Snapped in the parent and child parking

[seize]

Juggling my 3 month old from their baby carrier trying to get them into the car seat, a car pulls in and asks me to close my door, while I’m halfway into getting my baby in their seat.

Out hops a child in school uniform about 10 years old, not help needing any help to get out, my face must have had an expression of surprise. Someone in need of this space being asked to stop what they’re doing to allow someone not in need of the space to use it. The adult said “ignorant” loudly at me. So I snapped back, “these spaces are for people with babies and children that need help getting in and out, they aren’t for older children” she snaps something back at me about not knowing how old their child is (the one that is in school uniform, fairly tall, that needed no help getting out and is now safely stood in a car park without the adult needing to have them in their line of sight) and the bratty child screams “yeah!”.

I’ve had it with these spaces, they aren’t a convenience for people that happen to have a person under the age of 16 with them. They’re for people who genuinely need the help getting them in and out and need the extra space.

What a major fuss over nothing!

They were in the wrong being impatient whilst you were putting baby in the car seat but then you made yourself look bad by being just as narky and inconsiderate in return. Parent and child spaces are for anyone parking with a child in a car seat. This is upto 12yrs old as upto that age they use booster seats depending on height and weight obviously. So voted you as unreasonable for being just as judgemental as she was and being just as inconsiderate.

Yes exactly what would have wound me up. The fact they not only expected you to move instantly with a 3 month old but then had the audacity to call you ignorant. I guess my response would be yes you really are ignorant - can you not see I’m trying to get a baby in the car? Do you always go around harassing mothers with small children like this? Shame on you.

Oh an MN classic.
We had 'the poo knife' references in a thread a few days ago too!!

Oh an MN classic.
We had 'the poo knife' references in a thread a few days ago too!!

This would only piss the OP off even more.. UK carseat laws are that children must be in car seats until either they reach 12 years old or 135cm in height, whichever comes first

Irrelevant comment here but once I was unloading the pram and handling my two young children, using up the next space next to mine (there wasn't parent and child spaces) and there was plenty of other available spaces and an elderly couple pulled up along side me and told me to move. Despite there being at least 20 other parking options for them.

Our local Tesco p&c spaces, seem to be filled with dickhead, able bodied men in their 20s - 40s on a semi-regular basis. Normally they are driving BMWs 😒

But being in a car seat or booster as an older child doesn’t mean you need the the extra room, if everyone with a child under 12 parked in them then there would never be a space for a parent with a baby or toddler to use them. And they are the ones that need them.

A older child that can, follow instructions, slip out the opened door and back in and climb into their seat to buckle it up and stand patiently while waiting in the car park, doesn’t need them just because they don’t sit directly in a car seat.

I'm definitely parking in a P&C space tomorrow while my kids are all in childcare! Get a grip.

See this is a situation where someone can yell “ignorant”

On a side note, if someone's being rude to me and I don't want to do what they're saying or have to deal with them, I sometimes pretend I'm German and don't understand what they're saying. I took German at GCSE, and although I don't remember most of it, have enough to sound convincing to your average impatient twat at Tesco.

But....

you'd have had to juggle getting your child out whoever parked next to you!

You get one space. Not one and two either side!

So it wouldn't have made any difference if the child getting out was 12 or a mum getting out a 12 week old baby. In fact an older child is going to take up less space than an adult juggling a baby in a car seat.

Calm down.

You got your space. It wasn't a case of someone with no child at all getting the only remaining child space.

All of the signs I've seen around these parts say children under 4 or 6. I have almost 4 year old twins and a 7 year old and my kids are perfectly capable of getting in and out of normal spaces in most car parks (only one around here has ridiculously small spaces and I struggle to buckle them in even if we are all parked perfectly)

12 is an absolutely pisstake unless the child is a flight risk or needs extra space/help due to disability. People are selfish though and so entitled

The ones near is allow both doors to be opened. There's nothing wrong with a parent and child using the space that is what they are for.

Oh come on, that’s not a justification for using a parent and child space. You just remind them not to…like everybody else and if they can’t be trusted then leave the child lock on and let them out yourself.
Op you were not in the wrong here, she was a little bit entitled to use the space but no biggie…definitely a dick for expecting you to move out of her way whilst trying to sort a tiny baby out and then worst of all to call you ignorant…that will have been a guilty conscience talking.

You have no idea of the other family's needs. There could be zillions of reasons why they parked there.

Honestly, some parents are so entitled these days.
When mine were babies there was no such thing a parent spaces , we just had to manage and we did.

The issue here is not really whether the other parent deserved to use the space with their ten year old. That’s what people keep commenting on by whether she was or wasn’t isn’t the point really. The issue is how rude she was in asking you to shut your door when you were clearly trying to get your baby into the car. That is beyond obnoxious and you should have pulled her up on that by saying ‘you can see I’m trying to get my baby into the car, I will shut it as soon as I can’ rather than getting caught up in the rest of it.

I have never ever seen any ages next to these spaces.

At me?

It varies between carparks. Several near here clearly state parent and pram rather than child. They have a pram instead of a parent and child stick people. They are definitely not for 12 year olds. Plus our local shopping centre states under 5 on signage.

Unless there are special needs, no 5 year old even needs it.

they are parent and child space the parent did nothing wrong s the parent had a child with her so therefore able to park in parent and child spaces ok she should not have asked you to close door but other then that

It isn't. Do you have 5 doors or 3? 3 doors and a car seat in the back mean you need more space for the door to open and a child to get out safely.

I've never had a problem opening doors when the car next to me is also opening doors. And honestly I just find it hilarious that people think it's self-centred to use spaces within the guidelines that the store has given. I don't care at all what additional policing or morality random people have decided should apply to them.

I never bothered with the parent and child space. There was always some drama like this.

I found it much easier to park in the spaces quite far from the door with no other cars around me. It was much easier to take my time, get what I need from the car and sort baby and toddler and walk for a minute.
Much less stressful, no anger and i didnt even notice or care who was in the parking bays.
I honestly don't know why other parents don't do this.

Mind you, I also had nothing to moan about on MN.