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Original poster

my overweight sister broke my sofa - what do i do?

47 replies

DimpledThighs · 09/02/2007 19:35

I love my sister. She is quite overweight, probably about 17 stone. She came over one day and kind of threw herself down onto my sofa and there was a 'crack' and since then the sofa has sagged more and more in the middle. I didn't say anything but she came round today and when my dp got back from work he noticed that the sofa was much worse.

She also sat one of our new dining room chairs and bounced her daughter backwards and forwards and it put stress on the joints and now it is all wobbly.

What do I do?

Nothing?

Dp wants me to say something but what 'lower yourself onto my furniture or you will break it?'

I am really in a dilemma. I have been overweight myself and I know how depressingthingslike this can be but DP is pissed off.

Advice please!!!

OP posts:
belgo · 09/02/2007 19:36

Buy a stronger sofa?

Dior · 09/02/2007 19:37

Message withdrawn

doormat · 09/02/2007 19:37

point out to her what she has done
that is all you can do really

coz if you dont
it will be just be mistreated

Sheraz · 09/02/2007 19:38

Oh crikey, what coud you say that wouldn't upset her?
I don't think I could tell her.

FioFio · 09/02/2007 19:39

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scatterbrain · 09/02/2007 19:39

Oh My God - No don't say anything to her - she would be absolutely mortified !!

Why do you want to tell her - do you want her to pay for the damage ??

I think you should just keep her off the sofas - engineer it so you stay in the kitchen on the kitchen chairs !

1sue1 · 09/02/2007 19:40

Maybe tell her what your dp said, gets you off the hook and he did say it didn't he?

MrsApron · 09/02/2007 19:40

oh god what an awful thing. She must know surely, you would feel it yourself?

suggest gently pointing it out in a be more careful way and hope for the best.

NotQuiteCockney · 09/02/2007 19:40

Maybe you could stress the bouncing and the throwing herself about, rather than the weight? I bet someone lighter could do the same damage by being a bit more energetic with the bouncing or throwing herself down, iyswim. I wouldn't stress the weight-related bit of it ...

WideWebWitch · 09/02/2007 19:40

You can't do anything, you've got to just live with it. Blimey. Tell dp he'll just have to fortify the sofa as a temp measure.

WideWebWitch · 09/02/2007 19:41

(I speak as someone who broke dd's bed a while back it is a child's bed and all but still)

hercules1 · 09/02/2007 19:42

Dont say anything. I would just accept it as being annoying but I'd rather have 10 broken sofas than hurt my sister so much.

Flossam · 09/02/2007 19:43

Can't you just come across all motherly and when she plops down again tell her sternly to sit down carefully?

Ceolas · 09/02/2007 19:47

Don't think I could say anything.Being overweight I would be mortified if I knew I had done anything like that.

WigWamBam · 09/02/2007 19:51

I'm very overweight and would be mortified to have done something like that - but then again, I don't hurl myself around onto other people's furniture because I'm very aware of what my weight could do!

I think you should tell her that she's broken the furniture, but blame it on the bouncing and throwing herself around rather than her weight. You don't want her breaking anything else.

paulaplumpbottom · 09/02/2007 19:53

Don't say anything, she'll feel sooo embarrased. Her feelings will hurt. Better a damaged sofa than a damaged relationship with your sister.

doormat · 09/02/2007 19:54

exactly wigwam
furniture is supposed to with hold weight

it will be because of the bouncing and the mishandling iykwim that would of caused it
not her weight

misdee · 09/02/2007 19:55

hmmm broken sofa or mortified sister who feels she wont ever be able to sit on your furniture ever again and will feel unwelcome.

FioFio · 09/02/2007 19:56

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marthamoo · 09/02/2007 19:56

I might say something along the lines of "oooh, be careful - I think something is broken in the sofa, don't leap on it, will you?" but I definitely wouldn't tell her that she was the one who broke it.

You can't do that with the chair as well, though.

AitchTwoOh · 09/02/2007 19:57

i love your pic with the baking, wwb. and your name, come to think of it.

FioFio · 09/02/2007 19:59

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bellarosa · 09/02/2007 20:01

What about not saying anything directly about the sofa breaking, but say that your joining weightwatchers or similar and does she want to join with you as a weight loss buddy?

Miaou · 09/02/2007 20:05

I would just wait until she is about to sit on your sofa again and say something along the lines of "Just watch yourself when you sit down, it's on its last legs and I would hate you to come a cropper!" - that way you neatly sidestep the issues both of her weight and her fault

Miaou · 09/02/2007 20:06

Marthamoo, you and I have the same mind