The missus went to the shops the other day. Bub in the back of the Beetle in his seat, and pram strapped in the front seat as it doesn't fit under the bonnet.

She backs into a spot in the 'parents with prams' parking. gets out of the car, and a woman in a wagon pulls up in front of her and is pointing at the front of the Beetle. Hmmm. Missus looks, nothing there to look at? Goes to the wagon with a puzzled look, and the woman winds the window down a couple of inches.

"I said. Where's your pram?

Now this floored the missus as it was totally unexpected. She replies

"In the front seat"

"Where's your baby then?

"In the back seat. You can see them from here. Just because I drive a different car, you should not go making assumptions. So take your foot out of your mouth and $%# off"

The woman obviously now looks properly and sheepishly winds up her window and drives off. Odd that someone would go off like that, but to be so wrong about it?

Anyway. We laugh at it, and we know that a lot of people preaching what they think is right, often need to take a good hard look in the mirror.

I copped the same treatment when I owned the Dual Cab ute and parked it in the "mothers" and baby parkng bay.Security came over and asked me to move before I'd even gotten out of the car,but what they weren't expecting was a pram in the back and our 2 boys in the back as well....one of them 3 months old. I was probably the ugliest "mother" they had ever seen....that was OK compared to being escorted out of the change room at a major supermarket up here,unable to change my sons nappy as some kow wanted to feed her spawning..even though I was there first and she could have waited 2 minutes....Your right Peter..some people need to look after there own back yards before jumping to conclusions.

some people just suck.
The few times I came across a dad in a parents room, I always gave them a big smile and a hello. More guys should do it.

I had one early Sunday morning,
as I was Driving my Beetle back home after getting the Sunday paper, Some old Bag walking her Dog yelled at me "to slow down", I wasn't going fast...
anyway, after dropping the paper off at home, I went back past, as I was taking my son to his Soccer Match, I saw the old bitch again and crawled up to a stop and said " I am sorry that at your age everything seems to be going so fast, but please keep your opinions to your self" at this point her old Hubby said "Now see here" I cut him of with "its rude to interupt your mother mate" she looked horrified at the reference that she could have been his mother and said I was "rude" I said "no telling you that you are a fu%#en ugly old bitch would be rude" I drove off to open mouths
I often wonder how people seem to be able to appoint themselves as the protectors of decency, only to cross the boundary far more in thier efforts to police it..
S

[ Edited on 27-8-2007 by silver ]

I'm with you hipichic

I give dads a big smile and often end up chatting about kids things. I once noticed one lurking because he was worried about going in...so i just said, come-on...tell them ur with me.

We went in, and the lady in there was so rude. She was outside a cubicle breast feeding making noise about being uncomfortable. I said "See those cubicles...They're for people like yourself who aren't up to having a dad change his child here.' Theres one there that is free. Maybe you'd like use it. Cause honestly, he can't not change the babies diaper'

But it is kinda sad when people jump to the wrong conclusion. Assume vw's cant carry children...or dads can't look after babies..

PFFTTT!

beb

Yeah parents rooms. I have used them a few times, and I sorta feet odd at first. I think it would look strange if I was just changing the babys bum on a seat or on a table in the food court instead eh?. However I have no problem, and no-one should have a problem with mothers breast feeding in public. Can't see anything anyway. You see more at the beach.

Actually going back to change rooms, it is pretty funny when there is just two guys in there. You sense and understand the little bit of awkwardness you both have. LOL

Hey Compayo, my 83 year old dad always takes my blind 81 year old mother to Noosa main beach most days. A couple of months back he can't get to the invalids parking spot as there's this 4WD parked in the spot with no invalid sign on it (the car that is). Anyway he has to drop her off and leave her as she's also crippled and can't walk very far (she's a right bundle of laughs!) while he has to go and find somewhere else. Anyway the fun begins when they leave, he goes to fetch his car and has to pull up behind the 4WD while he struggles to get the old girl in the passenger seat Meanwhile the toss*r gets into his car and reverses straight into my dads' car. He goes off his head at the old man but the surf lifesavers had been watching the whole time and backed up my dad and the cops were called. I don't know whether the guy was nicked or not or what his excuse was (he wasn't disabled in any way)but the cops and the lifesavers got stuck right into him and I know my dads' car was fixed and the other guy paid for it. I hate toss*rs in 4WDs......(before anyone puts me down for generalising remember I've recently had my cabriolet smashed by a 4WD driven by a toss*r but I sort of own a large 4WD as well:blush)

True story.

