Boy lying on floor with toilet paper

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Leonie Helm

By Leonie Helm

Life Reporter

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A woman has been supported on Reddit for demanding her pregnant sister clean up after her son when he made a mess in the bathroom of her new house.

In the post, the 28-year-old original poster explained that she and her husband have no children and have recently bought a house. Her sister, Tess, has an 8-year-old son and is seven months pregnant.

On a recent visit to their house, the poster wrote how her nephew "peed on the floor and toilet seat instead of the actual toilet, there was a lot. I come out asking Tess to come in here and I showed her."

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Boy lying on floor with toilet paper

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A 2021 survey of 2,000 mums, completed by the National Watermelon Promotion Board, showed that two in three parents (65 percent) would be less stressed if they didn't have to worry about the clutter their kids were creating.

The poster explained that she asked her sister to clean up after her son. Her sibling replied that she was too tired and asked the poster to do it. She said that "she's pregnant and it's hard to clean up. I asked her what she does at her home and if she even cleans there and she got p****d at me and reluctantly cleaned it up."

The poster wrote that her sister hasn't spoken to her since. Her mother has also told her she is being unfair. She called her to say that "she cannot believe that I'd make Tess do that, and that I'll never understand pregnancy (she knows I'm child free), and I don't understand how tiring is it to be pregnant. I feel like I'm going crazy here."

Dennis Poncher told Newsweek about the tricky family situation. He is the founder and director of parenting and family advice website Because I Love You.

"I totally support the way in which the childless sister handled the situation. It is, after all, the childless sister's house, and any guest should be responsible for their own child's behavior and responsible for any damages their child might incur in someone else's home," Poncher said.

"The pregnant sister had no right to be upset with her sister. In fact, she should have been upset with her son for his untidy behavior. In this case, the crux of the matter is not about whether one sister is childless or is pregnant and has a child.

"Rather, it is about respecting the home you are visiting and being responsible for your child's behavior in someone else's home. It's all about respect here. I think the pregnant mother needs to apologize to her sister for her unnecessary behavior, as well as that of her son," Poncher added.

Reddit users supported the poster's actions, with one writing: "If we were talking about a toddler I wouldn't have minded helping if asked to help. But the fact that an 8 year old did this? Or the fact that she didn't even seem apologetic about what her son did. Nah. You're cleaning that on your own and not coming back to my home."

Another user suggested, "Naw, [the original poster]'s sister should have made him clean it up. Unless the kid has bathroom issues, I'd question if he's acting out because he's about to get a sibling."

Newsweek reached out to user FarEnd2747 for comment.

If you have a family dilemma, let us know via life@newsweek.com. We can ask experts for advice, and your story could be featured on Newsweek.

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