Expectant Mother, Right?
This afternoon I braved the cold and the crowds and did a little Christmas shopping. As I was circling the mall parking lot for the 4,000th time, I noticed a spot on the first row that everyone was passing up. When I pulled closer, it was like the Heavens opened up and an angel came down and put a magical sign in my own personal parking spot.
“Parking for Expectant Mothers.”
I paused for just about half a second and ran through my conscience real quick and when no red flags went off in my head, I pulled happily into the parking spot. It was truly awesome. Awe. Some. And when I came out of the mall hauling my loot in heavy bags, I had only to stumble a few feet and there I was at my car. Awe. Some.
When I got home I ran to tell Chris about my good fortune.
“You can’t park in those spots!” he declared. “You’re not an expectant mother!”
“Of course I am,” I argued. “I fully expect that this pregnancy will lead to motherhood.”
“Yeah, but those spots of are women who are expecting to be mothers, like, next week.”
While I truly hate to admit when Chris has a good point, I can’t deny that he does make a lot of sense. What if some poor woman was driving around, 9-months pregnant, trying to get her Christmas shopping done on her way to the hospital and I took her parking spot?
On the other hand, I have spent the last 4 months throwing up, sleeping, laughing and then crying hysterically. My ankles are swelling, I feel like I have 20 pound weights strapped to my chest, and I’m putting on weight by the day. I’m exhausted. Doesn’t that mean I deserve a front row parking spot?
I just don’t know. Normally the Good Deed Meter Reader in my head cues me in to the right thing to do (or at the very least alerts me as to what is the WRONG thing to do…) but I’m coming up empty on this one. I just don’t know.
What do you think? Can someone who is 4 months pregnant park in expectant mother parking?
8 Comments
mom of one
HELL YEAH you can! I waited and waited to use those spots at busy malls.. but the malls i went to either didn’t have any spots such as those or they were taken.. i was tempted to use that spot once when i was only a few weeks prego.. but restrained thinking the glares of people would but too damaging to my small fetus…. you deserve it… as long as you are showing.. HELL YEAH!
Oren
…but what does this have to do with Godzilla??
lakenshift
We are on our second pregnancy. We have decided that as long as she is showing, she parks in the space. After all, if you are preganant, your pregnant… morning sickness and all. There is always the chance that someone is further along in their pregnancy then you and will need to park in the expectant mothers space when you are there. This could always be said. If you are 4 months, someone else is 6 months. When you are 6 months, someone else is 8 months. When you are 8 months, someone elses water is breaking.
Julie
Look, Katie, you’ve only got 9 months to take advantage of stuff like this. And you’ve already used up 4 of them…milk it for all it’s worth!!!
Laura
I figure, as soon as my bump gets a little bigger I’m parking there. I have visions of some freak, or cop ticketing me if I don’t pull up my shirt and produce the belly! eeeeeeep!
Vandy
Definitely use it, I did! At Whole Foods, not the mall. And now that I have a toddler AND an infant, I wonder why they don’t have spaces up front for moms hauling infant seats and kids with no sense of cars. Seriously, I can waddle along while prego as far as needed. But, hauling an infant seat while holding a little one’s hand through a dangerous parking lot. That is a real challenge.
jmliz
Use it – I have no issues with this. You are prego – it’s not easy. 🙂 I NEVER was lucky enough to hit one of these spots while I was pregnant – BUT I wasn’t hugely pregnant in a slippery snowy New England winter either (August baby). So go for it – there are only so many perks to being pregnant – take advantage while you can! btw – your house looks lovely
Emily
2 words: hells yea