Mil says no tea in living room

[LetUsHaveACupOfTea]

NC incase mil on here. No one is allowed to drink anything but water in mil's living room incase it gets spilled on the rug. To have a cup of tea I need to go downstairs to the kitchen to drink it. The rug isn't mega expensive or anything. I'm not overly clumsy. AIBU to think that's a bit silly? Do you allow your guests to drink tea infront of the telly or might it risk them ruining your rug?

I think thats ridiculous personally.

But I agree that her house, her rules applies. People have the right to be weird as heck in their own homes

The only way to get away that sort of rule is to a) not let the guest even realise you have a rule, because b) you have a wonderful farmhouse style kitchen which is warm and welcoming and you pretty much live in it.
(I'd love one of those!)

"Asking my dh about it, and he says it's a class thing. He said that it's working class to drink tea in a living room . Surely not?"

I've occasionally worked in the home of the Bowes-Lyons (Queen Mum's family) and Lady B-L often takes tea in her living room. I'll be sure to tell her next time that this makes her working class!

Start declining invitations on the basis that you want to chill out on the sofa with a cup of tea.

He said that it's working class to drink tea in a living room

Didn't you watch Downton? It's only working class because the upper class is not limited to a measly living room to entertain guests

The dream of any decent aspirational lower-middle-class host is to have their guests for tea in the kitchen, all wearing slippers don't you know

I've spilt about four cups of tea/coffee on my nans rugs in her new house (cream carpets in living room)... I haven't been banned yet, though they have said I might be killed if I do it again. They are gonna get a rug cleaner to do and are saying they'd "need it done anyway" as dog hair is leaving oil patches everywhere.. M I think they are trying to make me feel a bit better

When we were dog sitting sis in laws house a few years back their dining room was part of their lounge. Everything was cream, curtains, carpet, furniture. We were having tomato soup for lunch and to protect the table from possible spills I covered it all over with mats. As I was walking into the room with the soup I tripped and it went everywhere!!!! Up the curtains, walls, carpet. I sat on the floor and cried. Husband went and rented a carpet cleaner and I had to wash the curtains still hanging up as I couldn't take them down. Everything was clean to am inch of its life. Brother and sister in law actually was very laid back about it and said the room looked much cleaner than they left it! Anyway I think shes being uptight but I would be so nervous with those rules I probably would trip and spill tea everywhere. Just enjoy some quality time in the kitchen then leave xxx

I have no time for tight arsed people who put their house above their guests. I don't go to these people's houses because I think they are fucking rude.

Quite! I make an exception for my SIL, whose massively extended and largely rebuilt home is almost ready to go on the market, so has to be kept in show home condition for the foreseeable.

Actually, even she was happy for me to drink red wine in the sitting room, despite brand new pale carpet having been fitted only a few days before.

Asking my dh about it, and he says it's a class thing. He said that it's working class to drink tea in a living room hmm. Surely not?

Absolutely not!

Can you imagine the queen sodding off to the kitchen every time she fancies a cuppa?

Can you imagine the queen sodding off to the kitchen every time she fancies a cuppa?
but that's the point, she has more than enough rooms to chose for a cuppa than her "living room" whatever that is called in her circles. HOW do you call a living room when you are posh?

Does she have tea in mugs or cups?

Wasn’t it historically the working class who had the front room that no-one was allowed in, apart from possibly the vicar when he came round for a visit? I assume he would be allowed to have a cup of tea in the front room.

We have a dog so have given up being precious over furniture and carpets!

If I had a similar rule I would never see my MIL when she comes to stay as she seems to drink tea 24/7.

I just wouldn't visit.....

Wasn’t it historically the working class who had the front room that no-one was allowed in, apart from possibly the vicar when he came round for a visit?

Still see it rarely where I grew up. Spotless and mostly unused front rooms, only opened up for weddings, christenings, funerals and the vicar and any other visiting dignitary.

FairytaleofButlins, she has her own personal sitting room. She also has a personal drawing room, which is slightly more formal. She takes tea, in both.

The Balmoral sitting room is just like what the average Nan's (of her generation) sitting room would look like.

What would you do if you did have an accident and spilled your tea in her sitting room?

Bring sippy cups next time lol

My carpets aren't even nice (whole house carpeted for £700) and I wont allow anyone to drink red wine in a carpeted room. No problem with white wine or tea/coffee but absolutely not red wine or curry or anything like that. I don't want to live with a stained carpet because I can't afford to replace it.

Last time MIL banned cups of tea from the living room, due to new sofa, everybody who came to visit refused tea. This was partly because they were expected to drink it at the kitchen table. That sounds rather unreasonable of them, until you realise that she keeps her kitchen table fully 'dressed' like a display table in Marks an Spencer. So there's nowhere to set your cup without moving stuff out of the way, which is not permitted. So you're sitting there balancing a tray of tea and biscuits on your knee at the edge of a table full of crockery, candles and artificial flowers.

So, nobody takes tea in her house when she's banning people from the living room. Then she finds she has nothing to do, because really she likes making tea and stuffing her visitors full of cake! Then of course there's the realisation she can't sit down in front of 'The Chase' with a cup of tea and a mountain of biscuits without looking like a hypocrite. So, gradually things go back to normal. If normal is having a kitchen table you can't use

Does she have experience of people spilling things? We've just had our kitchen done and DSS has damaged it due to his clumsiness, and it's heartbreaking when I think about the time and money that's gone into it, and how easily the incidents could have been avoided (he cut toast straight on the surface so we have a cut on the worktop, and pulled a drawer so hard in anger that it came out and cracked down the middle when it fell onto the floor).

Maybe she's trying to avoid something like that.

SunshineAngel I have never spilt, dropped or damaged anything before at Mil's house

It also strikes me that many people live in a showhouse and not a home that perfectly describes my mil's house

But maybe she's had experience of other people damaging her home so now has a blanket rule for all guests