Parking Lot Rules? What are parking lot rules, you may be thinking? Well, there aren’t parking lot rules, but there should be.
Sometimes what seem like the easiest tasks are the hardest for parents. Getting kids in and out of the car in parking lots is one of those tasks. Doesn’t sound hard but think about it. Parking lots are dangerous, full of other cars and full of other drivers. I literally have a strategy when parking a car full of kids. I do my best to look out for my fellow drivers while keeping the safety of my kid’s top of mind. Do other drivers think of us, the overwhelmed mother, when parking their cars? I doubt it…experience tells me the answer is a hard ‘no.’
There may not be legit parking lot rules, but there should be and here are my suggestions…
1. Don’t park like an jerk! If you choose to park next to the car of a parent with young children (don’t act like we aren’t easy to spot!), at least don’t park like an a-hole. Leave room for the other person’s car door to open. If we have to sling a baby through a 12-inch door opening and then somehow safely strap him into his car seat, don’t think for one second that we won’t chose the safety of our child over your car door. We’ll do our best, but cannot make promises.
2. When there are 8000 parking spots available, GIVE A GIRL SOME ROOM. Personally, when I have all 3 kids with me, I usually choose to park as far away from other cars as possible. Sounds odd, right? Well, being far from other cars should grant us the peace we need to safely get our babies in and out. It’s not a perfect choice but it allows us to take our time, get the rug-rats our safely and without worrying about being too close to another car or disrupting traffic.
So, when you see a car parked all alone, far away from the door, choose another spot! Especially when there are 8000 others open and available. Any car parked that far away is either a serial killer (blame the paranoia/momanoia for that reference), a teenager doing something super shady, or a mother. Either way, leave that car alone.
Control is beautiful thing.
3. Avoid the cart return. The next best place to park? You guessed it…directly next to the cart return. Parking next to the cart return means that us momma’s can control how close we get to cart return rails and the car beside us. Partial control. I love it. Another big win for this choice? Once the kids and loot are loaded in the car, the cart goes right back and we pull away. So, don’t park in those spaces if you can avoid it.
4. Do not sit and wait for our spots! These people are my favorite. They see a parent with a cart full of groceries and kids. Rather than going 4 spots further in the parking lot, they will wait for that mom to empty the cart, buckle all of her kids into their car seats, return the cart, get in the car, and back-out. Don’t do that. It’s only going to piss you off and stress that momma out. It’s not worth being 4 spots closer to the door, I promise.
5. And the obvious…DRIVE SLOW. Obvious but apparently not to some. Just drive slow. Give us mom’s the benefit of the doubt. We’re trying to keep our babies safe when dragging them through a parking lot but kids are unpredictable little suckers and you never know. So, do your part, help a mother out and drive slow.
I know what some of you make be thinking…who does this chick think she is? I know, I know. I personally don’t rule the world, right? But guess what? Mom’s do. Mother’s rule the world. Think about it…we’re responsible for raising the next generation. We are a powerful population. So giving us a little respect, even in a parking lot, is never a bad thing.
I pinky promise that I will do my part, follow the rules that apply and keep parking far away from the door, if you park far away from me.
Mommy Diatribes
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