My younger sister is 15 and always leaves her retainers lying around in random places. Whenever I clean, I find them somewhere unexpected.
Today she left them on her very cluttered table. They must have slipped off because later I walked past and accidentally stepped on them. They were on the floor and because they’re clear I didn’t even realize what I had stepped on at first.
Now my family is insisting I should pay £180 to replace them. It’s not even about the money for me, it’s about fairness. I feel like it isn’t my fault. She was careless, not me. If I left my iPad on the floor and someone stepped on it, I’d accept that as my responsibility, not blame the person who walked by.
My sister says she left them on the table, but she had been moving stuff around all day and her area was already messy, so it makes sense they fell.
My family is mad at me, but I honestly don’t think this is my responsibility. Should I be expected to pay?
Edit: Clearly an iPad was a bad comparison cos it’s a big object so let’s leave that shall we ?
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My younger sister is 15 and always leaves her retainers lying around in random places. Whenever I clean, I find them somewhere unexpected.
Today she left them on her very cluttered table. They must have slipped off because later I walked past and accidentally stepped on them. They were on the floor and because they’re clear I didn’t even realize what I had stepped on at first.
Now my family is insisting I should pay £180 to replace them. It’s not even about the money for me, it’s about fairness. I feel like it isn’t my fault. She was careless, not me. If I left my iPad on the floor and someone stepped on it, I’d accept that as my responsibility, not blame the person who walked by.
My sister says she left them on the table, but she had been moving stuff around all day and her area was already messy, so it makes sense they fell.
My family is mad at me, but I honestly don’t think this is my responsibility. Should I be expected to pay?
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OP has offered the following explanation for why they think they might be the asshole:
> 1) refusing to pay for retainers I broke
2) all my family disagree with that
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Contest mode is 1.5 hours long on this post.
NTA. Gotta learn to take responsibility and care of your stuff sometime. Even if it’s the hard way.
NTA
We’re all responsible for taking care of our own stuff. If you had moved them to the floor, sure, you should replace them. But if she left them in a precarious spot and they fell on the floor, that’s on her.
Your parents should either pay themselves or even better, have your sister pay for them so that she learns to be more responsible with her things.
NTA.
Your sister needs to be more responsible with her belongings. Also, leaving retainers out just laying around is really gross! I’m surprised something like this hasn’t happened before now.
This could/should be used a teaching moment for your younger sister. Yes, she’s 15, irresponsible. But old enough to have some responsibility for her negligence. Perhaps you could go in half and she needs to find a part time job or something to come up with the other half?
NTA. It’s gross that she leaves her retainer out of its case lying around the house. If anything this is a learning lesson for her and your parents.
NTA. How could you step on it if it wasn’t on the floor?
>If I left my iPad on the floor snd someone stepped on it, I’d accept that as my responsibility
Okay, but if you left your iPad on the table (because that’s where your sister left her retainer), and it ended up on the floor and was stepped on… would you still “accept that as your responsibility”?
“Today she left them on her very cluttered table.”
You knocked them off her table. You stepped on them. Pay for new ones.
YTA
NTA. This is EXACTLY why they make bright colored portable containers to keep them in. It is gross and stupid to leave them laying around. Maybe this will teach her some responsibility.
OK, I’ll be the outlier and say soft YTA. You’ve admitted that she did not leave the retainers on the floor, and that you did step on them. Since you used the iPad comparison, how would you feel if you had left that on a table, and it later fell off and was stepped on? Would you consider paying half the cost (assuming that she, and not your parents, pick up the other half?)
When she took them out of her mouth, she should have put them in its case to protect them and make them harder to lose, especially if they are clear. Her fault for not taking care of them. Not your fault for simply walking around. It could have been anyone that eventually stepped on them. NTA
Dirty spit retainers go in a CASE not on a table 🥴🥴 she needs to take responsibility for her own expensive things. It’s also super gross to just leave them lying around.
“If I left my iPad on the floor and someone stepped on it, I’d accept that as my responsibility, not blame the person who walked by.”
But she didn’t leave them on the floor, did she?
If you had left your ipad on a cluttered table (not super random of a place), someone accidentally knocked it off and stepped on it, would you consider that your responsibility or the person who stepped on it?
NTA. Use the freaking cases to keep them safe! So frustrating. -Mom of teenager with retainers who has broken them twice
NTA floors are for feet, not retainers. You weren’t in the wrong walking around.
if i left my iPad on a table and later found it on the floor and stepped on, i would expect the stepper to pay for that. obviously 🙄
NTA she was irresponsible. When I had retainers I always kept them in the retainer box whenever I took them out. She shouldn’t be leaving them in random places regardless of who stepped on them. That’s on her, not you.
