in , ,

Single Mom Stirs Drama By Refusing To Pay For Babysitter’s Laptop Her Six-Year-Old Son Broke

SamEdwards/GettyImages

Finding a good babysitter is never easy.

Chasing away a good babysitter is.

But it’s a delicate line between parent and babysitter.

And it all depends on kid’s behavior.

Case in point…

Redditor deadfamily88 wanted to discuss her experience and get some feedback. So naturally, she came to visit the “Am I The A**hole” (AITA) subReddit.

She asked:

“AITA for having my daughter write a ‘morbid’ school family tree project?”

The Original Poster (OP) explained:

“I (single mom of 2) hired a babysitter after I started working a new job (used to do W[ork] F[rom} H[ome} for 2 years).”

“My kids are 8 are 6.”

“The babysitter is 17.”

“She brings her laptop with her to study which is perfectly ok with me as long as she keeps an eye on the kids.”

“Yesterday, I came home and the babysitter showed me her laptop that got broken by my youngest.”

“I was shocked I asked how this happened.”

“And she said that she left the laptop in the living room and went to make the kids lunch but my youngest grabbed it and ran with it until he dropped it and broke the screen.”

“I said that was horrible and apologized to her but stated it was her fault for leaving the laptop within reach of children.”

“She said she thought my kids were old enough to know not to touch other people’s stuff.”

“I explained how they might have thought it belonged to us since it was in our house.”

“She asked if I could pay for it to get fixed but I refused and insisted it was her problem not mine.”

“She ranted about having exams soon and not having enough money to get it fixed.”

“We argued and I had to tell her to go home after she persisted.”

“Later on, I got a call from her dad basically blaming the whole thing on me, and demanding I pay to get the laptop fixed but I still refused.”

“Now she’s refusing to come again unless I pay her for the laptop repair even though I paid her in advance to watch the kids.”

“AITA?”

Redditors shared their thoughts on this matter and weighed some options to the question AITA:

  • NTA – Not The A**hole
  • YTA – You’re The A**hole
  • NAH – No A**holes Here
  • ESH – Everyone Sucks Here

Many Redditors declared OP WAS the A**hole.

“YTA. 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.” ~ TentaclesAndCupcakes

“Agreed as a mother of 5 and 8 year olds.” ~ FantasticCockroach63

“I have a developmentally delayed 5 year old nephew who can be A Lot.”

“He knows better.”

“He doesn’t always do better.”

“But he knows when he’s being naughty.”

“And most of the time he does do better.”  ~ lovedaylake

“My 2 and 3 year old know better as well.”

“They have their own toy cellphones and ‘tablets’ to play with.”

“Touching a grown-up’s device without permission beforehand is a strict no-no.”

“They sometimes forget because they’re so little, but they know the rule and that breaking it comes with a gentle warning or with consequences.”

“Also, I’m concerned that OP’s excuse was ‘they probably thought it was ours.'”

“If your kids regularly treat expensive things so casually just because they’re ‘theirs,’ then that’s a much bigger issue.”

“6 & 8 are old enough to know how to treat their things with care and proper handling.” ~ ZombiesAndZoos

“Exactly this!”

“When I was a kid, my parents made sure I knew how to handle electronics carefully before I was allowed to touch anything expensive.”

“If I broke something at home being reckless, the money for repairs came out of my allowance.”

“By 6, I was responsible enough to have my own Gameboy, and kept such good care of it that I was able to sell it to a collector during college.”

“The rule was always that they bought the device for me, not the right to have a device that always works; if I broke it, I had to wait and save up my allowance money for repairs, or ask for a replacement at the next holiday.”

“We didn’t have communal electronics in our family, to avoid this situation.” ~ Chemical-Juice-6979

“YTA. You pay for what your kids destroy.”

“That’s part of being a parent. End of story.”  ~ whatever13131313

“This. YTA. It happened in your home and was done by your child. Pay up.”

