Not Much of a Role Model

My offspring all grown up and have left home now.

Many years ago, before the advent of reserved spaces for anyone, i had parked in the one available space near a wooded area. As I got back to the car with the 4 children, I noticed that the warden was just about to write a ticket for me. My return had been exactly on time which meant I would have been a couple of minutes late in getting them into the car.

Great time for a game for the 4 year old. He ran off into the woods. I was holding the baby in my arms as I fumbled for the key. Big girl (6) was despatched to find her brother. Younger sister (3) was noticed to be quietly vomiting into a bush.
The warden... a real jobsworth, started to write out his ticket even though the whole family had been back at the car on time.

I drove to the council offices to make a complaint to the head of department ( who had always deemed it fit to send me a personal Christmas card addressed to her 'friend') Don't think I'll let you off just because you know me she laughed.
I had to pay up and for several months afterwards found it preferable to drive to a less forbidding town to do my shopping.

I'm afraid people seem in general to be more and more selfish, thoughtless and inconsiderate - I'm quite often astounded by people's behaviour on the roads and when parking. And don't get me started on the huge vehicles that many seem to drive these days, a lot of them are the size of a minibus - no wonder we have less and less space on the roads!

I often tease my DD if I go shopping with her that we should use "Parent & Child", she is horrified & would not dream of doing so if DGS isn't with us.

I struggle getting out of my car in normal spaces but do not qualify for a "Blue Badge" so have to park in normal spaces, walking without a trolley is also difficult but I do have a stick & try to park near Trolley Park.

I'm quite tall so reaching up isn't too much of a problem, but low shelves especially if items are well back

Why is everything one needs always on the top shelf - I'm 5' and can't reach, so always looking for the tallest guy I can see - fortunately, to date they have always been brilliant!

A friend drove with his wife and two young children to the supermarket, it was absolutely pouring with rain, and he was dismayed to see no available Parent & Child spaces left He dropped his wife and the children off to start their shopping, whilst he parked, way over the other side of the car park.
When walking back to the supermarket, he saw a couple get in their car in the P&C space - no children with them at all - as they were about to leave my friend tapped on the window, and asked them if they wanted him to call the Police. Bemused they asked why, and he said....because someone has obviously stolen your kids!!!! There was an altercation with no apologies or excuses from the couple.
Sadly people park in Disabled and P&C parking bays without the slightest pang of guilt....

You did the right thing, by not rising up to the abuse, however, perhaps she was just having a bad day. No excuse for being rude, but no one really knows what's going on in other people's lives.

I feel very sorry for the poor child with her. At that age they do feel embarrassment too.

She is an out and out bully, and I salute you for your restraint and not giving in to her. The poor child - as you say-having to witness this sort of behaviour. I hope he learns from yours and not the woman he was with. Sometimes children and young people living in difficult circumstances do learn from their experience what not to do rather than to follow bad examples.

I love being fat, people insult me far more for my weight than my poor parking...I have hobbled off by the time they get to mentioning that.

I do have a blue badge and need it because I have CFS ? fibro arthritis and spondilitis...........I drag myself around the supermarket just to have some mobility in my day before my energy is depleted..........

I do wish disabled spaces were the ones closest to the store.......I certainly can't push a trolley far when it has a load of stuff in and need extra space to get in and out of car....I agree that parent need that too but hopefully they have more energy than me.

As for the trolly that needs taking all the way back to the store, to retrieve the pound coin, I just have to leave them and forgo my money..........grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

I think we should all have a great deal of sympathy for the poor parents of invisible children. I frequently see the large four wheel vehicles mentioned here parked outside our local Waitrose in the parent and child spaces, and see people getting out presumably with invisible children. I sometimes want to say it must be hard enough for their child(ren) to be invisible, without their being careless enough parents to not have a car seat for them, but as I don't fancy a rant or a black eye I keep my counsel and walk on by! Very annoying though - we have driven there with GD (5) and GS(2) and not been able to take advantage of a wider space and struggled to get the little ones out.

The woman as you say was unhinged put it behind you as she made a fool of herself unlike you well done for rising above it maybe you and DH should of laughed at her I usually find this entertaining as people find it confusing

What a coincidence that this has just appeared on GN. as a similar thing happened to us yesterday in our local Morrison's. My husband had just got out of the car (which we had parked in the 'mother and toddler space) and I was just opening the door to let DGD out.We were then confronted by a screaming virago, berating us for misusing the space. I calmly pointed to my DGD and the woman completely deflated and scuttled off across the car park. What is it about these spaces that cause people to feel such a sense of entitlement?

If you are a blue badge holder you are allowed to park in parent/ child parking.

I parked in parent child space in Waitrose when I had no children in car just the seats
As I got out I felt really guilty and decided to move .i even said lightheartedly to young mum in next bay I was wrong and felt bad and re parked elsewhere (although she had not even noticed I had no kids with me )
When I went to desk for free coffee she was there complaining about this horrible woman who had taken parent space and how disgraceful it was - I coughed politely and said yes that's me and I moved and you know i did - get over it - !
Some people ....just love an argy bargy

Bad manners ARE -

Rant time? With a disabled GD, it really infuriates me that perfectly able people park in the disabled bays. They don't even have their late granny's blue badge.
Bad manners is inexcusable. The best thing to do it to ignore - but Jug you are right, the woman's poor boy has no hope of behaving any better when he grows up. he thinks it is normal behaviors.
I learned the hard way - my alcoholic father was candid to the point of cruelty; I thought it was normal and only later in life that I realised that it was downright rude. It is hard to change in later life [i was in my 30s...]

What a horrible experience! There is such a lot of anger around. Am tempted to blame Trump & Hillary, but it sounds like that woman is deranged. Pity Thatcher closed down all the asylums......

Just wondering how we managed back in the 80s, when my 2 were little, and parent and child spaces hadn't been thought of. Or if they had they hadn't filtered through to my neck of the woods. I had a double buggy too, for a while, and the automatically opening shop doors were few and far between. Happy days! ?

That woman sounds delightful op!! THAT she thinks it's OK to rant in front of her child & yours shows that maybe she needs some help with her anger! No doubt she raged all day & her poor kid had to listen to it!
You'd done nothing wrong. You did well not to react, I'm not sure I'd have been so patient ?

rubylady my mum had that problem too but she always found someone willing to help.
My problem is the opposite although I'm perfectly able to walk round the shop if what I want is on the bottom shelf and only a few left at the back I can't get down and reach for them. I will only ask staff not customers to get on the floor for me !

Just as well Wobblybits hasn't a sexist bone in his body or he'd be jumping in and asking why it has to be a 'gorgeous guy' Ruby!

I'm fussy too.....they have to have a pulse at least.

At our Tesco they have the disabled mobility scooters to hire for free to do your shopping, which I have done a couple of times. The only problem being, if I were on my own, I wouldn't be able to reach anything higher than shoulder height. But saying that, I could always ask some gorgeous guy to help.

Anya, no they're kept inside the entrance - not that many of them I admit, but better than none.

I can see what the doctor means though, Barmyoldbat. Better to keep some mobility while she still can.

Anya, the Dr wants her to walk and not use a chair or mobility scooter as it is helping to keep the little circulation she has in her legs or she could lose them. It also stops muscle wasting in the legs. So she is helped from the car or taxi to a trolley and then shuffles around the store hanging on to the trolley for support, she has tried crutches but finds them quite difficult but I must say the staff are excellent

Just wondered Ana as I've never seen any in trolley parks.