Dad Tells His Babysitter To Replace A $2,200 Guitar His 3-Year-Old Broke On Her Watch
Babysitting is a job that requires a lot of responsibility, because you’re in charge of someone else’s child and often someone else’s home. The last thing you want is something bad to happen, but of course, accidents with small children are inevitable and they trip and get hurt or break a toy, which is understandable.
However, a dad on Reddit, with the user name RoughJury, couldn’t understand how his babysitter could have left his child alone for 20 minutes in which his daughter managed to break his $2,200 guitar. Now the dad is demanding that the babysitter pay for a new guitar, because he thinks it’s all her fault.
More info: Reddit
A dad on Reddit is asking if he is in the wrong for demanding his babysitter pay for a valuable guitar his child broke on her watch
Image credits: Adam Campbell (not the actual photo)
The parents hired a babysitter for 3 hours because the dad was at work and the mom had to rush to her work for an emergency. This babysitter was already familiar with the child and the house rules, which were that the 3-year-old was only allowed in the living room, play room, and dining room (when eating). So it wasn’t the first time she had worked for the parents, but something still went wrong.
The dad explains that the babysitter had to take a call which lasted for 20 minutes and all that time, she was outside. Her reasoning was that she didn’t want the child to hear the conversation, as it was private.
Then the story gets more intense. Apparently, the 3-year-old took the opportunity of being alone and escaped the living room, which was gated. She was able to climb over the gate by moving the couch to it and using it to break free.
This detail grabbed the attention of many readers and they were expressing their disbelief in such a small child’s ability to move a couch. It does make you wonder how did it happened and if there’s more to the story than what’s being told. Do you think that this sounds a little bit suspicious?
The babysitter left the 3-year-old unattended for 20 minutes because she had to take a phone call
Meanwhile the girl managed to climb over the gate, escape from the living room, and break a $2,200 guitar in the basement
If we take the dad’s word for it, then the little girl headed to the basement and pulled down one of the guitars hanging on the wall. The man found his guitar with a warped neck which needs replacing. But he doesn’t want to replace it because that would devalue the instrument, so he is asking the babysitter to replace the whole guitar.
The guitar’s condition also was a topic of discussion in the comments. Redditors were wondering how the guitar could have a warped neck instead of a crack. The user Animalime introduced themselves as a music shop manager and said that it is more likely that the guitar got damaged due to improper keeping, assuming that basements tend to have higher humidity.
Now the dad wants the babysitter to pay for a new guitar, thinking that it was her responsibility that it was broken
Image credits: RoughJury
The dad probably came to Reddit to receive some sympathy and reassurance that he had a right to demand compensation. However, people in the comments were not that forgiving.
While redditors agree that the babysitter shouldn’t have left a 3-year-old by herself, they say it would be unfair to ask such an amount from a 19-year-old trying to earn money by watching other people’s children. According to the comment section, the blame here is to be shared and not put just on one person.
Other redditors agree that the babysitter was irresponsible, but also think that she shouldn’t pay for the broken guitar
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Share on FacebookThe comment of the music shop owner says it all. The dad is trying to take advantage of a situation where a guitar, that was already unplayable due to negligence, got damaged. He sure is the A-hole.
I think the fact that he was insisting on replacement over repair also supports this.
Load More Replies...I have some videos that prove you wrong. My twins were masters of environment manipulations at a young age. (Moving chairs/using stools / climbing on tables and this was at one year old). That said, he's still the a-hole.
Load More Replies...Just imagining the toddler is an evil genius and actually did warp the neck, like over the past few years whenever the babysitter wasn't paying attention she went down to the basement and pointed a humidifier at the guitar for a couple minutes haha
You shouldn't expect her to repair the damage that your own son did, but if she really took a 20 minute call outside while she left your 3 year old alone, then you should definitely never use her as a babysitter again. But I don't believe the "I didn't want the baby to overhear" excuse -- she probably either saw or suspects that you have a nannycam inside keeping an eye on her, and she didn't want you to overhear her call. And that whole story about a 3 year old moving the couch so she could scale the gate is completely unbelievable.
I want to see that nanny-cam footage. Im betting the dad's story is more full of holes than already suspected. And even if a toddler could move all that furniture... Why isthe home better toddler-proofed? Doors to basements, for example. And, sorry, no guitar dies like that unless it was already mistreated/ignored/etc. Babysitter messed up, but the dad is an a-hat. FYI, I have been around toddlers all my life, and I never saw one under 5 able to make much progress on a couch. A chair, an end table, climbing the couch but not moving it, yes. And gates are worthless. Anyone knows that who spends two minutes around a kitten, let alone a kid!
