We are a nation of angry people. We have sports rage and road rage. Now I'd like to introduce yet another type of anger: Parking Space Rage.

It's caused when after searching for a parking space; you finally track someone returning to their car, you stalk them, following slowly until they get in their car. You turn on your turn signals, alerting everyone around that this is now your claimed spot. But when the car backs out, blocking your immediate entry, a nefarious, underhanded car comes along from the other side of the aisle and zips in, stealing YOUR spot.

Understandably, the feelings of unfairness, disbelief and frustration bubble up into a dangerous form of Parking Space Rage.

I know, because it happened to me.  It was at Triangle Town Center. I usually go there during the weekday, and then, the parking is bountiful.  But on this occasion, I had to be there on a Saturday night.  I spotted the walker as she approached her car. It was just the two of us.  I patiently waited as she got in her car, adjusted her iPod, put on her makeup (all of these things could have also caused P.S. Rage, but I remained calm.)  As she slowly exited the narrow space, another car approached from the other end.  I motioned to the other car because both of them had a blind spot and I didn’t want them to hit each other (further tying up my spot.)  So we both waited until the car exited, but as the car turned toward me, the car at the other end slid in the spot.  

Yes, I honked.  She ignored me.  I called to her, just in case she hadn’t understood the situation.  Yet and still, she ignored.  Since my plans for the night didn’t include going to jail on a hit and run, I decided to be an adult, despite my frustration, and found another parking spot, MUCH further away.

As I finally walked back toward the mall, I spotted her walking with a friend. The Parking Space Thief.  I could feel my heart beat speed up, and I thought what I would say if I caught up to her—which would be fairly easy to do because although she was younger, it was evident that I could walk faster.  (More proof that she should have taken the parking space that was further away.)

And then I thought—what am I doing?  I am a suburban mom from Cary, getting ready to rumble some young girl and her guy. How quickly can a careless exchange of words escalate into a shouting match, a fight or worse?  At the least, I could be extremely embarrassed by my own bad behavior.

So, with a calming breath, I beat back the influences of Parking Space rage, turned away from my prey, and walked in the mall through another entrance.  

I share this story with you because with the coming holidays, we all need to be alert for the dangers of Parking Space Rage.  As my story demonstrates, it can happen without warning to anyone.  Let’s be careful out there.

Pamela appears Tuesdays on TriangleMom2Mom. Read more about Pamela on her blog Crazy is My Life.