Entitlement never comes off as looking particularly attractive on anyone.
That being said, there are some people who are entitled to certain privileges and benefits in life owing to things they’ve accomplished or their current situation.
And it is important to respect when these people take advantage of these benefits.
Redditor igiepdf utilized one such perk on a recent trip to the supermarket.
Upon arrival, however, another man who also qualified for this perk was not pleased when the original poster (OP) got there before he did, believing he was more deserving of it than she was.
While the OP stood firm, she was surprised to be told she was in the wrong in this situation by both her husband and her father.
Reflecting on the whole situation, the OP took to the subReddit “Am I The A**hole” (AITA), where she asked fellow Redditors:
“AITA for parking in a pregnant person/ veteran spot.”
The OP explained how she found herself accosted for taking advantage of a service catered to her current situation.
“I’m not sure how popular these are other places, but in the southern U.S.A, some places have special parking spots for veterans and pregnant individuals, and sometimes they’re the same spot.”
“I am currently about 34 weeks pregnant and have had a kind of rough pregnancy, so I avoid going out very often.”
“Yesterday, my husband couldn’t go to the grocery store, and I had to do it.”
“The grocery store I went to had one of the aforementioned parking spots free, and I parked there.”
“As I was getting out, a man pulled up behind me and started yelling at me, telling me it was illegal to park there. It’s for veterans.”
“I told him it was for veterans and pregnant women, and I was a pregnant woman.”
“He said he earned the right to park there by fighting for our country.”
“I apologized that he felt that way, and I was grateful for his service, and if he needs the spot for disability reasons, there are plenty of spots open.”
“Some detail: he was a young dude, and of course, I don’t know if he was disabled or not. He was in his car, and I couldn’t see him, as well as not all disabilities are visible.”
“He called me a b*tch and drove away, and when I told my husband about the interaction, he told me while it did say for pregnant women and veterans, he deserved it more, and I should have backed off.”
“My dad and brother agree, and now I feel like an a-hole, but my sister told me I was in the right and not to worry.”
The OP was left to wonder.
“Am I the a**hole?”
Fellow Redditors weighed in on where they believed the OP fell in this particular situation by declaring:
- NTA – Not The A**hole
- YTA – You’re The A**hole
- NAH – No A**holes Here
- ESH – Everyone Sucks Here
The Reddit community unanimously agreed that the OP was not the a**hole for taking the parking spot designated for veterans and pregnant women.
Everyone thought that the OP had every right to take that parking spot, as she was among the people whom it catered to, while many others were horrified that her husband and father didn’t stand up for her.
“NTA.”
“It was meant for pregnant women AND veterans.”
“You were there first, so you can use it.”
“Bad luck for the guy.”- MoniHaavi
“NTA.”
“I’d be having a looooonnnnngggg talk with my husband if he shamed me for using a spot designated for me while pregnant.”
“I would describe every symptom I’ve experienced thus far in great detail.”
“I’d look into one of those devices you can attach to their stomachs to simulate birthing pain so he can get a glimpse of what is to come.”
“I would make his life Hell.”
“Like, you notice how it’s only the men shaming you, right?”
“Men who have never had to face the trials of pregnancy?”
“Gross.”- artorianscribe
“NTA.”
“Your sister is right.”
“Every single man in this story is a giant a**hole… f*ck them.”
“Obligatory this is a big red flag for how his family is going to treat you the rest of your life.”-Ghost273552
“NTA.”
“Parking spots for pregnant people are about need, not who deserves it more.”
“You needed it.”
“You were right to use it.”
“Your husband sounds like he does not have a good idea about how challenging the third trimester is.”
“You should suggest he read up on it because he is sounding like TA here (the veteran too, obviously).”- MyUserName543212345
“NTA.”
“Part of the problem here is that men don’t get pregnant, so they don’t know just how hard it can be to move around and run errands with a big belly in front.”
“Hubby, dad, brother, and vet are all wrong.”- sharirogers
“NTA.”
“That guy most certainly was.”
“My partner is a vet, and he would gladly give up one of those parking spots to a pregnant person.”
“Besides, who’s to say you aren’t a veteran?”
“Did the guy assume you were not simply because you are a pregnant person?”
“Some of the most bada** vets I know identify as women.”
“That a-hole can go kick rocks.”
“Your husband, dad, and brother are AH for being okay with a stranger calling you a b*tch.”-toastyhoneybutter
“NTA.”
“It was for pregnant people and veterans.”
“How is it he deserved it more?”
“That whole notion that any veteran deserves it more than a woman having a rough pregnancy and 34 weeks along when you basically have a bowling ball sitting on your bladder all day.”
“Maybe he was a company clerk and rode a desk in the US for four years.”
“How do they know?”
“I have a friend who did just that.”
“Never got anywhere near a gun fired in anger.”
“Hell, I know a guy who got discharged for failure to adapt to military life, and he insists on wearing an army cap and using those parking spaces, and he didn’t last six months in the army.”
“Screw the men.”
“Park and don’t feel guilty.”- wee_idjit
“OMG.”
“Your husband actually sided with that nasty vet?!?”
“You are NTA here – but that guy and your husband are!”
“Vet spots are there as a courtesy to veterans.”
“Pregnancy spots are there because pregnancy makes it difficult to walk around for any length of time.”
“Pregnancy trumps veteran status.”
“If he was a disabled vet, he can park in a handicap spot, which is generally even closer.”
“You were absolutely right to park there.”
“Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.”- SirMittensOfTheHill
“NTA.”
“First of all, how did the guy know you weren’t a veteran?”
“His assumption says a lot about him.”
“Secondly, the whole vet parking space thing in the US makes me laugh.”
“My husband served in Iraq and Afghanistan, and he wouldn’t dream of even parking in such a space if we had them here (UK).”
“The guy may be a vet, but that doesn’t stop him from being a huge AH.”
“I’m sorry about your rough pregnancy. I hope you feel better soon.”- loveacrumpet
“NTA.”
“The spirit of those spots is generally with the idea that it is specifically for veterans injured in combat.”
“But him saying he ‘deserved it more’ leaves a bad taste in my mouth.”
“IMO, the point of joining the service is for the sake of your country and fight for your people, not get a better parking spot or a discount at Denny’s.”
“My daddy was a career military man.”
“Not only would he have parked elsewhere without a huff, but he would also have returned to you and offered you his arm into the grocery store if it looked like you were struggling.”
“I’m not saying veterans don’t have a right to be pissed, but this guy just reminds me of a buddy I went to school with who got a dishonorable discharge 2-years in for f*cking around and shooting himself in the foot.”
“But he still wears his uniform around.”- echoCashMeOusside
The OP later returned with an update, sharing that she did eventually stand up to her husband and father.
“I told my husband it was very uncool of him to treat me like that, especially with him knowing how anxious I was to go to the store and him knowing for a fact it hurts to walk and that the spot was for both of us.”
“We had a bit of a back and forth, but he apologized.”
“My dad also pretty much immediately apologized as well, saying he shouldn’t have sided with the man who ‘called his baby girl a b*tch,’ but I think my mom and sister really laid into him.”
“My brother is a d*ck, so I don’t expect an apology from him.”
One can only be grateful that the OP’s husband and father saw the error of their ways after she confronted them.
Even so, it does make one shudder to think how they might have behaved had they been there with her at the time.
As it shouldn’t take reminding for them to stand up and defend someone who was attacked for doing absolutely nothing wrong.