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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

People who park in child and parent spaces when they don't have kids.

245 replies

Fortheloveofpurple · 16/02/2026 12:22

Does this annoy anyone else? I personally don't care about the distance from the shop but I need the room to get my kids out of the car. And when I say when they don't have kids I mean they don't have them with them or a disabled badge or anything. Where I am from it happens so regularly. It makes me so mad 🙈😂

OP posts:
brightbevs · 16/02/2026 17:06

nomas · 16/02/2026 16:57

I think I get annoyed because I am a mum running around doing things for others.

You’re no busier than anyone else.

lol how the hell do you know that?

BlackCat14 · 16/02/2026 17:07

It angers me too.
If I’m with my partner it’s not so bad having to go in a normal space, as one of us can reverse out the space whilst the other gets the baby and his car seat. But when I’m on my own and there’s no parent and child spaces, and I go in a normal bay, I’m fucked if someone parks next to me as I really struggle to get the car seat in. If I was struggling with this and happened to see someone without kids using a parent and child space, I’d be fuming.

BertSymptom · 16/02/2026 17:07

Megifer · 16/02/2026 13:47

Cool, I'd be so embarassed though at being so incompetent I pranged a car that was parked normally 😩 its like proper stereotypical helpless woman cant even open a car door. Cringe.

You say helpless woman but the male father of my children is no more capable of getting a toddler out of a car seat when you can’t open the car door more than a few centimetres wide without touching the car next to you than I am. And you should hear how annoyed he gets at having to drive round a packed car park of a weekend trying to find a space where the door can open fully because someone without kids has just taken the last Parent & Child space. It’s like proper stereotypical thinking only the mum’s are doing the supermarket shop with babies and toddlers. Cringe.

Wingingit11 · 16/02/2026 17:12

MindYourUsage · 16/02/2026 16:46

@Pumpkinmagic you are being very very nasty: "Disabled with out a badge? Bollocks. I have seen it so many times, whilst there are disabled spaces. Just selfish morons."

I am caring for my mum at the moment, we don't know what is wrong with her but she suddenly lost the use of her legs and started having painful muscle spasms. She can sort of walk again now, but her bones are shattering for seemingly no reason and her nerves are still being weird, the bumps in the road are excruiciating for her despite her high doses of morphine and anti-spasmatic drugs. Whatever is going on, whether it is forever or not, she won't qualify for PIP because we are not on the breadline, and she owns a house that she lives in. Why is that relevant you ask? Because blue badges are linked to PIP where we are. Not on a PIP = no blue badge. Means testing is expensive, so they just tied to to something that is already means tested. Easier to administer the whole thing that way, you see.

She doesn't want to go out of the house very much, she has become a shell of herself in the space of six months. I have nearly convinced her to come to the garden centre for a cup of tea. I will absolutely park in one of the P&C spots which are closer to the door. To hell with nasty folk like you not really understanding what life is like for people like this. I hope you never have to understand first-hand, I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy, but I do hope you can discover some empathy. You should be ashamed of yourself.

Edited

@MindYourUsage so sorry to hear that: completely agree that is a need whereas parenting is not.

Megifer · 16/02/2026 17:21

BertSymptom · 16/02/2026 17:07

You say helpless woman but the male father of my children is no more capable of getting a toddler out of a car seat when you can’t open the car door more than a few centimetres wide without touching the car next to you than I am. And you should hear how annoyed he gets at having to drive round a packed car park of a weekend trying to find a space where the door can open fully because someone without kids has just taken the last Parent & Child space. It’s like proper stereotypical thinking only the mum’s are doing the supermarket shop with babies and toddlers. Cringe.

I assumed the poster I was replying to was a woman. So your comment that I assumed its only women who do the shop is totally wrong, and irrelevant.

Its great how his vision is so enhanced it enables him to see exactly who has taken the last p&c space whilst he is circling the car park endlessly.

Your comment that "i should hear how annoyed he gets" suggests youre in the car with him. Id just send him on his own in future then he wont need to worry about a p&c space.

I dont want to hear how annoyed Random Man gets btw 😆

Sirzy · 16/02/2026 17:28

MindYourUsage · 16/02/2026 16:46

@Pumpkinmagic you are being very very nasty: "Disabled with out a badge? Bollocks. I have seen it so many times, whilst there are disabled spaces. Just selfish morons."