A bloke at work came off his bike & ended up with as many screws in his legs as the bike he was on. He therefore has a disabled permit.
Now, although this driver can walk on most days, he parks, quite legitimately, in the disabled area.

A station assistant who was watching him park & walk away, would "damage" the car daily. Spitting on it, throwing food or garbage on it, shit like that.

The driver caught him one day & kneecapped him with a tyre iron.

The driver got a 12 month bond last week because the attack was provoked. If he hadn't used a weapon he wouldn't have got that.
The station assistant has a permanant limp & is now entitled to his own disabled permit. He's also charged with malicious damage.

Yeah, you should mind your own business.

let me add some balance and tell you the good side of poking your nose in...

Recently my daughter has had whooping cough. on our second visit to emergency that week, we were sat in a long line waiting to see the triage nurse (there were lots of sick kids and the nurse was doing her best). My daughter started coughing, then choking and then vomiting. The fit lasted for about 5 minutes and climaxed with Eleanor unable to breath. I looked at the triage nurse in desparation and said (in a sensible voice) "she's choking". The nurse did not respond really. She was busy and probably did not hear me properly. My daughter was starting to go blue. Another woman, standing in line yelled at the nurse, "do something! the baby can't breath!!" Immediately, the nurse called us to the desk and helped my daughter stop choking. We were admitted instantly and Eleanor spent the next 3 days in hospital with Pneumonia and whooping cough.

Typing this brings tears to my eyes, because whille I have no time for people who take moral high ground, I will be eternally grateful to that woman for "poking her nose into some one elses business".

P.s. I have asked young healthy drivers to move their cars out of handicapped spots...politely of course.

[ Edited on 28-8-07 by pete wood ]

Hey Silver

Is that why the little old ladies around here snarl at me.

I gave a bloke and his son a mouthful once for parking in a disabled zone, until he got out and put his son in a wheel chair. I apologised and he thanked me for sticking up for the rights of disabled people, talk about wanting to crawl under the car.

Steve

Some interesting stories here.

The main point of my story was that the lady was so wrong.

The guy Spook was talking about shows that you never know who you may be dealing with, and to think before reacting.

The lady Pete Wood was talking about shows someone doing the right thing in the right situation and being right.

I just think people need to chill out and be more considerate. Those without permits should be considerate of the parking spots. Those seeing someone needing help should be considerate and help. Those not needing help should be considerate and be a bit more energetic and walk from a further spot.

I saw a guy on a wheelchair a while ago struggling to get up a kerb ramp. The lights had changed and he was still on the asphalt of the road. Cars were driving around him. I stopped, got out the car and helped him up on the footpath. The thing that peeved me off the most was the ignoramus's that were blaring their horns because I stopped! I couldn't even be bothered saying anything to them. I had done what was right, and those retards were going to get karma anyway.

My wife has had 2 hip surgeries (with one more to go) and has a disabled permit on her car. If I drive her car I park it the normal parking spots even though I could park in the disabled area. The number of times I see people with no disability apart from stupidity & laziness park in the disabled spots because they are closer drives me mad.

I also used to get some strange looks in the parents room changing my daughters nappies when they were younger. I just used to say it was my turn to change them. Never had any complaints as such. I suppose some people need to get over themselves.

Let me tell you something about these parent rooms.
You needn't believe it.

Back in '91 when I got custody of Damien, there were no facilities for men whatsoever. Men having custody of their children was rare, but men having their kids every 2nd weekend was getting very common.
In 92 I was escorted from a shopping complex for daring to use the mothers room to change a nappy. My protests to the centre manager met with laughter.

My elder brother held a reasonably high position with the Lone Fathers Association at the time.
With their help, we took this to task, citing the most blatant case of sexual discrimination in modern times.

To make a long story short.
I got two written apologies, one from the centre manager, one from the ceo of the parent company. I got a payout for my embarrassment, with fine print never to mention the company.