Load More Replies...I've been a musician most of my life. If you own a valuable instrument keep it in the case. I raised three boys and they knew dad's guitars were off limits. Never had a problem. Something stinks about this whole scenario.
My gramps, a guitarist, would agree. A masster carpenter, he understood *wood* and guitars are, esentially, mad eof wood in his day. If it's in view, it's wall art. Even my cheap old dulcimer is kept properly in a case.
Load More Replies...A guitar neck doesn’t warp “all at once”. It takes both lots of neglect & lots of time to make that happen & a guitar with a warped neck is not worth anywhere near $2200 no matter what kind it is. This guy’s a lowlife piece of s**t.
If his baby is a destructive ninja he needs to make the babysitter very aware of their skills, and even if he did, it's a babysitter not a professional contractor with their own insurance. He is a big A.
I think they are both TA’s. Why is the dad so concerned about his guitar, when his three year old could have gotten really injured. The babysitter should not leave a three year old unattended for that long. They are both in the wrong.
Not sure babysitter is "TA", but she's at fault for not rendering the services she's paid for [that is, supervise continuously]. So, don't hire her again or only after a frank discussion. All the rest is obvious nonsense; he's not trying to get it from his home insurance because the adjuster would assess it as neglect not accidental damage.
Load More Replies...The guitar should have been insured and it’s unfair to expect the sitter to replace something that sounds like was partly the owners own fault for being damaged. The sitter sounds inexperienced, in that they felt that it was appropriate to leave the child unattended for so long for such a ridiculous reason. If they’re from a professional babysitting place, they should be insured and fired! If they are a neighbour doing you a paid favour then you’re being a bit naive expecting a professional level of care for your child, you got what you paid for.
I dunno. When my son was 3 he fried several 500$ ac units. Shoving silverware in the vents, jamming the fan and burning it out. 2 flat screen TV with his toys. My Xbox with juice. He has a penchant for destruction. All of these things were done in the time it takes to piss. Because....that's when he did it. While I or my wife was taking a quick piss. So a 3yr old trashing a guitar is 100% believable
I've been playing guitar and bass for most of my life. Keep the instrument in the case. If it's as valuable as the owner claims all the more reason to do so. BTW I raised three boys and they all knew my guitars were off limits. No problems. I was wondering, how come the guitar in the picture wasn't the actual guitar?
out of curiosity, wouldn't a 2K guitar be worth playing? realistically, shouldn't it either be a treasure or a workhorse? unless it's unplayable but owned by Howling Wolf - why is it on a wall?
Load More Replies...Dad is the dumbass for keeping the guitar he overvalues at $3k in reach of a 3 year old.
Can you imagine how horrible this was for the girl?!? Some enraged, entitled, ahole dude all up in your face insisting you hand over 2k and blaming you for something that his kid supposedly did under his roof to his belongings? Plus, I'm not buying he's never left his son out of eyeline for at least 15 minutes- as a parent of two teens and a former nanny I call BS.
Regardless of whether or not the sitter should be held responsible for the guitar, my question is WHY DID SHE LEAVE A 3YR OLD UNSUPERVISED TO BEGIN WITH?? Her explanation for not wanting the 3yr old to hear a phone call is CRAP. Chances are that child would've been clueless about the conversation and the sitter NEVER should have left the child unsupervised.
Odds are, the parents had a nanny-cam with audio to use against her, so she took a phone call away from the spy-cam.
Load More Replies...I don't know anything about guitars but I do have two small children. A 3yo is definitely able to move a couch (if not too heavy), climb safeguards and go downstairs. My 2yo climbs fences and uses our stairs on a regular basis all the time. She also pushes furniture around if she wants to get somewhere she can't without help.
How does a 3year old get a guitar? I’m a lot older and I can Barely hold one if I can barely hold one how does a 3 year old child get their hands on it is there proof the child even broke it?
Agree that the dude is going overkill with the whole new guitar thing, but I'd be incredibly upset if a babysitter left my kid alone for 20 minutes- she was paid to watch the kid!
Mr I think you may be the asshole for charging an innocent babysitter for having to take a call that she made sure your child didn’t have to listen to, then saying your 3 yr old can scale a baby gate, push a couch, MAGICALLY WARP A F***ING GUITAR NECK, and that the babysitter should pay you. You are a piece of s**t dude, not just an ashole. OH AND DID I MENTION YOUR FINING HER 2,200?!
