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

[Mammababa4]

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?

I can’t believe that this was the first time you took them out and you chose central london, the museums, in the school holidays! I wouldn’t even take mine to the museums on my own until the youngest was 4! And honestly quite a few visits to those sodding museums were like a living hell. Honestly I think you have too much oxytocin for your own good!

Don’t overthink it though, hope you are all home now and your DD is ok.

I mean, people LIVE in Central London, with their newborn and family and everyone. It's just a normal daily life for many 😂

Whereabouts in London was this? If you're talking about the South Kensington museums (V&A etc.), then that part of London is very expensive and not really populated by 'normal' families, for want of a better word. Lots of high value properties which are frequently targeted by criminals. So people living there aren't very friendly on the whole and tend to be suspicious of strangers loitering. Young kids are not infrequently used by gangs as decoys to commit crime.

And they grow up being used to this shit as normal, ignoring homeless people lying on the ground, learning not to get involved and so on. Sure some families LIVE there, but that doesn't make it a kiddie-friendly place. Someone once said living in London is like playing a videogame on hard level and that goes extra for central London with 4 little kids in the height of summer. It's a battle and it's no surprise that people battle on with their day and don't care about the casualties.

It wasn’t just one child day there, it was a family of five in the doorway - I think I wouid have been pissed off to.. bet it happens to them all the time

You were in an unfortunate situation with your daughter’s twisted ankle, but you made it an inconvenience for other people. Your friend was only 10 minutes away, but in 10 minutes five people came through that door. Doesn’t that show you that it was a bad choice of a place to sit?
My building has steps down from the door too. If I came out and tripped over a small child I would probably swear too. I wouldn’t be expecting it! None of those people were to know why your child was sitting there. When you explained, two of them offered help and you said no.
You were in the wrong but for the right reason. So let it go and don’t dwell on what is past.

If your child was injured, genuinely struggling to put weight on her ankle, why were you sitting on some steps waiting for plasters instead of seeking medical assistance?

If plasters were all you needed and you were sure that the child was OK really, then this was all a bit unnecessary and dramatic, and you should have found a way to continue with the plan.

I also have 4 children, with the same age gaps as you, and I totally understand how much of a logistical operation it is when they are at this stage. Sure, it's lovely if strangers are kind and understanding, but you before you set off, you have to be sure you are able to cope with whatever the challenges the expedition brings, by yourself if necessary. It's your gig.

Eg, what will you do if the 3 year old has a meltdown and doesn't want to get on/off the bus? Or wanders off while you are changing the newborn's nappy? What will you do if someone gets hurt? It's not that you can't go anywhere, just you need to have good solutions for every conceivable problem. Basically, you have to continually be doing a risk assessment in your head.

For me, I was not confident in an urban environment with them when they were those ages, so for days out by myself with them we basically only went to massive parks or outdoor areas with no traffic or deep fast flowing water or unpredictable strangers until I was very sure I could handle it!

I am not saying you should do the same as me, your children will no doubt present different challenges from mine (my 3rd child was a very "spirited" toddler, and my eldest was a poor listener who had a tendency to wander...) but you do need to work out what your limitations are and adjust your expectations accordingly.

Good luck!!!

oh please

they ARE completely "normal" families 😂

If it's the type of flat in Central London that I imagine it is, you'll be glad to know that a lot of those properties are riddled with damp and other structural issues that the owners can't afford to fix and the Freeholder doesn't give a shit. This is partly why they many of them are such awful people.

Why would shit landlords mean the tenants are awful people? And why would their poor living conditions make OP happy? Weird post

Stupid place to sit.

Strange comment

I'd have gratefully accepted the help to move to a bench. That was a kind offer.

OP, how many of you were actually sitting or standing on the steps? Just one or five?

It's someone else's home and clearly wasn't an emergency, so you don't have the right to intrude and expect people to accommodate you.

In hindsight given how busy it was then yes it was a daft place to wait. You should have accepted the offer of help as surely being sat on a bench in a park would have been a much better place to assess if you needed to get her check and then come up with a plan?

The man wo stepped on her could have been injured as well as your daughter. I fractured my wrist in a fall caused by standing on a childs leg on the stairs in department store. Children were sat on the stairs - admittedly to one side, so everyone had to single file past them. One boy stuck his leg out suddenly, (not deliberately), I stood on it, twisted my ankle and fell. Complete accident, but yep I swore in shock and pain. And the 'oh watch out we're here' remark would have irritated me.

Are people so defunct of empathy these days that they can't manage to walk round a small girl on the steps of their building when she is clearly hurt?
Those moaning about you 'obstructing' need to catch themselves on.
Sorry he was such a knob OP. I would have offered to pop back in to get your little a plaster and a cold compress. Hope she is ok now.

Just DD
I was stood by the railing with the pram against the railing and the other children standing with me, I made sure there was enough space for a wheelchair or pram to get past.

I'm sorry people are so mean OP, I can't believe the amount of people that are bothered and angry by a little girl sitting on some steps when she'd injured her leg. Kindness really has gone out of the window and it makes me sad. If I was there I would have offered help 💐 YANBU

Yanbu. You were sat with an injured child not being deliberately thoughtless and anti social. The adults were incredibly rude and unpleasant.

They mostly own the places I am speaking about. Not rent.

In that scenario I'd have asked if they wouldn't mind pushing the pram, I'd have instructed 7 yr old to hold handle of pram, popped 5 yr old on my hip and taken 3 yr olds hand.

However if not offered help is have either had 7 yr old hold 3 yr olds hand or have 7 yr old push pram if it's only a short distance.

Mins you is have possibly even lifted 5yr old, had her hold tight, lift 3 yr old onto other hip, sort of hold them against me with elbows while using both hands to push the pram while 7 yr old held pram handle.

I only have 2 kids and my backs gubbed from these sorts of maneuvers so don't do it all the time but for a quick wander to a bench I definitely could

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.

Your post just doesn’t make much sense, particularly in the context of this thread.