Dishes at the top of the stairs

[littlemouse15]

my partner kicked an empty glass down the stairs accidentally.
He wasn't happy about it(the glass being at the top of the stairs)
He asked for my help cleaning it.
I had just started organising my stuff for college in the morning,
he asked who put it there and i said my son. Then he said ' well it shouldnt be there, so can you help me clean it'
I said 'no I can't cause I'm doing my college stuff.'
He said 'well he can't help me cause he's six, so I'm not gonna do it on my own'
then I laughed and said 'he's got that from me, I always tell him to put them there and take them down when he's finished'

My son put the glass about twenty minutes before, as he had just cleaned his room and it was put it there so he could take it down when he finished (he's 6 so couldn't clean glass up),
I had been down to grab my laptop for college but didn't grab the glass on way down(didn't kick it down the stairs either)

Partner then said to me 'im not doing it without you, it won't be an inconvinence for you, so you won't think twice about doing it again' ,
(I took this as I'm going to teach you a lesson)
I said ' we've always done it so I'm not gonna tell him diffrent now'
Partner at this point just sat down refusing to clean it up without my help.
I said I would clean it on my own at my own convinence as it doesn't take both of us.

I finished my college stuff, went down n cleaned up downstairs including the glass.

As far as I'm concerned when cleaning stuff that belongs upstairs gets put at bottom of the stairs and stuff heading down goes at the top.

So the question is.

Am I being unreasonable to tell my child to leave the glass there In the first place.

If he hadn't said the whole thing about trying to inconvenience me so I would think twice next time, I don't think there would of been an issue.

I've heard some fucking stupid things in my time but placing glasses on the floor at the top of stairs is pretty high on the list.

I'm with your boyfriend. I wouldn't have been okay with clearing up something that I wouldn't have had to had it not been placed as a hazard. It's a glass in a place no sane person would ever expect to see it, not a flashing neon light. Of course he accidentally kicked it down. Glasses don't belong on floors. Anywhere. He's lucky it was a glass he broke and not his neck.

Don't leave balls at the top of the stairs either.

It’s the laughing about it that gets me too. Such odd behaviour

Teaching a child to leave a glass at the top of the stairs is an accident waiting to happen, it goes against common sense.
Then you say to partner you've always done it so you're not going to tell son different now - so you're teaching him not to learn from mistakes, keep having accidents because we have always done it that way? Surely you could just say to son look what happened this time, so in future if it is something breakable keep it in bedroom unless taking it straight down just to be on safe side.

I do this, my husband does this and my DD does this so I can't agree with others that it's so stupid. But if i knocked a glass down the stairs I would clean it up regardless of whose it was and so would my husband as we're not petty...

What a stupid place to leave a glass. Crockery shouldn't be left on the floor at all. Was there not a window sill it could sit on instead?

And I would have helped clear it up as I'm not an arsehole

Bad idea to leave things at the top or bottom of the stairs. If you insist, have a basket or something that stays at the top and bottom. Put things in that while they wait to be carried up or down. At least a basket/tray or similar is easier to see than loose items.

I can see how his attitude might be annoying, but I'd also find it frustrating in his place. Your way of doing things is dangerous, a mess happened as a result, and if he just cleans it up himself, he feels that you're never going to be inconvenienced enough to change your ways. You were still arguing with him from the point of view that your method is correct, so no wonder he's irritated!

Leaving anything at the top of the stairs is asking for disaster - and it would be a lot more serious than a broken glass.

Why are any glasses going upstairs at all?

Do you not take a glass of water to bed?

No.

And if I did need water for some reason in the night, I'd probably take it up in a water bottle.

YABU. You taught your son to leave glasses there, you walked past it and ignored it, then laughed when your DP pointed out it was a stupid place too leave it. You caused the problem then whinged when your DP asked for help clearing up.

Saying that, he sounds like a prick as well 😂

No never, not even when ill. When I was growing up we went downstairs for a drink. There's no real need for food or drink to go upstairs.

The drama is ridiculous but it is a really stupid place to leave it.

We don’t take food and drink upstairs. Not too late to change the rules!

Your ds is 6, my dc didn’t have actual glass glasses til they were about 8, they had mugs to drink from as they had handles and they were downstairs. If they want a drink of water at bedtime, they had their water bottles.

Leaving an empty glass at the top of stairs?!

Utterly stupid.

This! A water bottle if anything.

She refused to help because she's always done the same and because she was getting her stuff ready for college. If she's going to act like a naughty child she's going to be treated like one.

You’re both unreasonable. You leaving glasses at the top of the stairs/telling your child to do that and him for insisting that 2 people are needed to clean up the mess. I can see why he’s annoyed though. I’d be pissed off with you too.

It's an accident waiting to happen, it was inevitable.

But, if your dp is so new in your home that your ds left his glass at the top of the stairs because you also do this habitually - then I certainly wouldn't tolerate him playing bloody big balls with his teachable moment shit in your own home.

But, if your dp is so new in your home that you had to explain to him that your ds left his glass at the top of the stairs because you also do this habitually

I would put a glass on the floor anywhere, but at the top of the stairs is just madness. Anything breakable is asking for this to happen or for someone to trip and fall down the stairs.

YABU for having glasses (or anything) left at the top of the stairs.

Your DP sounds like a twat in how he dealt with it though. Unless he has been asking for the practice of leaving things there to stop for a long time, as it's obviously a bad idea.

I am shocked both of you left broken glass laying around though. That should always be cleaned immediately, not when the next general tidy of an area is. Glass in the foot can cause really nasty injuries.

That should say wouldn't put a glass on the floor anywhere.