I do not believe a 3 year old did all of that all by themselves. Dad should be more concerned that the babysitter left the child unattended and should be grateful that the child was unharmed. Guitars after all are replaceable; children are irreplaceable. Time for a new guitar.
Everything about this story seems like a lie. 3 year olds can be left in a secure room for 15 mins. They're in their bedrooms for 10hrs when they sleep so no the babysitter is not at fault. I would clean the kitchen while my daughter was secure in the living room at 3. I'd pop my head in now and then to check on her. Sometimes I would shut the bathroom door when using the toilet too when she was in her playroom. I understand why you would use nanny cams but I will say if anyone I know has cameras on in their homes constantly I won't go over their house anymore. I find it incredibly strange.
He is almost certainly lying about the guitar, if it is warped rather than broken. I wouldn't be surprised if he's not lying about the 20 minutes too.
Something my mom told me that really pissed me off ... if you're an adult , everything is your responsibility . It's true though. I'd be way more pissed about her leaving a 3 year old unsupervised for 20 minutes. For the nay sayers, my grandson could and did push our furniture around on our wood floor. It drove me nuts, but he thought it was great. If you have something valuable and it needs protected, it shouldn't be anywhere near where your young child can access it. Your child , your guitar , your problem. She's a teenager for corn's sake . I wouldn't hire her again because of the lack of supervision thing
Now, I can see docking the babysitter the 20 minutes pay for leaving the room to take a call—-she could’ve talked in another room, but positioned herself to still keep the kid in sight. But dad’s claim is just OTT. 1) I’m and adult, and moving a couch isn’t easy, 2) This is a 3 year old, and dad is trying to say he did stuff you’d expect out of a much older child. 3) Why wasn’t the basement door locked, or at the very least, the “valuable” guitar kept in a locked climate controlled display case? 4) Did the kid also move furniture in the basement to get up to where the guitar was kept, or was it on the floor? 5) The music shop owner would know about repairing musical instruments, and how improper storage and display can affect them. This damage did not happen in 20 minutes or by his 3 year old. If he had said the kid broke the guitar, I’d believe him a lot more. But warp it? F**k no, Buddy, try again. The babysitter is a teenager, ffs, so quit trying to make her pay for your negligence.
A) If that guitar is worth anything you can get a luthier to fix the neck. Guitar owners are crazy and do all sorts of stuff to them (unlike other strings players) so... Get a professional maybe? B) So I would not give a rip about the guitar, the child was unsupervised for some time and that child is far more valuable. In 20 minutes the kids could be stone cold dead. C) Oh man, y'all have not had some interesting 3 year olds - all four of my children if so inclined could have done that.
I think The Who story is made up, from the babysitter talking a call to the guitar being destroyed. The whole story makes no sense. She's been a good babysitter up until now and decides to be reckless all of a sudden? The kid moving a couch, opening a basement door, going down the stairs without tripping, taking a guitar off of a wall, and warping it? Just reread his whole story, it sounds like something he made up in his mind and pulled it out of ass.
WTF? Your kid broke your guitar, by evading your safety measures. Yes, I'd be pissed the sitter left the kid alone for 20min while they were outside on the phone, but I bet you often leave the kid unsupervised behind the babygate for 20 min too. You are justified in not hiring her again. The guitar is a separate issue - the sitter didn't break it. Your kid did. The sitter shouldn't be liable for even a repair, let alone a replacement. You are totally the asshole.
both assholes. dad for the money, babysitter for letting the kid alone. doesn't matter if it's a private call. if it's an emergency, you take it where the kid is.
If he loves his guitar that much, why does he want it replaced - he is a thieving git, and a liar to boot. He was probably laying the trap even as he hired the babysitter.
If he loves his guitar that much - why does he want to replace it? He's trying to cheat the girl. What a nasty git.
No one was watching the child! Your blessed the baby didn't get warped moving that couch.
I'm just happy that a unattended child for 20 minutes damage a guitar, but herself is doing good and didn't hurt. This should be a eye open for the babysitter. This story could have a much much worse and.
I'm curious, if the child would have injured himself, maybe got tangled-up in a cord or gone head first into a bucket, would the baby sitter then be accused of neglect? Think about it.
If we take the post at face value then the kid is clearly indestructible.
