Parents with children bays

[ldnstb123]

LONG POST ALERT!!

Just wanted a general opinion from pregnant women/mums on the 'rules' of parking in the bays reserved for parents with children with more space and easier access to shops as I had a horrible experience today and just was curious to know what people think in general...

I completely respect that these parking bays are reserved for parents with children, I assumed this was also for pregnant women who struggle to get out of cars in tight spaces due to their bumps or if they have any conditions that make it painful for them to walk etc long distance across car parks...

Today after doing 4 laps of the Tesco car park I saw an empty bay for parent & child so I decided to park there... I am heavily pregnant and have been having trouble walking for the last 4 weeks with a constant ache in my lower abdomen whenever I walk, in Tesco I am approached by a large man in his 40s and was looked up and down and told that it was considerate of me to park in a bay for parents and children as he wanted to park in my space... he was very aggressive and rude and quite frankly he was quite intimidating he was a big guy... I replied explaining I was heavily pregnant as he could see and am struggling to walk so yes I parked in the space! He then proceeded to shout at me that I was a stupid prick and he doesn't give a fuck if I am pregnant, with this I turned round and replied why is a full grown able walking man like yourself with your child who looks about 15/16 more entitled to that space then me! I was disgusted, he then again repeated I was a stupid prick and then proceeded to call me a fucking 'slag' (this was being shouted at high volume) I was mortified and embarrassed everybody was looking nobody bothered interfering.. I was in such shock and Disgust I put my basket down and walked out of the shop crying out of pure anger and embarrassment.

Why is this man and his older child (as mentioned about 15 years old) more entitled to these bays then me a heavily pregnant woman struggling in pain, am I being deluded or does anyone else think these spaces should be allowed also for pregnant women ???

Thanks

They should be allowed to be used by anyone with mobility problems who would benefit from them.

Many supermarkets have an upper limit for the children in these spaces (Sainsbury’s is 12).

Most shops have an age 'limit' of course without knowing a person we dont know of their 'older child' has any learning disabilities or similar.... but yes these bays are also for pregnant women and apparently it's just down to the individual stores for this rule. When I go shopping without my kids I try and park further towards the back of the carpark so I have space to get out the car... 28 weeks big bump and in constant pain! I always find I come back and someone has parked rite at the side of me 🙈 but when the carpark isnt really busy I do park in the parent/child spaces normally around school times as it's so much easier just ignore ignorant people x

I don't think you're in the wrong at all. You just happened to encounter a horrible human being. Don't doubt your reasons, this man was not someone you could have had a sensible conversation with. Sorry to hear about your experience, hope you're able to ignore it and not let it upset you too much x

I have no problem with a pregnant woman parking in a mother and child bay. Those last couple of months can be tough and they are probably more in need of using the space than someone with an older child who is fully capable of getting out the car in a normal space.

A 'large' man

Of course, any average type man wouldn't fit with your angle here!

I'm of the don't give a fuck angle.

It's a parking space.

You are in the right.
The space is made for people like you - and unless the 15 year old has SEND, he probably shouldn't be using it anymore. He isn't a child anymore really - why does he need to park nearer the shop?
The man was very abusive - is there anybody you could complain to? Shop management? Not that they can do anything, but might make you feel better. Next time I would go up to customer service or a security guard right away and say what just happened. They might be able to put things right.

Hopefully never a 'next time' actually

I would go back to Tesco, make a complaint, and demand they review cctv footage and contact the police or at least ban the abusive prick. But having said that I would have done that there and then in front of the guy and not run off.

I wouldn't think anything of a pregnant woman parking in these spaces, there's not many parent child spaces in our local supermarket and I see people parking in them all the time without children, or people will be parked in there with a child in the car but only one person gets out and does the shopping so the other person is just sat in the car with a child! Really winds me up but I definitely wouldn't think anything seeing a pregnant person getting out. I've struggled getting out of the car before in a tight space and my bump isn't even that big, and a lot of women suffer with aches and pains in pregnancy too so they could really do with being that bit closer to the shop