You know how it goes: when kids break things, it's the parents who always end up footing the bill. It's like an unspoken rule that parents are expected to adhere to. Yet, in the case of one mother whose young child broke the babysitter's laptop, she outright refused to cover the cost of fixing it, arguing that her child was simply unaware it didn't belong to them.
New Babysitter
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A single mom of two took to Reddit to share her experience of hiring a babysitter after starting a new job. Her children are 8 and 6, while the babysitter is 17.
Studying While Babysitting
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During her work, the babysitter brings her laptop along to study, which the mom is perfectly fine with as long as she remains attentive to the kids.
Destroyed Laptop
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When the mom came home one day, the babysitter showed her a broken laptop, explaining that it had been damaged by her youngest child.
“I Was Shocked”
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Shocked, the mom asked how it had happened, and the babysitter explained that she had left the laptop in the living room while she went to prepare lunch for the kids. The youngest child had grabbed it and ran until dropping it, resulting in a broken screen.
Apologetic But Won’t Pay
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While the mom apologized to the babysitter and acknowledged that it was a “horrible situation, she still believes that it was her own fault for leaving the laptop within the children's reach.
Are They Old Enough?
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In response, the babysitter expressed her belief that the children were old enough to understand not to touch other people's belongings. The mom, however, argued that the kids might have thought the laptop belonged to their family since it was within their own house.
It’s “Her Problem”
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No matter how much the babysitter asked, the mom stood firm in her decision not to pay for the repair, insisting, “It was her problem, not mine.”
Babysitter's Rant
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The babysitter then “ranted” about having upcoming exams soon and not having enough money to repair her laptop, which sparked a heated argument between her and the mom, eventually reaching a point where the mom had to firmly tell the babysitter to go home.
Pressure To Pay
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Following the incident, the mother received a call from her dad who placed the blame for the laptop incident entirely on her, insisting that she should pay for the repairs. Yet, she still refused to pay for the laptop repair.
No Return without Compensation
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Now, the babysitter is refusing to come back unless she is paid for the laptop repair, even though she had already been paid in advance to watch the children.
Feeling trapped in this dilemma, the mother turns to the online community with the question: “AITA for refusing to pay to fix the babysitter's laptop?”
Parenting Skills Questioned
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Many readers shared the view that the OP's kids, given their age, should have been capable of recognizing and refraining from touching things that were not theirs, implying that the main problem is just poor parenting.
“YTA,” voted one Redditor. “A 6 and 8-year-old are absolutely old enough to know not to touch/run around with other people's electronics. Signed, Mother of a 6-year-old.”
“It's Super Concerning”
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“At what age do you think kids should learn not to touch things that don't belong to them?” Questioned another user.
“It's super concerning to me that you think, as a parent of two children, that this shouldn't have been taught to your kids years ago. Like hello? YTA.”
The Price of Parenthood
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Some argued that when someone becomes a parent, they should know that along with the joy comes the inevitable financial burden of paying for things destroyed by their kids; to refuse payment is just like refusing parenthood itself.
“You pay for what your kids destroy. That’s part of being a parent. End of story” commented one “YTA” voter.
Unrealistic Expectations
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Others were taken aback by the fact that the mother is actually “surprised” that the babysitter won't come back. They wrote, “I'm amazed at your gall in insisting the sitter come back and babysit for you when you refuse to take responsibility and pay to get the laptop fixed.”
In response, someone else wrote, “I would be surprised if she came back ever, even if OP coughs up to fix the laptop.”
“They Still Broke It”
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“YTA,” voted another Redditor. “Your kid broke it. Doesn’t matter if they thought it was theirs (and come on, they’re old enough to know that it wasn’t, they’re able to recognize by 6-8 what is and isn’t a regular fixture in their home), they still broke it.”
“Ultimately you’re responsible for their actions as their parent. If they break something it’s your responsibility to get it fixed or replaced. It’s just part of having kids.”
Grab It And Run
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“YTA. Your kid broke it, and not accidentally either,” wrote one user. “They're also 6 and 8, not 2 and 4. They knew it was an electronic device, and unless you literally have the exact same computer, they knew it was hers.”
In agreement with this perspective, someone pointed out that the act of "Grab it and run" is definitely typical of a toddler, rather than a child of six years. “ A 6yr old should know better,” they wrote.
Mother Left with Few Alternatives
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At the end of the day, it's a widely shared sentiment that children are meant to bring both happiness and havoc into the world, with parents often bearing the responsibility of not only relishing in the joy but also footing the bill when their little ones destroy others' belongings.
In the case of the laptop, it seems the mother has little choice but to pay for the repair unless she's willing to sacrifice the upfront payment she made to the babysitter or, in the worst-case scenario, face potential legal action.
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Source: Reddit