Man Asks If He's Wrong For Expecting Payment After Toddler Breaks His Phone

Updated September 8, 2021

Although we can't exactly blame them because they're still getting used to their bodies and the world, it's pretty easy to underestimate how destructive a small child can be.

And while it's certainly a headache when your kid breaks something you own, it's downright mortifying when they do it to someone else's property. And while we can expect a lot of stores to have a "you break it, you buy it" policy, that's probably going to be the case for most of our acquaintances as well.

However, it seems that this reality came as a surprise to one new parent in the wake of the mess her daughter made.

To set the scene, the man we're about to hear from recently attended a backyard barbecue to celebrate his friend's birthday.

pixabay | gbeaty

One of the guests was someone he'll call "Kat," who brought her one-year-old daughter. For the host, "Jen," this was a concern because she has a pool in her yard that would be very dangerous for the child to wander into.

With this in mind, the understanding was that Kat would be watching her child carefully as the barbecue went on.

Getty Images | Anna Blazhuk

However, once the man returned from bringing food from the kitchen, he saw that the child had made a huge mess at the table everyone was sitting at and had both poured juice on and smashed his phone.

As the man said, "Kat, meanwhile, had been talking to one of Jen’s sisters, oblivious to what her daughter was doing, apparently having expected another one of our friends (18m) to supervise her."

In a follow-up comment, the man said that this friend didn't recall being asked to supervise the toddler and figured that she assumed he was watching her because he happened to be nearby.

After this happened, the man confronted Kat and made it clear that he expected her to pay for a new phone.

Wikimedia Commons | Ed6767

But while Kat apologized for her daughter, she didn't seem to think this was a fair arrangement.

Apparently, some of her friends agreed, saying both that he should have taken his phone with him when he went to bring the food in and that he expected a lot of money in compensation.

But while he could appreciate that the cost was steep, he and his parents agreed that he shouldn't be expected to eat the costs of someone else's mistakes.

Twitter | @cards_uno

In his words, "Had Kat been properly supervising her daughter, this wouldn’t have happened."

After the man shared his story to a Reddit community, its members were wholeheartedly on his side.

As one user put it, "Parents are responsible for their children AND for the property their kids damage.

This sentiment was reflected by a parent of similar circumstances to Kat, who said, "I've got a one year old and I would feel responsible if he broke someone else's belongings. Phones in particular. Accidents happen but that doesn't mean that accountability can't be had also."

Another pointed out that Kat's concept of fairness seems pretty out of whack if she doesn't feel like she's responsible for this situation.

In their words, "'It’s unfair that I buy a new phone to replace the one my daughter broke, but it’s not unfair that you have a broken phone because of my daughter.' Right, got it."

So like it or not, Kat's probably going to have to pay up.

h/t: Reddit | business_sock4

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