NTA. Your sisters negligence in failing to put her retainer in a safe and secure space makes it her fault. Your family are directing blame at the wrong person. Do not pay anything.
NTA as long as you did not knock them over/if they were not in a case.
If you knocked them off the table and they were out of the case NTA. I wear glasses and if I leave them out of the case and they get broken that’s on me for not taking care to protect them.
If you knocked them over and they were in the case and still broke Y T A.
NTA! Why doesn’t she use the containers to keep them safe and/or keep them put in a designated location so things like this do not happen? The fact that your entire family are on her side to make you pay for her own mistake is quite disgusting. She needs to learn that actions have consequences, and you shouldn’t be paying for hers.
NTA and I am sorry that you have parents that clearly coddle your sister and only expect responsibility from you.
NTA too bad. Be careful of bad parenting. Golden child syndrome?
NTA. Why is her retainer not in its case? If it were in its case then it would have been safe knocked onto the floor. It’s also gross that when her retainer isn’t in her mouth it isn’t in the bathroom or bedroom – why is she leaving her retainer unattended in shared spaces???
No, you should not pay for them. Your parents are responsible for your sister, and her health – not you. One day, perhaps, you will have children, and the cost of her retainers will be your problem. Now, is not that day.
There is no evidence that you were the one who dropped it on the floor. Also, as you pointed out, your sister is generally careless and failed to secure them so they would not fall onto the floor.
If you are, unfairly, required to pay for them, then I would announce that I could not afford the financial liability that is associated with cleaning any area your sister occupies, as she is so careless – and so henceforth I will be unable to provide general cleaning services and will only clean after myself.
.
NTA
Since your sister seems to be pretty immature and irresponsible about where she puts her retainer your parents should require that she work to pay half of replacing them. That’s the only way she’s going to learn. But it’s not your responsibility. You shouldn’t have to watch out for a retainer when you’re walking around.
ESH
She shouldn’t be leaving the retainer out and leaving it in random places is not good behavior but she is also only 15 and she didn’t leave it on the floor.
I don’t think its fully your responsibility but also your analogy isn’t really accurate since it was left on a table and fell or got knocked to a floor on accident not left on the floor.
I feel you should at least be partially responsible for stepping on them and not watching where you were walking even though it was an accident but partial responsibility falls on your sister for leaving them out and not in a safe space and also not being aware they had fallen.
Also your parents are kind of AHs for putting the blame fully on you
NTA and ewwww gross, leaving that lying about without a container.
NAH
How did the retainer end up on the floor? You are the one assuming they were on the cluttered table. When the facts are, the retainer was on the floor and you stepped on it.
For all you know, she could have dropped it or knocked it off herself.
If anything maybe go half. She pays for her negligence. The retainers should have been in their case. You for stepping on it.
NTA
My son just got his retainers and we were told at the appointment they recommend never set them down outside of their care because too many people lose it damage them. My 14 year old with ADHD has been carrying his case around everywhere since he got the retainers last week. Your sister should never set them anywhere other than the case.
Did you knock them on the floor? If not, no, if you did, yes.
NTA.
First, her leaving the dirty retainer on a random table in the first place is irresponsible and gross.
Second, if she left them on the table(where they wouldn’t get stepped on), but they ended up on the floor where they were easy to step on, then whoever knocked them off the table and left them on the ground should be the one to pay for them.
Unfortunately it’s kinda hard to know for certain who knocked them off unless someone admits to doing so or if you guys have security cameras.
Therefore, I think the fairest way to go about it is that she should pay the majority but everyone ought to chip in a tiny bit to account for everyone’s involvement (her irresponsibility, you not looking where you walk and stepping on them, and the parents for not correcting her before now and getting her to stop leaving it everywhere) but she should pay the majority of the cost.
Maybe something like a 70-10-10-10 split, where she pays 70% and you and your parents each contribute 10% to the new ones?
Nta. Man I was always terrified of my dog eating mine and having to go to the vet. It so messed up that they make those things practically invisible.
Nope, you may have stepped on it accidentally but your younger sister’s careless placement was the cause this happened.
NTA
Sister should wear them or put them safely away in the case. Parents are financially responsible, not sibling.
NTA my friend had retainers and they either come in a case or you can buy a case for them. If they aren’t in her mouth they should be in the case not just laying around where people can damage them that’s on her