I just checked out a new grocery store in our neighborhood and I was surprised to see several reserved parking spots.

This particular store has the usual spots for the employee of the month and the handicapped spots. However, it also had several reserved spots for pregnant women. I’ve seen this before, so I was only modestly surprised when I spotted the signs.

Another sign was posted on other reserved spots: this spot reserved for families with children. Wow!

As a mom of 5, I can tell you that I appreciate such courtesy. Not only do I have 5 children, but two of my children are legally blind. It is difficult at times to navigate parking lots with an infant, 2 blind teens, and 2 other children. In fact, I actually take parking lot issues into consideration when choosing stores at which to shop.

Some other things I consider are how crowded the store may be and how long it takes me to check out of the store! All of these things do make a difference in making your daily grind a little more bearable.

I purposely shop at the one pharmacy in town that has a drive thru for the sake of convenience as well. Since my children have many prescriptions which must be filled on a monthly basis, this option makes it a little less stressful for all of us.

I personally would LOVE to see check out lines that are solely to be used by parents of very young infants. I remember how frustrating it was to make the huge effort to get everyone out to do the grocery shopping in those early weeks of my son’s life only to find that you had to stand in a long line to check out. Of course, it either ran into nap or feeding time, which prompted the baby to have a meltdown.

Do you feel that reserved parking spots for pregnant women and parents with children are a good idea or a bad idea? Have you ever used a pharmacy drive thru in order to avoid having to take your children in and out of the vehicle?