On Thu 02 Apr 2009 10:01:16a, Dan Abel told us...

> In article 7>,
> Wayne Boatwright > wrote:
>
>
>> > <laugh> Would be my pleasure. I happen to like children.
>
>> > Yep, you've made that pretty clear. However, if your Mom had felt the
>> > same way, you wouldn't be here, now would you?
>>
>> That has nothing to do with this topic. My parents wanted more
>> children but were unable to have more. Had they had more, I'm quite
>> sure they would have been as well disciplined as I was and no "mother
>> with children" spaces would be required, nor would other shoppers have
>> a problem with their or my presence.
>>
>> There is serious parental negligence in discipline and training today,
>> and for that, everone else suffers. It's hardly my fault if they
>> cannot control their kids. If I misbehaved in public, I was quickly
>> whisked away and displined in one way or another. I can assure you it
>> rarely happened. I had great parents and they knew what they were
>> doing.
>
> I think you just don't remember, Wayne. Very few people have memories
> of when they were really little. All normal children go through a phase
> called the "terrible twos". If they don't, they simply aren't normal
> children. They are learning that they can exert control over the
> outside world. They try different techniques. One is the all out
> temper tantrum, with screaming and flailing of arms and legs. It is the
> job of the parents to make sure that last technique simply doesn't work.
> But reasoning with a two year old doesn't work well. They don't have
> the understanding and attention span to do a lot of things. With a one
> year old, you have the ultimate control. They haven't learned how to
> walk yet. When they are five and older, you can reason with them. They
> understand about the future (like later that afternoon).

I think I remember a lot more than many people do, but certainly not
everything. I was not the "perfect" child by any means, but I was well
disciplined. If I acted out I was whisked away immediately. More parents
did that in my days of childhood than now. Many parents today simply
ignore whatever the child is doing and subject the rest of us to the
turmoil. It thoroughly ****es me off.

>
>> I'm quite sure that I'm in the minority and don't mind admitting it.
>> At the same time, I think you may be missing my point. I have nothing
>> against a pregnant woman parking close to the store, and I would
>> consider their pregnancy to be a temporary disability. I suggest that
>> that they should obtain a temporary disability placard and vie for the
>> legal legitimate disability spaces like anyone else that's disabled. I
>> still see absolutely no reason for specificd spaces dedicated for this
>> purpose.
>
> I understand your point. I don't agree with it, but it is reasonable.
> Hopefully there are few of these spots, especially in a retirement area.
> Women usually just don't spend that much of their time being pregnant,
> especially those later, difficult months. Some women, especially those
> pregnant with their first child, may not even use those spots.
>
>> I become dismayed when I see people on walkers or crutches having to
>> park beyond the distance of the pregnancy spaces and struggle to get to
>> the store, when if they were all designated as disability spaces,
>> everyone needing them would have equal opportunity.
>
> It sounds like you have a solution looking for a problem. If more
> handicapped spots are needed, then there should be more handicapped
> spots. That seems pretty simple. If there are enough spots, then the
> store will lose business.

The problem clearly exists here, Dan. If I didn't see it on a daily basis,
I would not have dreamed of a solution. Perhaps the greater Phoenix area
is one of a few cities that is a bit more different than most. We have a
large number of all types of stores, but we have had an exploding
population for more than the past decade until this recession hit. There
are always more peoply vying for position than there are positions. This
includes not only parking spaces, but also queues for movies, restaurants,
checkout lines, etc. One can easily encounter a 2-hour wait for just an
average restaurant, often at off-peak hours.

There are many things I like about living here, but competitive parking and
waiting in long queues are not among them.

Every year I can hardly wait for the "winter visitors (snowbirds)" to leave
because it frees up a significant number those vying for position. Their
sense of entitlement is appalling, as well.

--
Wayne Boatwright

"One man's meat is another man's poison"
- Oswald Dykes, English writer, 1709.