Skip to main content

Parking Lot/Parking Garage "Etiquette"

When did walking through a parking lot become so dangerous?!?!?!?!?  This week when I was running errands, I observed bad parking lot "etiquette."  As far as parking garages go, they scare the you know what out of me! They are so noisy, all you hear are screeching brakes.  They echo so much, don't you just want to put on a pair of earplugs?  When I go to a parking garage, I would rather park far away and walk, then get all stressed out when it's time to leave and I have to back up and pull out of the spot.  Lauren, being a new driver, is still learning how to navigate parking lots.  She does my trick of pulling through the spot and have the nose of the car pointing out.  Okay, back to yesterday.  I was walking towards Walmart and saw a car backing out, I had a feeling the driver didn't see me.  Sure enough, I had to stop in my tracks while he pulled his car out of the space.  I guess I looked a little ticked, so he pulled down his window and said, "sorry!"  I told him it wasn't a problem (even though it kind of was).  After Walmart, I headed over to Kroger.  After doing my shopping, I opened the back of my van and was putting all my groceries in.  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a car pulling through the spot next to me.  I assumed they would park the car and get out. WRONG! This lady pulled through really fast, never stopped and then turned and went down the aisle. She missed the corner of my van by inches.  I'm glad I was by myself.  I shudder to think if I had the kids and they were getting in on that side of the van.  One of my few pet peeves are people that cut through parking lot spaces and don't go down the aisles.  I have done it on very rare occasions, but what I notice is that most people just cut through, not really looking.  I have honked when necessary at these people, but most of the time it just isn't worth it.  I get a dirty look or the finger!  Even though I have the right of way, I stop and let them go. I really wish the Department of Motor Vehicles would require a course in parking lot/parking garage etiquette when you go for your learner's permit or license!! It would make me so happy :)

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

A Book Every Autism Mom Should Read

When Dominic was diagnosed with Autism at 2 1/2, I went to our local library and took out every book I could find about Autism. Sometimes I would bring back 20 books. This was 2006, so a lot of the information was very "dated." I guess I was looking for a book that would tell me what I should do next, like a "manual." Autism doesn't quite work that way! The saying is, " if you know one person with Autism, you know one person with Autism." Every mom to an individual with Autism follows their own "path." I think as moms, we judge ourselves much harder than anyone else does. I was 41 when I had Dominic. Did he get the diagnosis of Autism because I was an older mom? because I drank a lot of pop? I could sit and think about that every minute of every day. I am pretty integrated into the Autism community around Lansing and have told more than one person that it took me about two weeks to come to terms with Dominic's diagnosis. It is so incredib...

Mainstreaming and Inclusion

The hubby and I were discussing the other day how special education students were treated back when he and I were in school.  He remarked to me that in his time, they were "hidden away" from the rest of the students.  When I was in elementary school, I can remember seeing the kids in those classrooms pass by us in the hallway.  I don't ever recall seeing them in the lunchroom or playground.  I'm so glad that times have changed.  Even though Dominic is in a "self-contained" special education classroom, he does get to go to the art, gym and music classrooms.  He also gets to eat lunch in the school cafeteria.  He loves hot lunch on Thursday - pizza!! Given Dominic's abilities, he is able to be "mainstreamed" into the general education classroom for small amounts of time.  Every moment he is able to do that gives me so much hope for his future.  I absolutely love what Dominic's current teacher is doing.  He has started a peer-to-peer progra...

Need to Call Bella's Mom

Dominic at least a few times a week will tell me, "need to call Bella's mom!" Who is Bella you may ask? Here is the answer to that question: I first met Bella shortly after Dominic's first grand mal seizure. She and her mom approached me at the Meijer grocery store back in June of last year as I was grabbing a milk jug out of the dairy case. Dominic and Bella go to the same middle school.  I have never forgotten what Bella's mom told me that day, "I would love to get our children together and be in Dominic's life however much you will let us." Bella's mom has the most generous heart and has passed on those values to her three children.  Bella and Dominic made sugar cookies last summer: When Dominic had a choir concert at school and neither Lauren or my husband could attend, Bella and her mom surprised us after the concert! The number one thing I admire about Bella is how incredibly compassionate she is. There is a respect a...