We’ve all been there. You discover you’re out of the basic essentials and make a quick dash to the supermarket.
It’s pouring rain but you’re hopeful you’ll get a parent and child spot near the front door. You need it with the twins in order to make getting in and out of the car less difficult.
Then you get pipped at the post by another driver and think “darn it” or something less polite but along those lines.
This happened to me during a particularly stormy afternoon. I noticed the car ahead of me didn't’t appear to have any baby seats or children for that matter.
I stall to have a better look and low and behold, the woman is solo - shocking.
She got out of the car to get a bag from the boot, then rummaged in the back seat and sauntered off to get a trolley nearby. I remember feeling disappointed and irritated in equal measure. Then she decided to return to the car for some reason and I decided to let down the window and stare her out of it.
She caught my eye and I continued to stare. At that stage I probably resembled a crazy person at that moment but THEN she hopped in her car and started the engine.
I got a rush of adrenaline, turned off my hazards and did a loop in the car park to get back to the space.
All I could think of were the few possible outcomes that could happen.
Would I salute her gratefully and glide into the cherished space? Or would another car take it instead? However, the way my story ends is quite unexciting I’m sorry to report.
When I return ten seconds later, the car is still there, the engine is off and there’s no sign of the woman. I can only assume she was tired of me gawking her direction and left. What’s the moral of this story then?
In general, we tend not to complain in restaurants, we don’t reprimand people for dropping rubbish on the street or for letting their dogs soil the footpath. What most of us do (myself included) is tut tut under our breath and give out about it at a later stage.
I know my actions that day are nothing to write home about and they stemmed out of pure desperation considering the circumstances.
In an ideal world though, wouldn't it be great if there was a bit more respect for supermarket spaces dedicated to parents with children in their car? I hope that those who don’t need them, get a change of conscience and decide to do the right thing – whatever the weather!