Load More Replies...What if ur kid broke someone else's something? Kids do that you know. Will you buy them a new one even though it's costly? No you say sorry n try to pay for the repairs. It's the normal way. And some three years Olds can move heavy things. My three year old broke my whole fridge door from its hinges in front of my eyes. It wasn't even old one. So that happens too. Deal with it n don't try to blame others for your neglect of your own instruments.
Your kid broke it, asshole. Not the babysitter's responsibility to replace it.
The guitar should have been put way in a safe location and at least insured; however a babysitter who HAS TO be on the phone for twenty minutes needs to be fired.
The real problem is she left a 3 y.o. Unattended for 20 minutes. That’s enough for a toddler to have an accident and die.
My guess is dude didn't even take notice of the guitar long enough to notice it warping - I agree with the music shop guy. Did anyone else question how the kid DIDN'T fall down the stairs? Gates are usually braced between the sides of a door - typically it would have been almost even with the first step down. So, that child not only moved a couch to the gate, but managed to hop said gate and not keep that momentum going straight down the stairs? And how low does this guy hang his guitars? I'd also like to hear from the babysitter. Did she notice the couch moved and find the child in the basement? Did the father get that part of his story from her, or did he decide that's what MUST have happened, because it's logical?
Look, he is overreacting but she is at fault on this one. Worst thing could have happened.
I'm literally more shocked that the sitter left the child alone that long
Even though it doesn't sound like the guitar got damaged the way he said it did, the babysitter is lucky something worse didn't happen by leaving a 2 year old in the house alone..
This is ridiculous Who doesn't lock their basement I'm not American but in the show's I've seen basement stairs are pretty steep. Also if the baby needed a couch to get over the gate did the drop on the other side not hurt them. Why is your child moving said couch like how?! Also guitars are heavy how did they get it off the wall? Lastly your priorities are messed up I appreciate the child wasn't hurt however they could have been and therefore you should still be concerned. You can replace a guitar but not a baby. I get she shouldn't have stepped out but also I want to hear her story cuz baby's don't move sofas
Babysitter is 19 not a child, she should be held responsible for anything that happened while she was in charge, why should the owner and parents be responsible for the baby sitters negligence? It’s not like she was a child and thus not mature enough to be held responsible, if your child is at daycare and they leave the child alone for 20min and the child breaks something, is the child or parent responsible? No the day care is, same principal, age shouldn’t be a excuse for not being responsible
How the hell does a 3yo move a couch!?!?!?!? There is no way the kid is responsible for all that he claims. He’s 100% TA.
Ummmm shouldn't he be more concerned that his 3-year-old was left completely alone for 20 minutes with the run of the house? The kid could have broken something important like their leg, arm, neck for crying out loud. Plus his story about the kid moving furniture and warping a guitar sounds shady. What an a**e.
That's what you get for giving birth to Stewie Griffin. "What did we learn?"
He's lying. There really is no way that kid warped the neck of his guitar. That ONLY happens over a reasonably long period of time, and ONLY when it gets damp. He broke his guitar himself when he realized that HE destroyed the value of it himself and thought he could get away with screwing someone over for the cost of his mistake.
I can 100% confirm that some toddlers are capable of accomplishing this. My 2 year old niece pushes our 3 seater sofa around the room like it's on wheels (it's not) and has ninja speed when it comes to climbing up and down stairs, seriously it's impossible to sit down for more than a minute before she's off again! Though the babysitter certainly should NOT Have left the 3yo alone for that amount of time it certainly doesn't make her responsible for an item broken by his own child in his own home.
Since when was the word "death" (as In "kiss of death" such a bad word that it had to be censored?
I am in agreement with most of the commenters here that it is the parents problem. Yes the babysitter was somewhat negligent but if you have children and don't want something broken, either teach them to respect things or keep them 100% out of reach, like no way kids can get to valuables and get insurance for the most valuable items.
1) I would have been more concerned that my child might have gotten seriously hurt climbing over a fence and falling down the stairs to the basement. 2) why did you have a baby gate up in front of a dangerous basement staircase? Why wasn't the basement door not shut? No door??Why didn't he have one built?? Basement stairs are very dangerous for children. 3) BTW, How in the world did a 3 year old push a couch? 4) It seems convenient that you have specified rooms that your child can go into. If this is true, must I remind you that you have living, loving, curious child not a dog! 5) Why would keep a valuable guitar that is susceptible to being warped in a basement?? Even when they are "dry", they still the dampest part of our house. 6) How well did you know this babysitter and her family? Not many 19 year olds have $2200 in her piggybank.Did you know that the family was wealthy?? Conclusion: This story has way too many holes in it. Either it is a lie or the guy is a total jerk!
