I have held a disabled parking permit for nearly 20 years.  If I'm having a good day, I don't use it so others can.  If I see a regular parking place close to where I'm going, I use it, again to allow someone else to use the handicap space. 

What I've been noticing lately is a new trend.  "Pregnant Women's" parking spaces or "Parking for Parents with Small Children".  What the hell is this all about.  I'm not a feminist nor a proponent of feminine causes.  Since when does being pregnant or having small kids become a disability.  Last night, my husband and I went to the mall.  The space for Pregnant/Parents with Infants parking was closer to the door than the handicap space.  At the grocery store, the same thing. 

When I was pregnant 25, 23, and 19 years ago, I was told that pregnancy is a normal condition, unless there was some sort of complication, I was to do normal activites and maintain the same lifestyle (with the pregnancy drinking/smoking/eating proper exceptions).  Has that changed?  In this day of low infant morality and modern medicine, pregnancy and child care is better than ever.  Percentages of live births and healthy children are higher then they have ever been.  Then, why all the sudden are there these special privileges for people who simply have (in most cases) a condition or situation that they planned for. 

I'm not an idiot, I know a lot of people misuse Handicap Parking.  On the other hand, more people use the system properly then those who abuse it.  It bothers me that there are so few handicap parking places available, percentage wise then regular parking, now they seem to be taking away close parking for what seems to be to me only a "customer pleaser".   On a bad day, it takes me about 5 minutes to get from my car to the door of a store or mall.  If it were raining, I would be pretty much soaked.  Now, how long would it take a pregnant woman or a parent with small kids take to go that same distance?  15-30 seconds?  How wet would they be?  How cold would they be in the winter or hot in the summer.  It just doesn't make sense to me and I'm damned pissed off about it.  What do you think?....Bunny

Posted by: Bunny at 07:47 PM under "Ranting"
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