I am caring for my mum at the moment, we don't know what is wrong with her but she suddenly lost the use of her legs and started having painful muscle spasms. She can sort of walk again now, but her bones are shattering for seemingly no reason and her nerves are still being weird, the bumps in the road are excruiciating for her despite her high doses of morphine and anti-spasmatic drugs. Whatever is going on, whether it is forever or not, she won't qualify for PIP because we are not on the breadline, and she owns a house that she lives in. Why is that relevant you ask? Because blue badges are linked to PIP where we are. Not on a PIP = no blue badge. Means testing is expensive, so they just tied to to something that is already means tested. Easier to administer the whole thing that way, you see.

She doesn't want to go out of the house very much, she has become a shell of herself in the space of six months. I have nearly convinced her to come to the garden centre for a cup of tea. I will absolutely park in one of the P&C spots which are closer to the door. To hell with nasty folk like you not really understanding what life is like for people like this. I hope you never have to understand first-hand, I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy, but I do hope you can discover some empathy. You should be ashamed of yourself.

Edited

You should without doubt be using P and C spaces.

butdo apply for PIP for her, it isn’t means tested and like you said can often be a gateway benefit. Also look at applying for a blue badge anyway as they are available to people who don’t get higher mobility if they meet the critiera

FreshInks · 16/02/2026 17:32

I always work on the basis that you never know what is going on in a persons life and therefore you can never really label their behaviour as self etc.

brightbevs · 16/02/2026 18:07

Frenchfrychic · 16/02/2026 16:51

I don’t judge as you don’t know the full story.

i had some lunatic woman waiting at the car park outside markies once, when i parked uo she came rushing over angrily telling me I couldn’t park there It was parent and child only.

I was parked there as I was walking down to get my child from nursery, and then going into markies on the way back. It was a nice day and I was happy to do the walk. I also had a child seat in the back, that if she’d been less intent on her fury she’d have spotted.

I think people need to stop policing these spaces. Yes it’s annoying if it’s abused by someone, but no one is entitled snd before they existed we all managed to get our shopping done.

“No one is entitled”

Actually, people with children travelling with them are entitled. That’s literally why they have an adult and a child painted on them, and signs. They dictate who is entitled.

You were parking there legitimately and shouldn’t have been bollocked for it, but IMO there’s nothing wrong with asking someone “do you have children with you?”.

Mysterian · 16/02/2026 18:26

Maybe the kids are in the boot?

BananaPeels · 16/02/2026 18:37

I have always said parents and child spaces should be at the back of the carpark with a safe path to the store. That way you get the benefits of the extra door space but won’t have the issue of people parking in them who just want to nip into the store.

as it happens I don’t think I ever used them myself. Not sure why but we always found a space elsewhere that we could use easily.

Fortheloveofpurple · 16/02/2026 18:44

Mysterian · 16/02/2026 18:26

Maybe the kids are in the boot?

🙈😂

OP posts:
Fortheloveofpurple · 16/02/2026 19:05

BananaPeels · 16/02/2026 18:37

I have always said parents and child spaces should be at the back of the carpark with a safe path to the store. That way you get the benefits of the extra door space but won’t have the issue of people parking in them who just want to nip into the store.

as it happens I don’t think I ever used them myself. Not sure why but we always found a space elsewhere that we could use easily.

This would be so nice! Away from the hussle and bussle of the front door!

OP posts:
MindYourUsage · 16/02/2026 19:06

Sirzy · 16/02/2026 17:28

You should without doubt be using P and C spaces.

butdo apply for PIP for her, it isn’t means tested and like you said can often be a gateway benefit. Also look at applying for a blue badge anyway as they are available to people who don’t get higher mobility if they meet the critiera

Been googling this PM. She is over state pension age (70) so she cannot have PIP. PIP is only for people under 65.

The only other thing would be attendance allowance. But since she can hobble to her downstairs bathroom and back for a wash, she doesn't qualify for that. Attendance allowance doesn't care for if someone's mobility problem restricts them being able to leave their house or not. Bleugh!

The book about Being a Carer that I'm reading calls this "Officaldom"! That feels right!

XenoBitch · 16/02/2026 19:13

MindYourUsage · 16/02/2026 19:06

Been googling this PM. She is over state pension age (70) so she cannot have PIP. PIP is only for people under 65.