I seriously doubt that the babysitter left the child alone for 20 minutes. Maybe she stepped out of the room for a few minutes, but the dad has to be exaggerating. I've raised 2 kids and you can go into the next room at that age for a minute or two. Otherwise you could never make lunch or do laundry or whatever. Also, why would the kid go for a guitar on the wall? And why isn't the door to the basement childproof? My kids never pulled things off walls. I can only assume that the dad had told the kid to not touch his guitar so that made the kid curious. If this even happened, which I doubt. Sounds like a really fishy story to me. I feel bad for the babysitter and the child.
They'll never get another baby sitter ever, if they pursue repayment.
Now im curious how did this guy found out what happened. Did the babysitter report that to the dad when she finished her call? Or was it the dad who did it and accused her of not looking after his kid? Or since a 3yo kid is well i guess not strong enough, what is a chance that this girl just went there and tried some guitar play herself and broke it and then said it was the kid? Or maybe it was the mom who had an emergency and staged it all? This one is tricky Anyways if she was responsible for the kid at the time she should be liable for what happened if its proven beyond any doubt it was on her watch. I mean apart of breaking the guitar the kid could hurt himself.
I think the dad is the arsehole here. I felt that his right to procreate should be revoked too but it seems harsh in light of his broken guitar.
I don't buy that the guitar didn't have any sort of damage prior to being actually broken, you just don't keep instruments in a damp area. Personally I would be more upset over the fact that my child wasn't watched and managed to get down a flight of stairs..
The three year old sounds like an awful child if this is the kind of thing it wants to do. The dad doesn’t sound like an asshole, but he has really unreasonable expectations thinking the babysitter could or should pay the ENTIRE cost. Maybe just have them work for free for a while until it gets up to half of the cost of a replacement and give the babysitter shîtty references. But most importantly, get the kid some kind of discipline or therapy. That isn’t normal. Kids break things but that kid seemed to have a mission for destruction and that isn’t normal, no matter how much bad parents try to convince the rest of us that it is.
He's the bigger a-hole, insisting on new for old, item stored in the basement with easy access especially considering the Items value and should be covered by insurance (ask the babysitter for a contribution to the excess of needed). The child has I suspect done this before i.e. moved the sofa, claimed the gate and gone to the basement! However, the babysitter had one job, to leave the child alone for 20 mins, anything could have happened, the excuse they didn't want the child to listen is no excuse!
Keep the instrument in the case! I can’t stress how important it is you do that. And a basement really isn’t a great place to keep it.
Do not believe a 3 year old moved a couch and did everything he said. Who knows what happened!
If the guitar in the picture was the one the kid broke I'm having a hard time understanding it's worth. The head stock seems like it says "Squire." The Fender Guitar Company makes the "Squire" guitar. Some of the models sell for as little as $100. The "Squire" is not considered to be a top of the line guitar in any case. Unless it's either very rare (I doubt it) or the guitar in the picture isn't the one that was broken.
There is no way an insurance company would pay out for a guitar stored improperly.
Dad should not have let his kid watch any Who concerts and Pete Townsend.
I would like to add that this specimen looks like a Squier SA 150 - a cheap guitar that sells for less than 120 €.
True but it was just a stock photo not the real guitar
Load More Replies...So the dad knew the neck was warped, hired the baby sitter in the hope she would be negligent, the 3 year old knows to grab the damaged guitar, further damages it during negligence, and now the dad wants to cash in on his plan? The baby sitter leaving the house for 20 minutes is completely unacceptable. A 3 year old child needs constant supervision and whoever was supposed to be watching her is responsible for what the kid does. What if it wasn't the GUITAR neck that was broken.
Why is no one taking about that, that girl is only alowwed in 3 rooms and 3 when she's not in what about bedroom and bathroom and what if she wants to watch mum and dad cook for fun?!
Nobody else is talking about it because pretty much everyone here is an adult, and adults know why the thing you’re thinking is not only ridiculous but also untrue. You’ve given a kiddy response to an adult topic. The kid is only allowed in 3 rooms because the parents aren’t home and the kid is a destructive little shît. Surely the kid can go in other rooms when its parents are home.