Within 6 months, there were fold out change tables put in mens rooms, not much but a start. Now, as shopping centres get refurbished, we have parents rooms.

Although my need for them is long gone, Damien is 18 in 2 months & my youngest will be 9 a week later, those of you who do need them, make the most of them.
I know 1st hand the effort that went in to getting them.

Spook, that would have set them spinning, knowing that you are one to stand your ground, and the situation was so clearly wrong, and you were so right. I give thumbs up to your efforts.

Like I said before, imagine the outcry if you were seen changing a baby's nappy on the floor of a mens toilet, or on a food court table or bench.

Cool to hear that you guys are getting out and into babies changing rooms..I've never seen dad's in them and it is great...tmy kids dad used to change nappies and help a lot when they were young but never went into a changing room

I used to hate the baby change rooms...I'd change the nappies in the car and breast feed in the car or in a park before going into the shops...I used to drop a breast out to feed in public often.. I remember walking down the street with a boob hanging out once after finishing a feed with one of the kids, got them all settled but forgot about myself...can't remember how long it was before I noticed..I had one side of my overalls bib down and the tee shirt up

I used to hate the way they set up a seat for nursing mothers in the female toilets...could think of a worse place to feed the bubs..if I was eating in a cafe with friends I'd fed sitting at he table, no one minded

It just got funny when I was still feeding my second son when he was 4 and he would walk over and unbutton by shirt and latch on...he'd snack when I was feeding his baby sister... I think I was breast feeding for near 8 years straight..no break betwen the 3 kids

Honestly..there will always be someone who can't accept difference and has to say so cos they are so anal

Can't believe that mum's still don't feel they can feed their baby openly still...tis has been an issue for decades now...my eldest turns 30 next week!! We are still very conservative:jesus

Ain't if funny how things happen?

I just got back from the local shopping centre with my 'almost' 2 year old, put him to bed, turned on the computer and found this thread!

I've got a funny story for you that kinda sums up what everyone has been saying.

I'm a full time Dad and I love it - I visit the parents room regularly and have never had a problem (although I usually just ignore what is going on around me, so if someone had a problem they would have to make it obvious before I would notice!).

I try to avoid the pram parking area at the local shops because it's usually full of shiny SUV's or tradesmans utes :duh , with a queue of waiting cars.... the pram parking is also not undercover, and there is usually undercover parking right behind.

Today, I just drove straight into the undercover (shade sails) parking and selected from one of the many empty carparks. I jumped out of the car and opened the boot (driving my company car as the bug is undergoing an engine transplant at the mo.) and extracted the pram. As I'm doing this an elderly lady in a new Audi pulls into the spot beside my car and parks on the white line closest to my car - the side of my car that my son is sitting on. I can see the funny side of this (it always seems to happen to me) so I laugh and shake my head quietly to myself before squeezing down between the cars and removing my son from his seat in the back.

The Audi driver then opens the door into the side of my car with a bang (again I can see the funny side of this as she certainly did more damage (in dollars) to the door on her car than she did to my half million kilometer 1990 model Suzuki Swift pizza delivery car ), gets out and proceeds to tell me that I am parked in the wrong place and that I should move my car immediately. I calmly question her views on my parking location and she informs me that as there is parking reserved for parents with prams, then that is where I must park.

I pointed out that: a) the pram parking was full and there was a queue of vehicles waiting for a spot in that area; and b) I am quite capable of pushing a pram the extra 50 meters to the doors of the shopping center, so I choose to leave the pram parking for those who are not as confident/capable/experienced as myself.

After considering my argument she pointed out that she was actually just annoyed at the design of the carpark as she had had a disabled permit until only a few months ago and was never able to find a spot and that the pram parking was closer and easier to access than the disabled parking area (which is actually a good point in this circumstance). She then apologised, and rapidly made her way into the shopping center, leaving me struggling to get my son to sit still for long enough for me do do up his belt in the pram and having a good old chuckle to myself.

I have a list of funny stories about things that have been said and done to me since becoming a full time Dad. Anyone would think that it's very unusual to for guys to look after kids - just shows what a backward society we live in here in Australia!

