To think that this Times article about selfish mothers is vile

[mumbot]

www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/janice_turner/article6916343.ece

A bitter and one sided view of motherhood. Do you agree?

I am glad that she is winning-it restores your faith in human nature!

no problem mumbot....

BC...deffo victory for J..

MN needs journos on here....if they left all we'd have is troll hunters and wankers.....(yawn yawn)

or huns talking motherhood and parenting

It's spot on.

YABU. The article is neither vile nor one-sided. Yes, she IS bitter, but not about motherhood.

JT is contrasting society's lack support and respect for the elderly with the sense of entitlement sometimes demonstrated by able-bodied young parents of healthy young children.

She is writing as a member of the sandwich generation - a daughter who has responsibility for caring for elderly disabled parents as well being as being a mother herself.

Presumably P&T spaces are near the door so they can double up as disabled spaces when necessary.

I agree that some parents have a lack of respect, as do some elderly people.
Very close to where I live babies are few and far between, people cannot afford to live in the area if they need anything larger than a 2 bed flat. Therefore when we do venture into town for a cafe treat or a bit of shopping I regularly have the door swung in my face, child who has been given a book to hold whilst i find my purse had it taken off her and told not to touch (purse went away and we left).
But people need to revisit the days when we all rely on each other, no woman is an island. And I feel this government over the last ten years has eroded that completely.

I suspect that P&T spaces are near the door partly so they can double as disabled spaces (especially where a protected walkway is provided), and partly in recognition of the fact that car parks aren't terribly safe places for little children, and it makes parents' lives a little easier if they have to wrangle them for a shorter distance.

I don't think there is anything wrong with that second part - parenting can be hard work and tiring, and I don't feel as if it deprives me of anything.

And mumbot appears to have got the whole point of AIBU totally wrong - she's not supposed to appreciate all the comments, even those disagreeing with her - sheesh, what is the world coming to!!!

Agree with the author. The whole world does not revolve around your baby.
Mine wobbles around our darling twins but I do not expect other people to feel the same way, about our darling twins that is.
So, YABU.

Fab article. so very very true.

I would have been more interested in knowing what Tescos did than it turning into a rant about parents, tbh.

And was it definately a parent who left the note?

Could just be anyone who saw the parents & thought there´s disabled parking, why should they be taking over parent spaces also.

I think the point I don't like about the article is that it assumes that we are all selfish harridens with no gratitude for the 'perks' motherhood affords us. I wouldn't say that being able to take children to restaurants, or take them on London transport was that much of a perk TBH, it's just bringing children up to enjoy their environment surely.

I'm sure when the mother who had to take her child and pushchair off of the bus had not bought the pushchair with the sole intention of pissing everyone off. I would assume that she didn't have a car so chose a larger pushchair to give her child a bit more comfort. I doubt that John Lewis told her that it wouldn't fit on a bus and that she thought 'oh f*ck it I'll just get it and block the aisle'. Obviously the driver was within his rights to ask her to get off, but really he should have asked her to wait for the next bus rather than letting her on and then putting her off again.

I do agree that children should not sit when an adult stands on a bus or a train, that's just good manners really.

good article YABU

PMSL @ PrincessToadstool!

Seems that the author took a look at her experience of motherhood and jealously contrasted it with mothers today: "motherhood has never been a bigger doddle".
Motherhood, is and always will be the same lifelong responsibility. Nothing can change that, although we all welcome education to aid more open minded and thoughtful behaviour. Whether as mothers travelling on the bus with children, or whoever we are.

There are experiences which reflect the other point of view but I do not "regard parenthood as akin to a disability";
Many of us have experienced the difficulties of 'entertaining' young children on the bus ride desperate to avoid the bored cries of our babies, because of the stress of receiving glares from the commuters who do not want to hear babies crying,
I have been told to leave art galleries - by other customers - when my DS did nothing more than exclaim with delight on seeing a colourful painting,
my best friend's 2 yr old DS was last month told to "shut the f* up" on the 'plane on a recent flight because he was crying.

In fact,motherhood these days comes as huge shock to many who have been told that women can Have It All and who suddenly realise that mothers today are very nearly the same as mothers around the world, and as mothers hundreds of years ago, because that 'job description' doesn't drastically change with the times.

I think the woman who wrote that article has a huge chip on her shoulder and personally I thought it was vile. I don't like the note and agree that she should be understandably upset for her parents but the rest is just a big rant and goes way too far imo

Not a vile article at all. Dominique, Janice Turner's children are not that old - fairly sure at least one is still primary age.

I did agree with most of it

I had to wait while a kid did a wee on her portable potty, right in front of the stuff I wanted to look at

The mum practically had the whole shop applauding

Agreed with the article.

P&T spaces are not a necessity, they are a nice to have. I'd actually suggest that supermarkets adjust the signage to state clearly that blue badge holders are permitted to use P&C spaces at any time.

So OP, you are actually being rude and VU.

Does anyone know if the note was written by a parent?

And if not, why would it be assumed that it had been?

'I think the woman who wrote that article has a huge chip on her shoulder and personally I thought it was vile.'

How strange! Where was the chip? What was vile? Why couldn't the person who left the note simply walked a little further? Apart from anything else she was wrong-a disabled person has the right to use the space if there are no disabled spaces. I had 3 young children long before anyone thought of special spaces-it was never a problem as I am quite capable of walking and controlling my DCs in a car park. A little extra space for the doors would have been appreciated but nothing more.

'Does anyone know if the note was written by a parent?'

Who else would be remotely bothered?