Load More Replies...Idk, I watched my oldest daughter at 11 months (she'd already been walking independently since 8 1/2 months) push a very heavy piano bench across the wood living room floor at my parents' home, so, I do actually believe a 3yo could push a couch if it were on a wood floor. Also, what does the Dad mean by basement? In some parts of the US that means a literal floor of the house mostly underground and usually unfinished. But in other parts of the US it just means the 1st floor. Where I live now they call 1st floors basements, but I wouldn't consider any of them "basements". They have full sized windows! But the babysitter SHOULD pay for the guitar, not because she's necessarily responsible for all the damage to it, but because SHE LEFT A 3YO ALONE FOR 20 MIN!!! Children that young can literally be severely injured or die in that amount of time. I've read and heard some brutal stories. If something serious had happened to the 3yo it would cost the babysitter a lot more than $2200.
My BS-meter would be ringing at any story with a 3yo climbing a baby fat OR going down some basement stairs by self OR shoving a couch around OR causing months' worth of damage in less than 20 minutes. Put them all in one story, and the BS-meter just exploded.
No, baby gates are worthless. Seriosuly, I've seen them gotten around when bolted into wall joists. THAT is the only believable part of the story, IMO.
Load More Replies...Oh...and just to add this to the mix: Like most here I have my doubts about a 3yr old moving a couch...but otherwise, NEVER underestimate the climbing skills of a small child.
Um no. For one- *not *didn't *their *it's *wouldn't. Two- If you had read the comments above (Although you may have) it clearly states the loopholes in the story. I agree that the babysitter could have been more responsible, but maybe (I'm not justifying her action of choosing to go outside) she could have been talking about a subject that she didn't want the child to over here, just for the reason that three year-olds are capable of picking up words that you may not want your child to know/say. Going back to what I said before. It's not the babysitters fault that the couch was light enough to move, the baby gate easy to climb over, and the guitar not put out of the child's reach. ALSO how can a child warp a guitar's neck in under twenty minutes? (It must have taken some time to move the couch and scale the gate.) If you know anything about guitars, you should know that the neck is very hard to "bend" with out snapping it. Warping is caused by leaving the guitar in a humid--
Load More Replies...The comment of the music shop owner says it all. The dad is trying to take advantage of a situation where a guitar, that was already unplayable due to negligence, got damaged. He sure is the A-hole.
I think the fact that he was insisting on replacement over repair also supports this.
Load More Replies...I have some videos that prove you wrong. My twins were masters of environment manipulations at a young age. (Moving chairs/using stools / climbing on tables and this was at one year old). That said, he's still the a-hole.
Load More Replies...Just imagining the toddler is an evil genius and actually did warp the neck, like over the past few years whenever the babysitter wasn't paying attention she went down to the basement and pointed a humidifier at the guitar for a couple minutes haha
You shouldn't expect her to repair the damage that your own son did, but if she really took a 20 minute call outside while she left your 3 year old alone, then you should definitely never use her as a babysitter again. But I don't believe the "I didn't want the baby to overhear" excuse -- she probably either saw or suspects that you have a nannycam inside keeping an eye on her, and she didn't want you to overhear her call. And that whole story about a 3 year old moving the couch so she could scale the gate is completely unbelievable.
I want to see that nanny-cam footage. Im betting the dad's story is more full of holes than already suspected. And even if a toddler could move all that furniture... Why isthe home better toddler-proofed? Doors to basements, for example. And, sorry, no guitar dies like that unless it was already mistreated/ignored/etc. Babysitter messed up, but the dad is an a-hat. FYI, I have been around toddlers all my life, and I never saw one under 5 able to make much progress on a couch. A chair, an end table, climbing the couch but not moving it, yes. And gates are worthless. Anyone knows that who spends two minutes around a kitten, let alone a kid!
Load More Replies...I've been a musician most of my life. If you own a valuable instrument keep it in the case. I raised three boys and they knew dad's guitars were off limits. Never had a problem. Something stinks about this whole scenario.
My gramps, a guitarist, would agree. A masster carpenter, he understood *wood* and guitars are, esentially, mad eof wood in his day. If it's in view, it's wall art. Even my cheap old dulcimer is kept properly in a case.
Load More Replies...A guitar neck doesn’t warp “all at once”. It takes both lots of neglect & lots of time to make that happen & a guitar with a warped neck is not worth anywhere near $2200 no matter what kind it is. This guy’s a lowlife piece of s**t.
If his baby is a destructive ninja he needs to make the babysitter very aware of their skills, and even if he did, it's a babysitter not a professional contractor with their own insurance. He is a big A.
I think they are both TA’s. Why is the dad so concerned about his guitar, when his three year old could have gotten really injured. The babysitter should not leave a three year old unattended for that long. They are both in the wrong.