R

Shopping centre + kids x (lack of adequate parking x 10) / dick head security x the square root of ignorant people = frustration. Of course if you add into the equation and y public holidays or festivities and the answer can be infinity!

When I have my kids I am suprised at the amount of idiot drivers in car parks who drive fast and dont slow down when driving past us. If they even slightly bumped one of my rugrats there would be a coroner's inquest for why that driver was found with his steering wheel sideways up his clacker.

The parking situation at shopping centres annoys my wife off so much, she enjoys walking a couple of kilometres to the shopping centre rather than drive and face the agony of moronic behaviour in the carpark. People get angry just because you want to back your car in. :duh

It just happened on the day she went and had the aforementioned incident that it was pouring rain.

I was a mr mom when I was at uni. Never had a problem in change rooms. I took the kid to playgroup. then I took her to school. Chatted with the other mums. I did the reading help, maths hellp. I learnt how to plait hair and did the ballet thing. No discrimination what so ever.

Buggered if I can get an invite to the little athletics mum nights out though!

When my son was 2yrs old I stayeed in a caravan park for a while (long story there).
Too little to go into the mens toilet by himself I always used to take him to the ladies.
My son having long blonde hair got often confused for a girl.
So as we all know how many "sick puppies" are out there I was always very careful with Shay out in public toilets.
One day the caravan parks owner came down to see me about a complaint he had just received of a " boy who keeps going into the ladies toilets...not right he says"....
Totally gobsmacked I gave him a mouthful @ how many "official convicted child molesters (& I named them) that he had in his park" & that I would sue his ar** off if anything happened to my son while he lived in the park knowing this...
& that my son will continue to use the ladies cos he couldn't protect him against them...& then I preceded to mentioned previous charges he had had in his past....

You can imagine the park owners embarrassment & was quite surprised I had all this info on him & the park...
Little did he know my girlfriend was then dating a detective & had checked this out for me....lol
Judy

[ Edited on 31-8-2007 by ByronBug ]

Our local shopping centre has recently started labling spots "express parking", 15min parking, etc and has given the whole car park a laborious and pointlessly long set of arrows and directions. So I just park where ever I like and get to whatever spot from any direction. That way, I get a park quick, and so does the person behind me. Afterall, the rules are only there to scare people into conforming. The centre management is too busy ripping off it's tenants to police the parking rules.

Quote:

Originally posted by Spook Quote: Originally posted by FunkBass Shopping centre + kids x (lack of adequate parking x 10) / dick head security x the square root of ignorant people = frustration. Of course if you add into the equation and y public holidays or festivities and the answer can be infinity! When I have my kids I am suprised at the amount of idiot drivers in car parks who drive fast and dont slow down when driving past us. If they even slightly bumped one of my rugrats there would be a coroner's inquest for why that driver was found with his steering wheel sideways up his clacker. Do what I do, walk out in front of them. They really don't want to hit you. I have the added advantage of most modern cars aren't big enough to hurt me, & very few people are game enough to abuse me [ Edited on 30-8-2007 by Spook ]

I see where the woman in the people carrier comes from, in our local supermarket carpark, people even park in the disabled parking with a porshe and not even having a badge, and also in the family parking with expencive cars, so the doors don't get dent...

But good on ya.
Alex.

hardly anyone here in fiji can afford a car and there's no such things as parenting rooms so imagine how happy they must be not having any of these "problems" :duh


pls remember by world standards, if you eat one full meal a day your very very lucky:o

if you have clean running water in your house live it up the world is a breeze:o:blush

if you have a flushing toilet inside the house your a king/queen:P

all of the above pinch yourself you may be dreaming


if you cant appreciate it thats sad:kiss



[ Edited on 1-9-2007 by newoldmanx ]

Funny how times change, (old codger voice) I remember when.. Security used to toss groups of young kids out of Westfields for hanging around. Now they do anything to keep them there $$$$$

I was in the city a few years ago and this real young knob in crappy old corolla with a corolla sticker across the front and kenwood one across the back was yelling out the window at this old couple slow to cross the road. Didn't expect a lane splitting motorcyclist in full leathers etc to yell 'shut the f--k up and show respect' in his window, Hardest bit was not laughing at the shitting himself look as he sat back and shut up