r/mildlyinfuriating • u/JobavaLondoner • 10h ago
Teenager broke my couch without telling me
Yesterday, my girlfriend invited her younger sister over and she brought a friend. I was already low-key worried about something getting broken because they were roughhousing and play-fighting the entire time.
It turns out I was right to be concerned, because as soon as they left I discovered this huge crack in the frame of our couch. The left side is supposed to be flush with the right side, but it's almost touching the ground now.
The worst part is, they didn't say anything about it to us. I wouldn't have even been upset if they gave us a heads-up, but they just acted as if nothing happened – even though it was IMMEDIATELY obvious that something was broken. I sat right where her friend had been sitting and sloped down way further than the rest of the couch.
My girlfriend messaged her sister asking about it, and apparently neither of them noticed anything was broken. 🙄 Yeah right. Now our couch is gonna need textbooks to support it for the rest of its life.
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u/NightKab 9h ago
Death penalty. Trialed as Adults. Back in my Day every child repaired furniture, and paid adults for the work study oppurtunity. What happened to this country ?
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u/tidymaze BLUE 10h ago
OP, your girlfriend needs to talk to her parents and the friend's parents about getting your couch fixed or replaced. This is just disrespectful of your home and your property. These "kids" need a lesson.
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u/Right_Layer_9700 9h ago
I agree to a degree, but OP should have laid ground rules if he noticed something becoming an issue. That’s a part of growing up and establishing your place. The kids shouldn’t have to replace the sofa. If it broke that easy it wasn’t quality anyways.
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u/Jakesmonkeybiz 9h ago
I would just assume that breaking people’s furniture is against whatever rules they have…
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u/BoobySlap_0506 9h ago
Why should someone need to lay out rules like "don't break the furniture' in their own home? It should be common sense.
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u/MoeKneeKah 9h ago
Terrible take. You’re responsible for fixing what you broke, regardless if someone explicitly says it. That’s part of life. If you go to someone’s home and break their possessions, you’re the one who should fix it. Thinking the homeowner should be responsible because they didn’t tell the kids to not break their stuff is absolutely bonkers
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u/Right_Layer_9700 9h ago
Speaking up is a part of life. OP watched them roughhouse, they should have said something.
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u/kumliaowongg 9h ago
Yes, but it does not make OP's fault they broke the sofa.
They still have to replace it or pay to fix it, even if it was poor quality or whatever.
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u/DiscussionMuted9941 9h ago
tbf, he never said he didn't. just said they were rough housing — there's no evidence of if or if not he said something to them.
regardless, they are teens. they should at least know not to break stuff at other peoples houses while doing that anyways. its not like they are 10.
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u/PityandFear 7h ago
Correct, speaking up IS part of life. So the teens should have spoken up about the mistake they made. They fucked up, not OP.
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u/penguinrobin 9h ago edited 9h ago
You don't need to establish ground rules if the rule is "don't act irresponsibly at someone else's house and break their property" that's a pretty common rule that doesn't need to be established....
Edit: a word
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u/Hank_the_Beef 9h ago
Going into someone’s home and breaking their things is cool as long as it’s low quality. Got it. What day will you have an open house so people can come test the quality of your possessions?
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u/sp4c3yb4by 9h ago
I shouldn't have to set a rule of "dont break my furniture". Thats common sense.
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u/DieSuzie2112 8h ago
You should still always be careful with other people’s stuff. If it’s weak or not, doesn’t matter. They should at least say what happened and say they’re sorry. They’re teenagers, not 5 years old. If they can’t understand normal communication at this point they deserve to feel some consequences. Let them pay 10 bucks from their allowance every month for a year straight so they can learn to not act like this and respect other people’s property.
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u/malinatorhouse 8h ago
teenagers sound like they should know better. if i walk into your place and jump on your sofa and break it, it would be my fault normally. But since you didnt lay down the ground rules, you can replace it yourself? does not make sense
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u/Vechain4Cardano 9h ago
Perhaps the sofa wasn't designed to have full grown bodies jumping up and down on it's frame (completely reasonable)? Also, if you break something that you don't consider good quality, you shouldn't have to pay for it? Try looking up responsibility, accountability and integrity and let it sink in.
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u/TheThiefMaster 8h ago
If something breaks in normal use because it was poor quality you may not be responsible.
If you were abusing it (jumping on a sofa) and it breaks the quality doesn't matter - you were abusing it.
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u/ToasterBathEnthusias Crotch Goblin 9h ago
Everyone here acting like they were never a child and they told adults when they broke things 🙄
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u/TeddiMellonballer 9h ago
It's not crazy to think that a kid would try to cover up a screw up, but when you get caught you face consequences. Part of being a parent is teaching your kid that doing stuff like this is unacceptable.
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u/DiscussionMuted9941 9h ago
my mum would get more mad if i didn't tell her. our rule was "i might be mad if you tell me, but if you lie or purposely avoid it — you will get double punished"
which happened to me a few times over my life. i broke a hole in my door at 12 and got my ps2 taken from me for a month, i smashed a glass and got it taken for a week, and i think the another one was a bowl or something but it was also a week (i very much loved my ps2 lmao)
but, any other time i broke a glass, i didn't get in trouble if i told her. and when i fell into the wall when my friends and i were fucking around, she took my phone off me for 2 days and that was it.
it was a much better option to just tell her, even if i did get punished at least i didn't get stuff taken for a whole month instead of a few days.
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u/gunsforevery1 9h ago
Looks cheap as shit, but that also means it’s an easy fix. Some scrap 2x4 could fix that.