Not sure babysitter is "TA", but she's at fault for not rendering the services she's paid for [that is, supervise continuously]. So, don't hire her again or only after a frank discussion. All the rest is obvious nonsense; he's not trying to get it from his home insurance because the adjuster would assess it as neglect not accidental damage.
Load More Replies...The guitar should have been insured and it’s unfair to expect the sitter to replace something that sounds like was partly the owners own fault for being damaged. The sitter sounds inexperienced, in that they felt that it was appropriate to leave the child unattended for so long for such a ridiculous reason. If they’re from a professional babysitting place, they should be insured and fired! If they are a neighbour doing you a paid favour then you’re being a bit naive expecting a professional level of care for your child, you got what you paid for.
I dunno. When my son was 3 he fried several 500$ ac units. Shoving silverware in the vents, jamming the fan and burning it out. 2 flat screen TV with his toys. My Xbox with juice. He has a penchant for destruction. All of these things were done in the time it takes to piss. Because....that's when he did it. While I or my wife was taking a quick piss. So a 3yr old trashing a guitar is 100% believable
I've been playing guitar and bass for most of my life. Keep the instrument in the case. If it's as valuable as the owner claims all the more reason to do so. BTW I raised three boys and they all knew my guitars were off limits. No problems. I was wondering, how come the guitar in the picture wasn't the actual guitar?
out of curiosity, wouldn't a 2K guitar be worth playing? realistically, shouldn't it either be a treasure or a workhorse? unless it's unplayable but owned by Howling Wolf - why is it on a wall?
Load More Replies...Dad is the dumbass for keeping the guitar he overvalues at $3k in reach of a 3 year old.
Can you imagine how horrible this was for the girl?!? Some enraged, entitled, ahole dude all up in your face insisting you hand over 2k and blaming you for something that his kid supposedly did under his roof to his belongings? Plus, I'm not buying he's never left his son out of eyeline for at least 15 minutes- as a parent of two teens and a former nanny I call BS.
Regardless of whether or not the sitter should be held responsible for the guitar, my question is WHY DID SHE LEAVE A 3YR OLD UNSUPERVISED TO BEGIN WITH?? Her explanation for not wanting the 3yr old to hear a phone call is CRAP. Chances are that child would've been clueless about the conversation and the sitter NEVER should have left the child unsupervised.
Odds are, the parents had a nanny-cam with audio to use against her, so she took a phone call away from the spy-cam.
Load More Replies...I don't know anything about guitars but I do have two small children. A 3yo is definitely able to move a couch (if not too heavy), climb safeguards and go downstairs. My 2yo climbs fences and uses our stairs on a regular basis all the time. She also pushes furniture around if she wants to get somewhere she can't without help.
How does a 3year old get a guitar? I’m a lot older and I can Barely hold one if I can barely hold one how does a 3 year old child get their hands on it is there proof the child even broke it?
Agree that the dude is going overkill with the whole new guitar thing, but I'd be incredibly upset if a babysitter left my kid alone for 20 minutes- she was paid to watch the kid!
Mr I think you may be the asshole for charging an innocent babysitter for having to take a call that she made sure your child didn’t have to listen to, then saying your 3 yr old can scale a baby gate, push a couch, MAGICALLY WARP A F***ING GUITAR NECK, and that the babysitter should pay you. You are a piece of s**t dude, not just an ashole. OH AND DID I MENTION YOUR FINING HER 2,200?!
I do not believe a 3 year old did all of that all by themselves. Dad should be more concerned that the babysitter left the child unattended and should be grateful that the child was unharmed. Guitars after all are replaceable; children are irreplaceable. Time for a new guitar.
Everything about this story seems like a lie. 3 year olds can be left in a secure room for 15 mins. They're in their bedrooms for 10hrs when they sleep so no the babysitter is not at fault. I would clean the kitchen while my daughter was secure in the living room at 3. I'd pop my head in now and then to check on her. Sometimes I would shut the bathroom door when using the toilet too when she was in her playroom. I understand why you would use nanny cams but I will say if anyone I know has cameras on in their homes constantly I won't go over their house anymore. I find it incredibly strange.
He is almost certainly lying about the guitar, if it is warped rather than broken. I wouldn't be surprised if he's not lying about the 20 minutes too.
