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AIBU?

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Original poster

AIBU to wait on steps with my injured child outside flats?

141 replies

Mammababa4 · 07/08/2026 13:57

So this morning I was meeting a friend in central London with my 4 children for breakfast then to go to a museum. My children are 7, 5, 3 and newborn.
While walking from the station to the breakfast spot my 5 year old little girl fell over, she had a bloody knee and twisted her ankle, I called my friend to ask if she could come meet us with some plasters and help me carry DD back to the station as she wasn’t going to be able to walk around a museum, my friend said sure and she would be there in 10 minutes.
DD was really struggling to put weight on her ankle so I sat her down on the steps of an apartment building. It had double doors and DD is only small so she wasn’t taking up the whole steps.

First 2 people came out, I apologised they were fine and went off to stand at the side. Then another man came out, and I told DD to bring her hand in so he didn’t step on it, but before DD got a chance he stood on her hand, she’s fine but obviously it really hurt. The man immediately swore in French (maybe thinking I don’t speak any French), then told me to move her from the steps. One of the people who had come out before came over and apologised for his swearing and told him to leave it, he was clearly angry though.
I explained to them DD is injured im waiting for a friend and we won’t be long.
A few minutes later another 3 came down clearly part of the same group I was trying to make sure all the kids stayed away from the road while comforting DD. As they open the door I said oh watch we are here. Again they told me she shouldn’t be sat there, so I explained again. None the less the man from early came back over to tell me I was being selfish and inconsiderate but the rest of his group seemed to shuffle him along. Two of them came back and asked if they could help/apologised for the man’s behaviour but said they could help me move DD around the corner where there is a small park/garden with benches. I declined as I didn’t feel comfortable with a stranger carrying DD. The man who had a very strong accent then muttered something about it being inconsiderate for me to keep blocking the door when I’d be offered helped but they walked away.

WIBU?

OP posts:
JemimaTiggywinkles · 07/08/2026 16:15

BringBackCatsEyes · 07/08/2026 16:12

If I left my front door and found a hurt child sitting on my door step I'd help them.

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People tried to help and the OP refused their offer. She preferred to inconvenience and cause a hazard than allow a stranger to push a buggy round the corner. Ridiculous.

MyDarlingRose · 07/08/2026 16:12

I think if it caused this much fuss why didn’t you just make her sit on the street? The stairs are no cleaner than the path

BringBackCatsEyes · 07/08/2026 16:12

BillieWiper · 07/08/2026 15:25

I wouldn't expect people trying to get in and out of their home to be delighted I had chosen their front steps to sit with an injured child. There must have been somewhere else you could go where you weren't blocking a walkway on someone else's property. The guy swearing in French or standing on her hand was horrible. But ultimately you needed to move somewhere safer.

If I left my front door and found a hurt child sitting on my door step I'd help them.

BringBackCatsEyes · 07/08/2026 16:10

LilyOfTheValley25 · 07/08/2026 16:09

If she cant weight bear, then im not sure that a plaster is going to help with that.

The paster was for the bleeding knee. The sitting on the step was for the sore ankle.

BringBackCatsEyes · 07/08/2026 16:10

purplecorkheart · 07/08/2026 15:37

Unfortunately there is always the change of getting a mouthful from the parent. Thankfully in my experience most people are mindful of keeping stairs clear for users.

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So you risk falling rather than asking people to move because more people hurl abuse at you than move to let you past?
That's really very sad.

LilyOfTheValley25 · 07/08/2026 16:09

If she cant weight bear, then im not sure that a plaster is going to help with that.

Dublassie · 07/08/2026 16:06

I have low tolerance for just about everything but this is awful !! A woman is managing 4 small kids in London and a child has an accident and people walk on her child and shout at her ?
What on earth is wrong with society ??

Bluepower · 07/08/2026 16:06

WiltedLettuce · 07/08/2026 15:55

Unfair. I only have two kids and keeping them both safe can be tricky in busy areas, especially when they wander off in different directions. And mine are prone to nosebleeds and you can't really let them walk around with blood pouring down their clothes dripping over stuff. You do have to stop and stem the bleeding.

The OP has three mobile kids, one very young, and another one to keep safe in a pram. And only two hands.

OP, I take my hat off to your ambition in even attempting this trip. You clearly have a stronger backbone than me. I wouldn't worry too much, with four kids you're inevitably going to end up annoying some people occasionally on days out, but better to block a doorway than have one of your kids going under the wheels of a passing bus. Lesser evil and all that. There will be lots of situations like this in the future that you'll just need to shrug off.

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Well it really was only ambitious, though. It was all called off because of a grazed knee and even then that wasn't the end of being a victim and behaving awkwardly.

BringBackCatsEyes · 07/08/2026 16:06

RVectensian · 07/08/2026 15:43

Honestly, all this over a trip up and a bloody knee? Sounds like a right palava. Cancelling the trip out, having to carry a 5 year old around, not being able to move off steps to move around to find an actual seat, needing someone to meet you with plasters etc...such drama!

She was struggling to put her weight on her twisted ankle.

AstonCanKissMyArse · 07/08/2026 16:06

She didn't know about the bench round the corner. She could have struggled around looking for one, with the 4 kids in tow, for ages.

Honestly I'm not sure where some people live that there are all these handily placed benches all over the place! I need them for health reasons and there's never one about when you need them.