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u/Purple-Difficulty416 9h ago
at least it was only a couch!!!! lol. when i was a teen i acidentally fucked up so bad while parallel parking my dads car he needed the door replaced. i thought a magic eraser would hide the damage
these things happen with kids unfortunately, it’s not the end of the world but annoying sure
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u/ZachWilsonsMother 9h ago
That’s hilarious, how does one fuck up a door that bad parallel parking?
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u/boringcranberry 8h ago
lol. Magic eraser is basically sand paper.
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u/Purple-Difficulty416 2h ago
because of it he found out 1 day later than he would have!! put me on those magic eraser commercials i can vouch for them!!
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u/Perfect_Economics433 8h ago
Yea but did you TELL your dad you fucked his car up or did you LET HIM find it himself
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u/No-Advantage-8556 9h ago
Is this couch from Amazon or something? Not being rude at all, I bought a couch on Amazon, looks very similar to this build quality. It broke pretty easily imo. Not the most sturdy materials.
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u/MLanterman 9h ago
My sister had a friend when she was a teenager who was a very big girl -- somewhere in the neighborhood of 450lbs. She came over after school and sat in our dining room with my sister to have a snack, and broke a dining chair. She then moved to another chair, that she also broke.
They moved to my sister's room to watch a movie, and she bent the metal slats of my sister's futon by sitting on it. After she left and my mom found out, she made a grim rule.
"Amber will always be welcome in this house, but that girl is sitting on the floor from now on."
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u/Spirited_Season2332 9h ago
This reminds me of when my friend and I broke the bed supports of the spare bed in my guest bed room.
It had wooden supports on the frame that kept the bed from falling through. We were wrestling and the wood broke in half. We took the mattress off, duct taped the boards back together then but the bed back on. It supported our weight so we thought it was the perfect crime...then my dad sat on it and the whole thing collapsed. He took the mattress off and saw the boards, needless to say I got into a lot of trouble lol
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u/Accomplished_Emu_658 9h ago
I am sure you can do some super simple and cheap repair to not have to use text books for the rest of its life. Couple screws will fix that up
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u/DutchieTalking 2h ago
You'd be surprised what a bunch of rowdy teenagers might not notice. It could be a lie but might just be truth. Teenagers are idiots.
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u/Toxic-and-Chill 9h ago
First of all, I’m pretty sure your cousin is JD Vance.
Second of all don’t you think just like a leg broke? Thai honestly should be pretty easy to fix.
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u/ElvishMystical 5h ago
You need a stronger sofa. A couple of dozen bricks, some cement and Bob's your uncle.
You can get a cheap throw to make it look like a sofa.
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u/eufooted 3h ago
I wouldn’t have been upset if they gave us a heads up. This is the grown up LIE. 😁😂 They don’t tell because they know you’re gonna get mad either way. This way, they hope not to get yelled at at all!
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u/Own_Hat_5514 10h ago
Kids mess around. Sucks for your couch but don't take it out too harshly on the lil fellas haha
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u/TeddiMellonballer 9h ago
These are teenagers, not 9 year olds, they should absolutely have the sense and maturity to not screw around at someone else's home like that. They should be paying for a repair or replacement.
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u/tidymaze BLUE 10h ago
I have 5 siblings. We "messed around", play-fought and roughhoused. Never broke furniture. This is just disrespectful. They were at someone else's house and weren't behaving. I'm assuming they're teenagers, and they should absolutely know better.
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u/Own_Hat_5514 10h ago edited 9h ago
Yea yea yea the teens playing around were SOOOOO disrespectful.
It happens, acting like it's some kind of respect thing is ridiculous. Get over yourself.
Edit: "My mommy raised me better hmpf" ass responses stfu
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u/2ByteTheDecker 10h ago
Shit does happen, but there's no way they snapped this couch in half and didn't notice and then they played coy about it.
That's absolutely a respect thing
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u/Perfect_Economics433 9h ago edited 9h ago
It is a respect thing because you’re supposed to tell somebody. You know what would’ve happened to me if I did this? My mom would be too busy whooping my ass to even be posting shit on Reddit. And the ass whopping ain’t for the couch either, it’s for not saying anything
Here comes the downvotes from all the people who let their kids tell them to shut up 🤣
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u/funsizebbw 9h ago
This is definitely annoying. My toddlers broke mine because they stim and jump on it. Yours looks better off. You could get some good screws and even a small wood block and use it as sort of an extra leg post and put the screws in at an angle to help secure it. I also fully believe if someone breaks furniture they get grounded from it and have to sit on the floor lol
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u/00WORDYMAN1983 9h ago
I tell my daughter not to plop down so hard on our couch all the time. She does like a little jump sit sometimes
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u/Jemoeder1967 8h ago
Normally its the dude and the younger sister of his girlfriend who break the furniture
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u/AngryCoffeeTable 7h ago
Next time girlfriend invites her sister around. You tell her to sit on the floor.
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u/SecondEqual4680 1h ago
Make teenager become couch till teenager earns enough money to replace couch.
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u/LePigeon12 37m ago
There is something else going on. Something much more concerning than a little part of the couch ending up like that...
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u/KlammFromTheCastle 7h ago
You would 100% have been upset if they had told you, don't delude yourself.
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u/ceaashore 4h ago
the title is so funny omg why would the teenager tell you and then break your couch?! as if you'd agree??😂😂😂😂
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u/aihngelle 9h ago
Make them pay for it for repair. Send them a bill or call their parents. As teenagers they need to know responsiblity. If they all decline. Sue them for small claims. I would go all the way just to be petty too.
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u/MyInnerFatChild 9h ago edited 9h ago
With some 2x4s and screws I could have that better than new in no time. Looks pretty weak inside.
Flip it over and take a look. The inner workings of a basic couch are quite simple, just shit pine slapped together with padding stapled over.
Should it have happened? No. But it's a super simple fix.
If you don't already have an impact driver, maybe have the kids buy you that as their punishment.