“Or maybe she can sue you and get it off your home insurance in small claims court.” ~ jeymien

“I hope babysitter sees this post so she can file an insurance claim on OP’s homeowner’s insurance.”

“And that deductible is a high deductible with rates going up afterwards so OP can have an expensive lesson on responsibility for her kids actions.” ~ Suspicious-Horse9793

“The babysitters dad is totally pissed and I would be pissed too.”

“That’s what insurance is for.”

“Also if OP handled it differently her dad wouldn’t be as aggro about it.”

“Super a**hole move.” ~ transcholo

“Seriously, OP, what is your logic here?”

“Did you even punish your children for what they did?”

“Are you not at all concerned that you’re raising small humans who think this is acceptable behavior? YTA.” ~ goldencain1410

“It’s like a store when they state, ‘you break it you buy it.'”

“So, if this happened in a store would OP still try to blame the store when it was their child’s fault?” ~ elli2k19

“And legally speaking that is also the case.”

“So if the dad decided to prosecute you you would have to pay for the laptop.”

“So YTA and even if your kids were underage and not know what they are doing so… YTA.” ~ battosa89

“At what age do you think kids should learn not to touch things that don’t belong to them?”

“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.”  ~ andreaak88

“YTA. Your kid broke it, and not accidentally either.”

“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.” ~ bqzs

“YTA – and as others have noted, your children are old enough to know better.”

“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.” ~ zippykaiyay

“YTA. 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.” ~ Theabsoluteworst1289

“Yeah the kid definitely knew it was hers.”

“From the sounds of it she’s been babysitting them for at least a few weeks and she brings her laptop with her every time.”

Kids aren’t that dumb, they see their babysitter bring a laptop with her every time she watches them and once mom comes home she leaves with it.”  ~ BlueEyesIsBestCard

“YTA. Accidents happen, but at the end of the day the liability for damages caused by your children is your responsibility.”

“Your kids sound poorly parented, and given your lack of willingness to take responsibility for damages, I’m honestly not surprised.”

“Looking forward, expect the knock-off effects to be a persistent struggle to find childcare support, as this sort of thing persists in the community.” ~ Encartrus

“They might have thought it was ours, because it was in the house.”

“What kind of backa**wards logic is that?”

“Your kids are old enough to understand that if she brings something with her, it’s hers.”

“Just like if they take something to school, it’s theirs, not the school’s.”

“And even if they did think it was yours… How is that any better?”

“They’re still old enough to respect property, and they shouldn’t be grabbing a laptop and running with it.”

“YTA, and it is absolutely your responsibility to replace or repair it.” ~ songofafreeheart

“YTA. Your kids are 6 and 8. They should know better.”

“I had to look back at their ages, expecting to see between 1 and 3 year old.”

“I have a 6 year old and they know not to touch a laptop or run around with it.” ~ wickedlucky214

“YTA… your kid damaged her property.”

“She’s correct they should know not to touch others people stuff.”

“Even with the weak excuse the kid could have thought it was yours doesn’t make it any better.”

“My daughter is younger and knows not to touch things that isn’t hers.” ~ FantasticCockroach63

“YTA. Your kids broke it. She needs it for school.”

“You’ll be burning a bridge with a good babysitter if you refuse to pay for a new laptop or get hers repaired.” ~ Comprehensive-Fun47

“YTA- your youngest is 6, not a toddler.”

“He is old enough to be taught to respect other people’s property.”

“Why would he be running around with a laptop even if it belonged to you?”

“Do you allow him to do stuff like that?”

“The fact that you don’t even mention punishing him, only making excuses is telling.” ~ Blkcdngaybro

“YTA. Nannies haaaaate working for parents like you who don’t take responsibility for their own children.” ~ OkCustard5

Well OP, Reddit sounds very clear on their stance.

Sounds like you may need to have a chat with your son.

Hopefully this can be resolved peacefully.