBU to think her reaction was completely unhinged? Does my minor error give someone the right to hurl that level of personal, nasty abuse at a stranger, especially in front of their own child?
It honestly felt like she was just projecting all her life's problems onto me over a parking space. What do you think?

They do sound unhinged. And you sound entitled, antagonistic, and extremely unpleasant.

Fuck around and find out 🤷 If you behave antisocially then every now and then you'll meet your match.

she has mobility issues that are terrible some days, not so the next. It's the terrible days that we use the p&c spaces and will continue to do so.

@daffodildreamers not lego! That's evil 🧐🤣

Happily, Lego is not usually a hazard for people ineligible for a P&C space.

The supermarket that I go to has more p&c spaces and disabled spaces than regular spaces. They’re always about 70% empty as there’s so many of them. And if people don’t understand how it could give you extra boot space, the p&c ones at this supermarket don’t back onto any other spaces so it’s a lot easier to get a large trolley close by etc.
You provoked them with your laughing and have a lovely day etc, that was patronising but I assume with their aggression you reacted without thinking perhaps nervously.
I would never park in any of those spaces without being eligible personally, but their reaction was unhinged and I pity that child. I’m also curious just how shit your car is? That one did make me laugh 😂

As a parent I don’t park in a disabled space if there are no parent and child spaces; equally if there are no disabled spaces left I wouldn’t expect the user to use a parent and child space.

Of course you shouldn't use a disabled space if there are no P&C spaces & I would not object to a disabled person using a P&C space if it's busy. It really is not the same thing!

You and her both sound like deeply unpleasant people. You shouldn’t have parked there, you twice sought to inflame the situation with your snidely ‘ have a nice day’ comment and openly mockingly laughing at them.

Neither of you gave one shit about the small child watching this ( you wouldn’t have deliberately inflamed things if you did).

It’s not that hard at all, if it’s appropriate. I assisted with lots of applications for my patients and none of them were turned down

One of my parents has a blue badge. My friend couldn't get one for her mother who was dying of cancer...

How entitled are you ..!
As others have said..using a P&C space doesn't automatically stretch the size of your boot.
Maybe the lady was having a bad day and you were the last straw.
You might have thought she was deranged but you seem also a bit deranged...laughing at her.. 🙄

I get pretty vexed about wilful parking and driving infractions (middle age came for me), but these people obviously responded totally disproportionately. I think you coped really well with them actually.

As breaking parking rules goes, I find your rule breach pretty insignificant actually, as it was a quiet time so minimal/ no impact on others. With the caveat of course, that if everyone did it the whole system would break down.

IMO the parent and child spaces are much less important than disabled spaces, keeping pavements clear, and not parking in a way that disrupts traffic flow such that other road users (including child pedestrians and cyclists) are at increased risk of serious accidents. But people in general seem to care more about the parent and child spaces.

Why not though? If your situation is such that it's not possible for you to actually park at all if the P&C spaces are not free (i.e. heavily pregnant so literally cannot get in and out in a normal space, normal spaces too small to open the door enough to get a child in/out of a car seat). This isn't the case at every car park, but the ones where the regular spaces are small, I don't see why anybody should take precedent over another person if both would need an accomodation to be able to actually use the facility.

Technically if someone is in the car with their elderly parent that’s still a parent and child.

OP, I don’t think what you did sounds that bad but my DC are way past the age of having car seats etc. so maybe I’ve forgotten what that’s like. The couple sound completely deranged and probably had something else going on. Probably best to just forget about them and not park in the P&C space next time.

Any danger of using "were" after "you"?

She is not an entitled dick, she is a human being, worn out and stressed.
Anyone who thinks they should have parking places for them just because they have children could be construed as an entitled. My family were raised before they were a thing, and we managed.
akso, they are NOT exclusively for family use, it is a recommendation not a stipulation so please leave this lady alone
and clearly there were other places available.

This is all bonkers. P and C spaces are daft. No other country has them. Not necessary. They are a nicety in the uk. It is completely out of order to be rude to someone because they they have chosen not to play this stupid game.

On the other hand, people love to be superior so don't be surprised when someone has a go.

But clearly someone using that type of language is threatening. And using it in front of a child is very worrying, which was the OP's point.

@Fargo79 being pregnant is not the same as being disabled & disabled parking spaces are different to P&C ones...

Also, sometimes wonder how those spaces affect those with fertility issues, just another reminder of how this world revolves around families…,?

Technically if someone is in the car with their elderly parent that’s still a parent and child.

True!

People like you create a lot of tension in society. You had no right to park there. It was nasty of you to further escalate things by laughing. You remain entitled by starting this thread. And you haven’t yet come down off your horrible high horse.

It wasn’t an error, you purposely parked in a spot that you shouldn’t have. Was the reaction of the woman a bit much yes but had you not of parked there that wouldn’t have happened.

Technically if someone is in the car with their elderly parent that's still a parent and child

Good one 🤣
Only on Mumsnet...........

You shouldn’t have used the spot and you know that. But because you had a reason that you felt trumped anyone else’s need to use it, you did as you wished. These people called out on it. You said OK, told her to have a lovely day and then laughed at her…, not I’m sorry or any acknowledgement that you were as you describe “technically wrong”. You behaviour was just so dismissive. Obviously their response was disproportionate. They did the wrong thing. You did the wrong too though.

This is completely untrue - they are in many countries. We have them in New Zealand, Australia has them, the US has them.

OP you were completely unreasonable.

If there are no disabled spaces and the parent and child spaces are the next nearest to the entrance, I fully agree with disabled people using them. Why on earth shouldn't they? They need to be nearer to the store more than parents do.