Wednesday, October 15, 2008

I am not handicapped

I have a daughter that is disabled. I have a handicap parking tag. I am not disabled. I just wanted to get that out before I start. We have this tag because she has a wheelchair and it makes it easier to get her out of the car when we park in handicap parking because the space next to the car is larger. We do not have the tag so that we can park wherever we want. I can't tell you how many times I have someone tell me that I am lucky to have it because that means I can get good parking all the time. They are always so surprised when I say that I don't use it if Lou is not in the car. Inevitably they always ask "why?". Well hello! I am not disabled... duh! I am perfectly capable of walking from a parking space further away. In fact I could probably use the exercise. Why would a perfectly healthy person need to park in a handicap space. Especially when there are people out there who actually need them. 
The first day of school I pulled into the parking lot to take my children in. I have to park and take them in because Lou is not capable of walking across the parking lot without being hit by a car. There was a woman who pulled into the handicap space right in front of me. She did not have a tag to park there. I rolled down my window and politely told her that that space was for people who need it and she ignored me and got her kids out  of her car and went into the school. Needless to say I was a little angry! I counted that morning and of the 4 handicap spaces that were all full three didn't have tags. I will admit I was petty and turned her into the office, as well as all of the others, and I hope they all got tickets! 
Nothing makes me more mad than pulling into a handicap space, and realizing someone has left their grocery cart in the space. This makes me mad in normal parking spaces, but it makes me twice as mad when it is in a handicap space. Now I am perfectly capable of getting out of my car and moving it, because my tag is for my disabled daughter. However I would say that most people who have these tags have them for themselves, and are not as capable of doing this. 
So to sum up, don't park where you shouldn't be and don't leave things where they don't belong. (wow I sound like a mom!)

1 comment:

Jill said...

I hope that lady got a ticket!!! My Dad has a tag we use when he's with us. It makes life so much easier. He doesn't have a wheelchair, but he can barely do his grocery shopping, let alone walk all the way across the parking lot. We don't use it unless he's with us.

One of my pet peeves is when people leave their shopping carts all over the parking lot. My husband runs an auto body shop, you'd be surprised how many peoples cars get dents because people are too lazy to take their shopping carts back into the store, or at least into the corrals they have set up for shopping carts! I hate it when people are inconsiderate!

 
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