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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Who is right - the generation gap

110 replies

TwoGhostsGoToWar · 26/07/2017 20:57

A teenage girl lives with her grandmother (through choice) and sits on the floor in front of a full length mirror to do her make up. The mirror is at the top of the second set of stairs outside her loft conversion bedroom. She uses this mirror as it has natural light from behind. The grandmother moaned about makeup laying around. The teenagers mother suggests an old towel is put in front of the mirror so loose powder doesn't touch the carpet and to prevent makeup stains if make up leaks and so no blusher, mascara or lipstain containers tough the carpet. The mother gets and old towel and places it down where needed. The grandmother says 'I don't live like that' and removes the towel and gives the teenagers a small wicker basket to put her makeup in. Months later a brush is dropped by accident and a make up stain appears. The furious grandmother cleans the very small mark on the carpet and berates the teenager. She rings the girls mother and wants the teenager to move out. The teenager wants to put a towel down to stop further accidents the grandmother point blank refuses. To add to this the grandmother regularly visits the girls room and tidies it up, throws items out belonging the girl and complains it is messy. She says the teenager has no entitlement to privacy because she is living in HER house. The teenager tries to explain that her room is her personal space. The grandmother refuses to accept this. Who is right?

OP posts:
SonicBoomBoom · 31/07/2017 23:46

I think someone has found a lone sock down the back of the radiator.

DioneTheDiabolist · 31/07/2017 23:53

And yet this competent, amazing teen can't life her towel and make-up off the landing when asked Calamine?

Why does she take her washing home? Does granny not have a washing machine?
Where/what does she eat if she is rarely out, but only eats breakfast there?
How much rent does she pay and where does she get the money?

Curiouser and Curiouser. Confused

CalamineLotion · 03/08/2017 09:29

I know the family well. Teen prone to eczema but controlled because she is careful with her washing powder and other triggers. Granny won't change her washing power from posh Persil to downmarket Daz (which the teen needs) so her Mum does it all. To be fair most bedding now going to mum too after a recent outbreak. Teen eats with Mum a few nights or at her student job or skips the odd meal. Mum pays rent of £35 a week. The make up stain was minute, only Grannie could see it. STOP PRESS: Grannie cooked her spaghetti bol on Monday evening! The day she came back from a festival she had been at

Notevilstepmother · 03/08/2017 09:44

This all seems like a lot of drama over nothing.

Either the teenager stops leaving make up and towels in the hallway and accepts that Granny is a different generation and will tidy her room, or moves back to her mums house where she can leave her stuff where she wants.

If Granny can get up 2 flights of stairs in the day time then she'd probably be fine with one of those alarm button things for night time reassurance.

In the nicest possible way it's probably best if the mum/daughter in the middle of this keeps well out of it and tells Granny and teenager to sort it out themselves, or just tells teenager to move back home.

Notevilstepmother · 03/08/2017 09:46

Oh and there is no reason teenager couldn't take some Daz and do her own laundry. She sounds mollycoddled to me.

But for eczema I would have thought non bio would be better than Daz.

Genghi · 03/08/2017 10:28

If the teen is going to uni then she is a grown woman and needs to be considerate. This means putting her make up on in her bathroom.

DioneTheDiabolist · 03/08/2017 10:52

Calamine have you PM'd the OP of this thread yet?

Kforkatie · 03/08/2017 12:51

I'd suggest a small and thin (i.e. Non trip hazard) rug on the landing. If there has only been one tiny stain in all this time it should stay clean enough to look ok, and the carpet will stay clean underneath.

FrancisCrawford · 03/08/2017 15:04

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

AuntieStella · 03/08/2017 15:14

The teenager is in the wrong.

She needs to understand that house rules apply to her.

If she does not like those house rules, she still needs to abide by them, but she should also start looking for somewhere else to live.

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