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?

Tbh I don't see why we have P&C spaces, we never had them when I was kid and parents managed just fine. Now parking in a disabled space without a blue badge pisses me right off and I see it far too often, especially at the hospital and when my husband used to pick me up after work,I would wait right in front of the disabled spaces because that's where he would park with my badge to help me in and out of the car. My husband claims he has used P&C before when called out his response was 'it doesn't say i have to have them with me.' and he also told me his Dad used one when he was young adult and said 'I am a parent and this is my son it does not specify an age'.

Also, having caused the situation in the first place, I do wonder how they would have reacted had you the guts to say "you are right, I'm really sorry" instead of telling them to have a good day and laughing at them. I think your reaction really do highlight how entitled you can be. Hopefully this is a lesson learnt for you.

They should all get jobs with the local council, blooming jobsworths!!!!!!!

Nearly everyone commenting has missed the actual illegal part, the op was harassed and verbally assaulted, now I know most mns find it hard to get butter to melt in their mouths, but when are people going to say no to anti social behaviour, verbal intimidation and actual law breaking, rather than an inconvenience? Or is that too much to ask for?

Im heavily pregnant with 2 under 5's already. P&C spaces dont have extra boot space. They have extra space at the sides because you have to get a child out a car seat and in order to do so sometimes you have to open passenger door fully. Certainly to get a Doona out you need to open it fully. Not 2 or 3 fucking inches like some people only give you. Ive had to actually leave my newborn baby NEXT to my car in order to move the car to open the door to get back in because a cunt has parked to close to me as I couldnt get in a p&c space.
So yes id have thought you a cunt, but id have also given you the benefit of the doubt and moved on with my day.
That level of carrying on in front of a child is horrendous, hopefully a one off. Who knows what kind of day they'd had and what issues they may have been facing.

I don't think they tackle men, especially work men.

"A right to feel upset and angry" that a stranger had used a parking space when there were loads of free ones? This seems so ridiculously extreme.

Waste police time because someone got mad at someone in a parent and child spot? They didn’t threaten or touch op so what should she say…. Someone shouted at me

I used them for a while after having surgery on my knee, which meant I had to open my door as wide as it would go to get in and out of the car. It wasn't doable in a normal space.

No-one ever challenged me on it.

You can't harass people and act aggressively. A pcso might just knock on their door and have a word. Let's face it they do it for far less nowadays.

It's definitely a term of endearment where I come from in Scotland.

I would say they were also upset and angry after the O.P told them to have a good day! Thats incredibly goading behaviour. She could have just ignored and driven off or even said stop abusing me etc but saying have a good day is very goading...

You were completely entitled

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

They said some very rude things to her, they’re lucky all she said in retaliation was a breezy ‘have a good day’.

Obviously it was designed to annoy them, but I guess you won’t be feeling that charitable to people once they’ve said all that and in front of their child too.

Eta: Do you think saying “stop abusing me” would have helped the situation either? I don’t see that it would. This couple are out of control and OP knew she couldn’t stop them, instead she gave them a subtle dig back which is fair enough since two people were being aggressive and abusive to a woman on her own which is appalling.

A case of 'When Idiots Collide'.

Meh. Depends where you were. If it was IKEA you’re totally justified, as my local IKEA has almost an equal number of P&C and normal spaces, and if you don’t want to park in one of the hundreds of P&C spaces (that I’ve never seen full, even when I worked there most days for 2 years), you have to park on a different floor of the car park, and I’m just not good/safe enough to steer a loaded, heavy trolley through a car park, in a lift and then through another car park to get to my car.

Did you read the op? They gave her all that (goading) shit before she told them to have a lovely day.

There were plenty free and they got a space themselves. They should not have approached you and what saddos

I wouldn't have antagonised her further. She was irrational and angry, however I think it would be better to ignore her.

I can't believe some of these responses. Ok, you were wrong to use the P&C space. But they were utterly and completely out of order, good lord. They sound deranged. Their poor child, having to witness that.

It is wrong, on the basis that you do not own that land and that the people who do have VERY clearly sign posted and marked that it is only for use by certain people. Parking in P&C without a valid reason is technically (if you want to get very legally specific) trespassing. There’s a reason you’ll get ticketed and fined if caught.

Everything you said there is wrong.

Happens to us all pregnant or not

YANBU parking in the P&C spot, they are not legally enforceable.

YABU in your passive aggressive response. It's not big and it's not clever. You are lucky you didn't escalate the situation further.

Ask staff for assistance if needed instead of parking in spots reserved for those more in need.

If I can manage that I'm sure you can manage to drag your trolley full of tat from B&M or whatever a bit further across the car park too.

Awww, always lovely to see the full on MN snobbery is still thriving.
Sadly we cannot all afford to shop at Selfridges so of us are forced to slum it in the likes of B&M or whatever 🙄.

So not to fully miss the point of the thread, you both behaved like dicks OP, so I would say that it's honours even.

There’s literally a board on MN dedicated to criticising the way people speak….