The only other thing would be attendance allowance. But since she can hobble to her downstairs bathroom and back for a wash, she doesn't qualify for that. Attendance allowance doesn't care for if someone's mobility problem restricts them being able to leave their house or not. Bleugh!

The book about Being a Carer that I'm reading calls this "Officaldom"! That feels right!

Edited

You do not need to be on PIP or AA to have a BB. Her GP can write a supporting letter to help with a BB application.

SeriousTissues · 16/02/2026 19:14

I had a friend who parked in one to visit the toilet on the way home from work. She had cancer and when she had to go, she had to go. This was the nearest space to the supermarket and the car park wasn’t full. She was berated on her return by a mum in another P&C space - who had two teenagers sitting in the car 🙄

Thankfully, I rarely needed to use a P&C space and would always look for a convenient spot that wasn’t one. Yes, there are people who abuse them, but you really don’t know what people are going through.

HVPRN · 16/02/2026 19:31

Yes, bothers me sometimes. Single able bodied man sauntered out of a Lidl one the other day. I had to go to end of car park, hoist out a toddler, I’m very pregnant with sciatica and that day had a heavy trolley to push further. It’s just a courtesy to leave them free for someone who needs it more than you. Prior to pregnancy, I parked wherever with my toddler.

Fortheloveofpurple · 16/02/2026 20:55

I would just like to point out that I have never shouted at anyone using a parking space. I was just annoyed today! (And to be fair every other time that I've seen it, it has bugged me). However I understand that some people have extenuating circumstances and I am usually the person who tries to find a space not near the door because I like to get my steps in. Anyway! Thank you for the input 🤗.

OP posts:
NoSoupForU · 16/02/2026 21:03

Couldn't give a single iota of fuck about who parks in spaces which only exist as a marketing tool.

What do you do if you drive into a car park and all the parent and child spaces are taken by parents with children? Whatever you do then, just do that and probably find a better way to waste your time than checking if someone has a blue badge on display in a parent and child space.

UnhappyHobbit · 16/02/2026 21:16

I was horrified when my friend parked in one with a 10 year old. They’re for younger kids surely not fully grown kids who don’t need extra room to get out the car.

Avantiagain · 16/02/2026 21:19

"I always wonder why people are trudging to walk around a supermarket if they don’t have the ability to walk from the parking space to the door.
Wouldn’t an online shop or someone going for him be a much better solution for someone so ill?"

He is a grown adult. He can decide for himself what he wants to do and what is best for him.

mondaytosunday · 16/02/2026 21:39

I don’t really think anything but my sister has a disabled child and gets annoyed when people use disabled spaces when picking up a takeout order which seems to happen a lot.
I get a bit peeved when I go to Waitrose to pick up a click and collect and people are parked in the designated bays who are obviously not clicking and collecting but going inside to shop. But I would say I’m ‘mildly annoyed’, and once I leave the parking lot it does not occupy any part of my brain.

Pumpkinmagic · 17/02/2026 09:17

Itsmetheflamingo · 16/02/2026 12:38

Or maybe they’re a calmer more rational person?!

Edited

I don’t think people aren’t calm or rational about the situation. But it does clearly affect a lot of people and makes their day to day life more difficult. I think a lot of people just can’t understand the thought process of someone using one of these spaces when they don’t have a reason to because most people can follow rules. Another poster mentioned there have been several posts about this issue.

blazejm · 17/02/2026 09:29

I use them sometimes if all the disabled bays are taken as I’m disabled .

LadyKenya · 17/02/2026 09:34

blazejm · 17/02/2026 09:29

I use them sometimes if all the disabled bays are taken as I’m disabled .

I have done the same thing. There are just not enough disabled parking spaces, in the town, where I live.

Pumpkinmagic · 17/02/2026 09:37

Wingingit11 · 16/02/2026 17:12

@MindYourUsage so sorry to hear that: completely agree that is a need whereas parenting is not.

You and your Mum aren’t the issue and not what this is aimed at. I think you have misunderstood my comment or perhaps I did not explain it well enough. The frustration is people saying they are disabled, I forgot to display my badge when this is not true and they are lying and have no disability whatsoever (yes I am very aware of hidden disabilities). Most people get frustrated when the spaces designated for them to use cannot be used not because they are genuinely full but because people are using them when they have no reason to. I am sorry to hear about your Mum. My elderly relative doesn’t get pip and has recently got a blue badge. I hope you are soon able to get one to make your life easier.