Zaza2020 · 07/08/2026 16:04

I just wanted to say poor you. I hope your wee girl is alright and you got her home safely. Its not easy getting out and about with small children.

Tryagain26 · 07/08/2026 16:03

Theworldsgonemadagain · 07/08/2026 14:19

The man deliberately stood on your child's hand?! What did you do about that? I would have lost my shit. No you shouldn't have been there but if it was my apartment I would have tried to help not stand on a childs hand. He's a bully.

It doesn't sound deliberate I think it was an accident which explains why it wasn't safe to wait on the steps and why the man was angry.

LakieLady · 07/08/2026 16:01

You were both BU: him for being rude and you for blocking the access.

Springsummertime · 07/08/2026 16:00

He was rude but does sound like where you sat her wasn’t ideal! Sounds like you need better planning going out singularly with 4 kids eg double pram, buggy board etc

Tryagain26 · 07/08/2026 15:58

He was rude and unpleasant but you shouldn't have been blocking the doorway. I would have taken her round the corner to the public bench.

ThriveAT · 07/08/2026 15:57

You shouldn't have blocked the doorway. It wasn't safe to have her sitting there - for the residents or your child, who got trod on.

WiltedLettuce · 07/08/2026 15:55

RVectensian · 07/08/2026 15:43

Honestly, all this over a trip up and a bloody knee? Sounds like a right palava. Cancelling the trip out, having to carry a 5 year old around, not being able to move off steps to move around to find an actual seat, needing someone to meet you with plasters etc...such drama!

Unfair. I only have two kids and keeping them both safe can be tricky in busy areas, especially when they wander off in different directions. And mine are prone to nosebleeds and you can't really let them walk around with blood pouring down their clothes dripping over stuff. You do have to stop and stem the bleeding.

The OP has three mobile kids, one very young, and another one to keep safe in a pram. And only two hands.

OP, I take my hat off to your ambition in even attempting this trip. You clearly have a stronger backbone than me. I wouldn't worry too much, with four kids you're inevitably going to end up annoying some people occasionally on days out, but better to block a doorway than have one of your kids going under the wheels of a passing bus. Lesser evil and all that. There will be lots of situations like this in the future that you'll just need to shrug off.

MyCrushWithEyeliner · 07/08/2026 15:52

If I accidentally trod on someone’s hand I’d feel terrible about it and apologise.

Moonnstarz · 07/08/2026 15:49

RVectensian · 07/08/2026 15:43

Honestly, all this over a trip up and a bloody knee? Sounds like a right palava. Cancelling the trip out, having to carry a 5 year old around, not being able to move off steps to move around to find an actual seat, needing someone to meet you with plasters etc...such drama!

Well yes, i was also just thinking this.

In school if a child trips over, unless we believe they have broken a bone we would move them. Even a sprained ankle we get the child up, and then help them hop to a classroom where they can then put their foot up and have ice on it.

This sounds like the little one fell over and grazed their knee and they were in shock about it hence the reluctance to walk. Knowing the friend was on the way I would try to have moved on at least to a bench, a wet wipe or tissue for the knee and as others have suggested asking the 7 year old to help in some way - probably pushing the pram slowly along while mum held the hand of the 5 year old and 3 year old.

RVectensian · 07/08/2026 15:43

Honestly, all this over a trip up and a bloody knee? Sounds like a right palava. Cancelling the trip out, having to carry a 5 year old around, not being able to move off steps to move around to find an actual seat, needing someone to meet you with plasters etc...such drama!

Boomer55 · 07/08/2026 15:39

You could and should have moved her.

purplecorkheart · 07/08/2026 15:37

BringBackCatsEyes · 07/08/2026 15:15

Wouldn't you just say something like "I can see your DD is hurt and needs somewhere to it, but I am unstable and do need to use the rail. Please can you allow me past?"

You must come across situations like this all the time if you are unsteady on steps.

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Unfortunately there is always the change of getting a mouthful from the parent. Thankfully in my experience most people are mindful of keeping stairs clear for users.

Lexibletheflexible · 07/08/2026 15:37

Mammababa4 · 07/08/2026 15:32

I mean we can’t assume anything about their situation.
They may have owned, they may have been staying in an air BnB, it might be that only one of them lived there and others were visiting.
I’d say they were all 25-30, and they were not speaking to each other in English, I’d guess a mix of French/Italian/Spanish.
But we can’t really know what was going on or if they lived in London or were visiting etc

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That's exactly what I used to do in those flats. Air bnbs. The neighbours hated that, understandably. But even the guests felt ripped off because they paid premium price for places that were kind of a dump. They just had a horrible vibe all in all.

BitOutOfPractice · 07/08/2026 15:36

If you’d sat on the steps of my block of flats I would have asked if you were ok and offered Ice and plasters

Honestly what sort of world do we live in now where you wouldn’t just be kind?

i hope your dd is ok and you can replan your nice day out soon.

Lexibletheflexible · 07/08/2026 15:34

ToKittyornottoKitty · 07/08/2026 15:28

You don’t even know where she was, and there are lots of reasons people can be rude. He was incredibly rude but he wasn’t entitled to want to step out of his own front door. And besides there’s no reason why that would make OP feel better

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That is why i said what I said in my first post. Do you remember how it started?