I wish they did this in my state it would make the looks more tollerable. I am lucky I know all of the police in my area so when I pull up to the HC spot in my grocery complex they say Hi and I don't get the looks. I know just stare them down my kids alwasy say I had the meanest stink eye stare :) I will say I really only go to one store and I have one couple that are always there that i just want to go up to them and ask if they want to see my card!~

[quote=lynnie]sometimes, some of us limp, sometimes our meds kick in and we can almost walk normal

This happens to me all the time. I take my meds before I have to go anywhere so I can function. and it always happens the meds kick in and I feel like I can run a marathon. It is not fun really sorry this is hard for me when I don't look sick to get the awful looks. I am the type of person that WILL Say to them what is their issue. I have no fear and my kids say :) OK I will step down from the soap box!!

Am I the only person who parks as far away from everyone as I can get? I like my car without digs in the door, scratches down the side and shopping carts resting against it.

My pet peeve is the handicapped areas used by people who are not handicapped, then get out and practically run to the store. I have yet to see the law enforce them.

I have a standard half hour rap I give to folks who give me the attitude about HC spots. It covers "invisible illnesses" such as heart disease, lung disease, my own illnesses CFIDS and fibromyalgia...

I usually just look for a sticker and don't challenge if I see one, even tho I know many who have them for others use them for themselves, including my husband's ex-sister.

I saw a woman once park in a handicap spot and then start running in the store. She did NOT have her daughter (wheelchair bound) with her. I was angry as she had been speeding in the parking lot where I had just been walking with my 3 children under 4. I rolled down the window and yelled at her that mental handicaps don't count. Everyone out there was looking at her when I did that. She turned back to the store and took off running again. I still laugh when I think about that! Lord she was mad at me. Small town, she was a repeat offender and everyone knew it.

Oh, that burns me up, too. When we lived in Germany I worked at the Base Exchange. One day there was smoke coming out of some of the vents and the local fire truck (local service) quickly arrived. There 2 cars parked in the fire lane which the truck proceeded to not so gently move them out of the way. The drivers were rather verbal with their displeasure, especially when the police issued them a ticket for parking in the fire lane and causing damage to the fire truck.

Fortunately there was no fire, but the heating system did overheat and smoked.

As I read these posts I'm thinking about when my 2 kids were born - both emergency c-sections. I was so sore and had to walk such a long way into stores, and several times I'd have to reach out to catch the door as the person in front of me just let it go. Ouch! I'm so glad shops have added parking spots for expectant and new mothers!

I often wonder if their disability is a cognitive one...but then if that is the case, perhaps they should not have a driver's license! :thumbdown: (I used to teach a self-contained special education class for children with cognitive deficits...taught them how to use public transportation because I knew driving was NOT in their future!) I think their actual disability is an overly-inflated belief in their own superiority and thinking they are entitled to anything they want!

I have a handicapped hanger, but I only use it on my bad days. If there is an open regular spot close by, I save the handicapped spot for someone more handicapped than myself. If my kids are with me, they just drop me off and then go park elsewhere and then when we finish shopping, they go get the car and come back to the front of the store to pick me up.