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34
“She Definitely Owes Me”: Mom Won’t Pick Her Kid Up From Friend’s House, Has To Pay For Damages
As friends’ kids grow up, some form a village, supporting one another, and showing up in sweatpants with a bottle of wine whenever they need to vent about the tantrums they’ve endured that day.
Recently, Reddit user Kyii94 was asked to watch the daughter of a fellow mom from her closest circle, and she quickly agreed.
However, what was meant to be just a short visit unexpectedly turned into a sleepover, leading to financial damage to the host’s home.
RELATED:
Watching over your friends’ kids is a favor that deserves some sort of payback
Image credits: choreograph / Envato (not the actual photo)
But this woman sustained damage instead
Image credits: mstandret / Envato (not the actual photo)
Image credits: kyii94
Family, friends, and neighbors are the preferred caregivers for many parents
Image credits: Brooke Cagle / unsplash (not the actual photo)
According to some estimates, 26 percent of parents with children under the age of three rely on a family member, friend, or neighbor (FFN) for care, along with 29 percent of parents with children aged three to five.
Nanny, nanny share, or au pair care is less common: around 12 percent of parents with children under age three hire nannies, along with 9 percent of parents with children aged three to five.
While nannies are paid by default, parents who use FFNs pay them a median of $160 per week (if payment is provided at all).
Only 28 percent of FFN caregivers do not receive anything in return for the care they provide. So, the fact that the author of the post didn’t ask her friend for any compensation for the impromptu sleepover is pretty generous on its own. This makes her request regarding the TV stand even more reasonable.
Plus, it’s usually only a matter of time before kids wreck something. For example, figures from 2017 suggest that the average amount British parents spend on fixing damage inflicted by their child over the course of their upbringing is £3,466, or $4,677.
The most common incidents include wall damage, carpet stains, damage to sofas, chairs, and beds (72 per cent), broken mirrors, ornaments, and pictures (61 per cent), as well as TVs, phones, tablets, and digital boxes (56 per cent).
Most likely, the girl would have eventually caused some harm either way—it just so happens that this time, it was at someone else’s place.
As her story went viral, the woman joined the discussion in the comments and provided a little bit more information
Most people said she did nothing wrong and is entitled to compensation for the damages
But others had different opinions
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What do you think ?
arthbach 6 months ago
This person does not have a friend, she has a user. It is totally unacceptable to leave your child with someone, and not collect the child for 16 hours after the agreed time. There is no way she is going to get the money to repair/replace the table. She'd be better looking towards her insurance cover instead.
Alexandra 6 months ago
I have home insurance. It's just that it does not kick in when you have people in your home knowing there is a risk they will damage anything, whether by accident or on purpose. They call it an 'accepted risk". Having children of that age in your house is always a risk so if you want to protect certain items in your home, you should put them away for the duration. I don't think OP has a legal right to compensation, but she does have a moral one.
arthbach 6 months ago
When my children were small, I had 'accidental damage' added to my insurance policy. It already had a 'new for old' clause. The accident described above would have been covered by the policy.
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Squirrelly Panda 6 months ago
If it's a quality piece of wood furniture, then it should be repairable for water/soap damage. OP should research/YouTube how. If it's an expensive piece of garbage, then OP needs to research what makes quality furniture, then watch for the right piece used.
Dusty's mom 6 months ago
Knew a woman who did that to me. Turns out she had a little side action going on. By all means call the police.
Stannous Flouride 6 months ago
Off topic slightly- From the description it sounds like white water spots or rings. That's common on wood depending on what it was finished with. But it is VERY easy to fix- You tear open a brown paper bag (its thickness makes it work best) and then iron it over the spots on your iron's lowest setting. What it does is remelt the finish, whether it's urethane, varnish, shellac, or wax, and the damage just disappears.
Rick Murray 6 months ago
While the friend was absolutely an AH for dumping the child, surely the responsibility for the damage lies upon the OP for not keeping close enough of an eye on her? Children break stuff, and probably won't say either because she might not realise that it's important or (hopefully not) she might recognise that doing something like that, even by accident, leads to bad things happening.
Jess Bertram 6 months ago
That woman abandons her child and this woman is pissed about a piece of furniture. Child. Furniture. Child. Furniture. I am happily childfree, but this turns my stomach that no one is listening to the cues this child is giving. 1. She cried and said she didn't want to go home. she might feel insecure attachment at home. 2. She made a mess and told no one. This tells me that she might have made messes before, and gotten in painful trouble for it. Jfc everyone sucks here. Except the children.
Apatheist Account2 6 months ago
Unfortunately, legally, if one accepts the responsibility of looking after someone's child, then one is responsible for any damage they cause. The grey area is if it's well past the agreed pickup time; even so, I don't think the OP would win in court. She won't be babysitting again though.
arthbach 6 months ago
This person does not have a friend, she has a user. It is totally unacceptable to leave your child with someone, and not collect the child for 16 hours after the agreed time. There is no way she is going to get the money to repair/replace the table. She'd be better looking towards her insurance cover instead.
Alexandra 6 months ago
I have home insurance. It's just that it does not kick in when you have people in your home knowing there is a risk they will damage anything, whether by accident or on purpose. They call it an 'accepted risk". Having children of that age in your house is always a risk so if you want to protect certain items in your home, you should put them away for the duration. I don't think OP has a legal right to compensation, but she does have a moral one.
arthbach 6 months ago
When my children were small, I had 'accidental damage' added to my insurance policy. It already had a 'new for old' clause. The accident described above would have been covered by the policy.
Load More Replies... Squirrelly Panda 6 months ago
If it's a quality piece of wood furniture, then it should be repairable for water/soap damage. OP should research/YouTube how. If it's an expensive piece of garbage, then OP needs to research what makes quality furniture, then watch for the right piece used.
Dusty's mom 6 months ago
Knew a woman who did that to me. Turns out she had a little side action going on. By all means call the police.
Stannous Flouride 6 months ago
Off topic slightly- From the description it sounds like white water spots or rings. That's common on wood depending on what it was finished with. But it is VERY easy to fix- You tear open a brown paper bag (its thickness makes it work best) and then iron it over the spots on your iron's lowest setting. What it does is remelt the finish, whether it's urethane, varnish, shellac, or wax, and the damage just disappears.
Rick Murray 6 months ago
While the friend was absolutely an AH for dumping the child, surely the responsibility for the damage lies upon the OP for not keeping close enough of an eye on her? Children break stuff, and probably won't say either because she might not realise that it's important or (hopefully not) she might recognise that doing something like that, even by accident, leads to bad things happening.
Jess Bertram 6 months ago
That woman abandons her child and this woman is pissed about a piece of furniture. Child. Furniture. Child. Furniture. I am happily childfree, but this turns my stomach that no one is listening to the cues this child is giving. 1. She cried and said she didn't want to go home. she might feel insecure attachment at home. 2. She made a mess and told no one. This tells me that she might have made messes before, and gotten in painful trouble for it. Jfc everyone sucks here. Except the children.
Apatheist Account2 6 months ago
Unfortunately, legally, if one accepts the responsibility of looking after someone's child, then one is responsible for any damage they cause. The grey area is if it's well past the agreed pickup time; even so, I don't think the OP would win in court. She won't be babysitting again though.
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