Okay, mamas-to-be and new mamas out there. I need your opinions. The city of New York is considering special parking privileges for pregnant women with difficult pregnancies. Learn more about the proposal here.
My first thought after reading this article is that it’s a victory for sore backs and swollen feet everywhere. Hooray for preggies!
My second thought is purely selfish. What about me and all the other moms schlepping their kids around out there?? Why don’t we get special parking? After all, I could use it now more than I ever did when I was pregnant! Picture this typical morning grocery store run for me. I scour the parking lot for a spot that can both fit my not-so-mini-van but also isn’t four miles away from the store’s entrance. Every time, it’s the same routine. I let the four year old out first because he can be trusted not to run. I load the baby up in the Ergo carrier, put the diaper bag on one shoulder, the reusable grocery bags on the other, then unbuckle the two year old. Taking the two big boys’ hands in mine, we make our way towards the store. Each precarious step is a balancing act – keeping the bags on my shoulders and holding the two year old’s hand hard enough that he can’t make a mad dash into traffic but not so tightly as to hurt him, letting go of the four year old’s hand momentarily to stuff the pacifier back into the screaming baby’s mouth. Basically, the closer I can park to a store, the better. I want the special parking! The pregnant lady’s kid is a lot easier to manage IN the womb then my three are out here in the world!
Even more importantly than my own selfish wants and desires, I also worry about what this proposition says about pregnancy. It seems that pregnancy is viewed by some in our society as a disability. The article doesn’t specify what counts as a “difficult” pregnancy, but it does say that a doctor’s note will be required to get the special parking permit. I definitely support the idea that women who have real medical issues should be entitled to the services and help that they need. Most pregnant women, however, are not disabled or weaker because of their “condition.” Instead, they prove every day how capable women are – we can grow babies after all! I am a true believer that pregnancy is an empowering experience for a woman. I fear, however, that this parking permit situation might have a negative effect on that cause down the road. If the system is taken advantage of, for instance, and women are bombarding their doctors with trumped up symptoms to get a special parking pass, will it perpetuate the viewpoint that pregnant women are not as capable as non-pregnant women? Will they be resented for taking up prime parking unnecessarily? Could it even have implications on birth in the future? After all, if a pregnant woman can’t park in a regular parking spot, how could she ever push out a baby all by herself?
What do you think? Am I reading too much into this situation? Am I just too jealous of all the preggies who will now get prime parking? Should I just shut up and be happy for my pregnant sisters in NYC?
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