Babies on Board
Babies On Board
My wife Jocelyn and I, like many other families have small children. Anyone who has small children know they can be a handful. Taking these kids to the mall or Department store adds a whole new level of insanity. These areas of shopping pleasure do try to make it easier however. They have graciously provided a small number of spaces near the front of the stores, designated specifically for parents with small children. What a wonderful thing for them to do, in theory. I recently had the distinct pleasure to visit Wal-Mart recently, And I’d like to share my experience.
First off, I want to say I in no way am attacking Wal-Mart, and I want to state for the record, that I applaud them in their fruitless attempt to help parents. That being said, let’s continue.
So Julian, Adora and I drop Jocelyn off to work, and decided we need a few things at Wal-Mart. It is a decent Sunday afternoon, so we head over. After some jovial singing on the way, we pull into the parking lot. Now there are about 4 spots here specifically designated for parents with children, and Wal-Mart has graciously decided to indentify these spaces by using pink or white signs with pictures of a lady pushing a stroller. Pretty self explanatory right? Don’t count on that. I pull up to the first space, it’s taken. As a matter of course, I always try to peek into the windows to see if there is a car seat there. This vehicle was a bit larger, so I got out of my car to take a peak. Want to guess what I saw? Or rather what I DIDN’T see? You guessed it. No car seat. Now, I’m not one to judge, but unless someone is driving their toddler around with no car seat, which is an even greater problem, there were no small children transported in that car.
No problem, there are still 3 other spots. We swing around the other, and it is taken as well. This one has 3 kids in the back seat, a father at the wheel, and an empty passenger seat. I think this guy misunderstood the concept. The space is for parents taking their kids IN to the mall, not for mothers to lazy to walk another 10 feet. Maybe I’m wrong. Maybe this guy has 4 kids, and the small child sits in the passenger seat AND does his or her own shopping. I mean this is the 21st Century.
So at this point I’m a bit stressed, but I carry on. The next spot was also occupied. 2 Adults in the back seat and a driver. Now I know what you’re thinking. Maybe the kid went in with the passenger. There are a few flaws with that logic however. First of all, if a parent has the opportunity to go in the mall without the child, they will. Second, the difficulty of extracting a child sandwiched by two adults is daunting as best. Thirdly, with a child seat in the middle, most cars have very little room for other passengers in the back. It gets a little cramped. No matter, there is still one spot left.
No there isn’t. Luckily, my sanity was preserved by the fact that the person using this spot ACTUALLY needed it. The car contained 2 car seats, one of which was for a newborn or infant. I am ok with this, and almost waited for the owner to come out so I could thank them for allowing me to maintain my feeble grip on reality.
It just simply amazes me the level of disrespect and ill regard that people have. I have seen the same happen in Handicap spots too, and this also bothers me. Why does it seem that our culture has to take things that don’t belong to them at the expense of others? I know it is just a parking spot, but it really sucks when a giant like Wal-Mart, who gets so much bad press, is trying to be helpful, and people who likely complain about Wal-Mart, are taking these spots when they shouldn’t.
Just my little rant. If you liked this blog, please tell your friends, or forward them the link. Who knows, there may be more to come ;)
-=Tony=-
My wife Jocelyn and I, like many other families have small children. Anyone who has small children know they can be a handful. Taking these kids to the mall or Department store adds a whole new level of insanity. These areas of shopping pleasure do try to make it easier however. They have graciously provided a small number of spaces near the front of the stores, designated specifically for parents with small children. What a wonderful thing for them to do, in theory. I recently had the distinct pleasure to visit Wal-Mart recently, And I’d like to share my experience.
First off, I want to say I in no way am attacking Wal-Mart, and I want to state for the record, that I applaud them in their fruitless attempt to help parents. That being said, let’s continue.
So Julian, Adora and I drop Jocelyn off to work, and decided we need a few things at Wal-Mart. It is a decent Sunday afternoon, so we head over. After some jovial singing on the way, we pull into the parking lot. Now there are about 4 spots here specifically designated for parents with children, and Wal-Mart has graciously decided to indentify these spaces by using pink or white signs with pictures of a lady pushing a stroller. Pretty self explanatory right? Don’t count on that. I pull up to the first space, it’s taken. As a matter of course, I always try to peek into the windows to see if there is a car seat there. This vehicle was a bit larger, so I got out of my car to take a peak. Want to guess what I saw? Or rather what I DIDN’T see? You guessed it. No car seat. Now, I’m not one to judge, but unless someone is driving their toddler around with no car seat, which is an even greater problem, there were no small children transported in that car.
No problem, there are still 3 other spots. We swing around the other, and it is taken as well. This one has 3 kids in the back seat, a father at the wheel, and an empty passenger seat. I think this guy misunderstood the concept. The space is for parents taking their kids IN to the mall, not for mothers to lazy to walk another 10 feet. Maybe I’m wrong. Maybe this guy has 4 kids, and the small child sits in the passenger seat AND does his or her own shopping. I mean this is the 21st Century.
So at this point I’m a bit stressed, but I carry on. The next spot was also occupied. 2 Adults in the back seat and a driver. Now I know what you’re thinking. Maybe the kid went in with the passenger. There are a few flaws with that logic however. First of all, if a parent has the opportunity to go in the mall without the child, they will. Second, the difficulty of extracting a child sandwiched by two adults is daunting as best. Thirdly, with a child seat in the middle, most cars have very little room for other passengers in the back. It gets a little cramped. No matter, there is still one spot left.
No there isn’t. Luckily, my sanity was preserved by the fact that the person using this spot ACTUALLY needed it. The car contained 2 car seats, one of which was for a newborn or infant. I am ok with this, and almost waited for the owner to come out so I could thank them for allowing me to maintain my feeble grip on reality.
It just simply amazes me the level of disrespect and ill regard that people have. I have seen the same happen in Handicap spots too, and this also bothers me. Why does it seem that our culture has to take things that don’t belong to them at the expense of others? I know it is just a parking spot, but it really sucks when a giant like Wal-Mart, who gets so much bad press, is trying to be helpful, and people who likely complain about Wal-Mart, are taking these spots when they shouldn’t.
Just my little rant. If you liked this blog, please tell your friends, or forward them the link. Who knows, there may be more to come ;)
-=Tony=-
Comments
I feel your pain! Too many times I go to a store with my daughter, and have to walk across a large parking lot with her sore legs, or put her in a cold shopping cart at 13yrs of age, because someone who does not even have a handicapped sticker, is parked in the handicapped spots...without shame I might add.
My favorite one is when there are still people sitting in the car! They are obviously using the spot to wait for someone while people who ligitimately need the spot are having to park farther away. I made the mistake of asking someone who was walking away from their car, no handicapped hanger in sight, and going into the Superstore, where their hanger was...... this was in the rain, with my daughter, who I cannot leave alone in the car. They turned around and told me exactly where I could put the hanger, and exactly what they thought of folks who needed one. This of course did not go over well with me. I did lodge a complaint with the police with their licence plate number but we all no this went nowhere. I have never ever seen a policeofficer place a ticket on a car for parking in a handicapped zone with no hanger or plate, nor have I ever spoken to someone who has gotten one of these tickets. I know, I know, the police have better things to do right? This rudeness, and sense of entitlement that same folks have however, is an epidemic across the whole city, and I am sure this is echoed in many other places as well. So where do we begin, how do we fix it.... all I know is that we can only do as ghandi says and "Be the change you wish to see".... and block in folks who take our spots :)