Is this really dangerous?

[Lotusmonster]

We have a small decorative mirror mounted about 4ft high on a wall at the top of some stairs. There’s a landing area of around 5ft. MIL visited and unhooked the mirror off the wall claiming she is worried that people might kind of jiggle backwards and forwards to get a better view of themselves in the mirror, overstep backwards and fall down the steep stairs. There is a 5ft landing area from wall to stairs.
We are an adult household. No visiting kids etc here. Is this bonkers?
She has always been super-risk averse. Views please! Thank you!

tell her to put it back, it's not her house. And if she thinks it's dangerous for her that she can use any other available mirror.

I think it’s a bit dangerous. I also wouldn’t put a mirror on the stairs. It kind of defeats the purpose of a mirror.

Regardless of whether we agree that it's unsafe I can't believe she just did it!

It wouldn't worry me but then I don't look in the mirror very often.

Your house, your rules, I'd have thought.. :-0

I agree that it's inviting an accident.

However, it's not up to MIL to move it. Does she interfere like this a lot?

Both myself and my OH have had stair falls and it isn't nice. I wouldn't put a mirror up there in the first place.

I have a mirror at the top of my stairs. Been there for years even when the dc’s were younger. It’s a windowless space and due to its position in relation to other rooms helps bounce a bit of light around.

Only living thing that has rolled down the stairs are the cats when they are being daft sods.

It does bother some visitors, not because of safety but body confidence. However, they haven’t demanded it be taken down.

Thanks! To be clear the mirror is not located on the stair well. It is located beyond the 5ft landing area at the top of the stairs.

@CrispyNoodles …she can be somewhat overbearing. We did ask that mirror was put back and that we’d reflect (😂) on it…!

tell her the mirror is decorative to get light into the space, not for people to admire their reflection. and she should not be moving things around in your house - she is being completely unreasonable.

Lol you would have to be exceptionally stupid to manage that one. Does she create a lot of these circumstantial stories? Even Frank Spencer would struggle to make that accident look non-contrived. Who is so taken by their appearance that they would forget where they were?

For me, it’s more about mirrors after dark as they have freaked me out a few times. I’ve been startled by my reflection seeming to loom out of a mirror and been scare jumped when moving around the house at night. I wouldn’t want a house guest just going to the toilet to be startled at night by the mirror reflecting movement and then stumble and have a fall down the stairs.

I know it’s a bit odd, but have met a few others with similar mirrors at night fears

😂…

Not her business to go taking it down without asking. If she was worried she could mention it but certainly not act on it herself.

I have to say I wouldn't have one there. I fell down stairs once and it was awful and resulted in me being blue lighted to A and E. Thankfully no lasting damage in the end but it really knocked the stuffing out of me. Even know if I hear DH or DD stumble going up or down stairs I panic and rush out to see if they are OK.

night time loo scenario couldn’t happen as mirror is located on same wall as loo door (at top of stairs on the landing) so someone would have to be maybe very inebriated or so jumpy they leap a good 5 ft in the air cartoon - style before falling down the stairs. The mirror is a small nautical type mirror.

Wouldn't even occurred to me. Does mil work as H&S assessor 😂

Oh, so mirror is way high up on the wall? Too high to see yourself in. In which case I am changing my mind and think it’s not dangerous at all.

It doesn’t matter whether it’s dangerous or not. It’s your house so your choice.

I would make a point of keeping it there because I wouldn’t like being told what to do in my own home

We always had a mirror at the top of the stairs in the house I grew up in. This has never occurred to me.

So it’s a tiny mirror in the upstairs landing? I really don’t see the issue!

Don't ask her, just put it back! How dare she take something off the wall in your house.

You could have knives suspended from the ceiling if you like, it’s your house!

@Lotusmonster "reflect" ;-) ;-)

How do the "I fell down the stairs once, so I wouldn't have a mirror on the landing" (even though a mirror had zero to do with their historic fall) posters ever get through the day?