I'm Freaking Out On Friday....AGAIN!

I just wanna say up front that I am typically not a "freaking out" kinda gal.  Well, at least in my mind.  Others might respectfully say I am "passionate" about certain things and have no problems "addressing" matters and/or people if I feel "passionate" enough about "it".

That's a whole lotta code for...Ya, I Freak Out.  Sometimes.

Alrightie-then, today's "freak out" is brought to you by parkers who are ignorant, selfish and defiant read, not "rule followers".  

I think I would be pretty hard pressed to find someone that doesn't know what THIS SIGN MEANS:

I think it would me more difficult to find people who ignore this sign and park there with no regards to the fact that they don't have a permit to do so.  Perhaps the hefty $250 fine attached to doing so has had something to do with this but I prefer to believe that society has "Clued Up" on this "one"?!?!

I think I would ALSO be pretty hard pressed to find someone who doesn't know what THIS SIGN MEANS...you know since it is WRITTEN and all:



What I have discovered in the last few months is I would have NO PROBLEM finding people who chose to ignore it and it's got me right ticked off "freaking out".

I no longer use these spots.  Ave & Bryce are 2 years old so technically they ARE still "young children" but I don't because they can walk now and it's much easier to get them in and out of the Swagger Wagon than when they were under 18 months old.  So, my frustration is on behalf of all the other mothers out there that DO appreciate that stores have taken the needs of families & expectant mothers and introduced these parking spots.

I have really been keeping a neighbourhood parkinghood watch on these spots and I am totally disgusted by the lack of human consideration out there.  Dramatic? Yes.  I Know.  (I have already confessed a million time to my dramatic tendencies.  Hey!  It totally works for me.  LOL!)  In all seriousness, there has been more violations of this Reserved Parking than not since my attention to this was awakened by the following Parking Lot Incident...

It was a cold, slushy-snowy day as I pulled up to the local Wal Mart with both kids in tow.  I considered, for a second or two about parking in the Reserved Parking for Mom's with Small Children.  I quickly reconsidered, as I knew there were likely other's that could use that close parking more than "us".  As I pulled around and into the lane where these spots are, a car was pulling out and a sweet looking SUV pulled into the spot.   I felt proud of myself that I had decided not to park there and make some mother with smaller children suffer the cold, wet walk from the back of the parking lot.  As I drove by, I glanced up at my rear view mirror and saw a women leaving her sweet-ass-SUV and go into the store.  I thought to myself, "Yikes!  Doesn't she know that nothing takes 5 minutes in Wal Mart?  She really shouldn't be leaving small kids in the vehicle."  (You know, because anything under 5 minutes is OK...kidding...kinda.) 

Meanwhile a mom and her THREE kids (all under the age of 3) pulled in just beside me and I almost wished she had been 2 seconds earlier so she could have got "THAT" spot. Not only because she could totally have used it but because that other mother might not have been so quick to leave her kids unattended way over at the end of the parking lot!

Anywho,  I unload Ave & Bryce and that takes a good 5 minutes, if not longer and I notice this mom isn't back to her sweet-ass-SUV yet.  I have to admit, I was getting a little concerned.  When we arrived at her SUV I thought I'd "do the right thing" and take a peek in to make sure the kids were OK.  But there were no kids.  Ah...but you knew that already didn't you?  I was pissed ticked!  You knew that too I bet.

Had it not been such a cold day I am pretty sure I would have "hung" out and had some "words" with this inconsiderate parker.  The next best thing I could do was start eyeballing these parking spots while I was out n' about to see if this was an isolated incident or not.  It wasn't.

I have seen violation after violation.  The straw that broke this camels back was the guy who parked his huge hank truck in one of these spots and walked into the store sans kids.  I. Had. Had. It.  I wrote a quick note and placed it on his windshield.  It read: "This is Reserved Parking! Where Are You're Children?"

As I drove off I was so pleased with myself UNTIL I started giving it a little more thought.  {Hmmmm....perhaps I should have taken a little more time and wrote "more".  What if he takes it as a threat?  Think about it Ginger, if you got a note like that on your windshield you'd immediately think "WTH?  Did someone take my kids?  WTF?".}  I was a good 10 km's away before I turned around to "retrieve" said note but he had already left.  I seriously lost sleep over this and have not "confessed" what I did, until today.

BUT FEAR NOT.  I have taken measures to ensure does not happen again.  I printed out some "informational sheets" to keep in the van to hand-out the next time I see a violator.  Oh Yes I DID!

Call me crazy...call be neurotic...call me "someone who was WAY too much time on their hands" BUT I prefer you call me a caring citizen that is trying to fix a problem...one person at a time.  LMAO!