Something my mom told me that really pissed me off ... if you're an adult , everything is your responsibility . It's true though. I'd be way more pissed about her leaving a 3 year old unsupervised for 20 minutes. For the nay sayers, my grandson could and did push our furniture around on our wood floor. It drove me nuts, but he thought it was great. If you have something valuable and it needs protected, it shouldn't be anywhere near where your young child can access it. Your child , your guitar , your problem. She's a teenager for corn's sake . I wouldn't hire her again because of the lack of supervision thing
Now, I can see docking the babysitter the 20 minutes pay for leaving the room to take a call—-she could’ve talked in another room, but positioned herself to still keep the kid in sight. But dad’s claim is just OTT. 1) I’m and adult, and moving a couch isn’t easy, 2) This is a 3 year old, and dad is trying to say he did stuff you’d expect out of a much older child. 3) Why wasn’t the basement door locked, or at the very least, the “valuable” guitar kept in a locked climate controlled display case? 4) Did the kid also move furniture in the basement to get up to where the guitar was kept, or was it on the floor? 5) The music shop owner would know about repairing musical instruments, and how improper storage and display can affect them. This damage did not happen in 20 minutes or by his 3 year old. If he had said the kid broke the guitar, I’d believe him a lot more. But warp it? F**k no, Buddy, try again. The babysitter is a teenager, ffs, so quit trying to make her pay for your negligence.
A) If that guitar is worth anything you can get a luthier to fix the neck. Guitar owners are crazy and do all sorts of stuff to them (unlike other strings players) so... Get a professional maybe? B) So I would not give a rip about the guitar, the child was unsupervised for some time and that child is far more valuable. In 20 minutes the kids could be stone cold dead. C) Oh man, y'all have not had some interesting 3 year olds - all four of my children if so inclined could have done that.
I think The Who story is made up, from the babysitter talking a call to the guitar being destroyed. The whole story makes no sense. She's been a good babysitter up until now and decides to be reckless all of a sudden? The kid moving a couch, opening a basement door, going down the stairs without tripping, taking a guitar off of a wall, and warping it? Just reread his whole story, it sounds like something he made up in his mind and pulled it out of ass.
WTF? Your kid broke your guitar, by evading your safety measures. Yes, I'd be pissed the sitter left the kid alone for 20min while they were outside on the phone, but I bet you often leave the kid unsupervised behind the babygate for 20 min too. You are justified in not hiring her again. The guitar is a separate issue - the sitter didn't break it. Your kid did. The sitter shouldn't be liable for even a repair, let alone a replacement. You are totally the asshole.
both assholes. dad for the money, babysitter for letting the kid alone. doesn't matter if it's a private call. if it's an emergency, you take it where the kid is.
If he loves his guitar that much, why does he want it replaced - he is a thieving git, and a liar to boot. He was probably laying the trap even as he hired the babysitter.
If he loves his guitar that much - why does he want to replace it? He's trying to cheat the girl. What a nasty git.
No one was watching the child! Your blessed the baby didn't get warped moving that couch.
I'm just happy that a unattended child for 20 minutes damage a guitar, but herself is doing good and didn't hurt. This should be a eye open for the babysitter. This story could have a much much worse and.
I'm curious, if the child would have injured himself, maybe got tangled-up in a cord or gone head first into a bucket, would the baby sitter then be accused of neglect? Think about it.
If we take the post at face value then the kid is clearly indestructible.
Load More Replies...What if ur kid broke someone else's something? Kids do that you know. Will you buy them a new one even though it's costly? No you say sorry n try to pay for the repairs. It's the normal way. And some three years Olds can move heavy things. My three year old broke my whole fridge door from its hinges in front of my eyes. It wasn't even old one. So that happens too. Deal with it n don't try to blame others for your neglect of your own instruments.
Your kid broke it, asshole. Not the babysitter's responsibility to replace it.
The guitar should have been put way in a safe location and at least insured; however a babysitter who HAS TO be on the phone for twenty minutes needs to be fired.
The real problem is she left a 3 y.o. Unattended for 20 minutes. That’s enough for a toddler to have an accident and die.
My guess is dude didn't even take notice of the guitar long enough to notice it warping - I agree with the music shop guy. Did anyone else question how the kid DIDN'T fall down the stairs? Gates are usually braced between the sides of a door - typically it would have been almost even with the first step down. So, that child not only moved a couch to the gate, but managed to hop said gate and not keep that momentum going straight down the stairs? And how low does this guy hang his guitars? I'd also like to hear from the babysitter. Did she notice the couch moved and find the child in the basement? Did the father get that part of his story from her, or did he decide that's what MUST have happened, because it's logical?
Look, he is overreacting but she is at fault on this one. Worst thing could have happened.
I'm literally more shocked that the sitter left the child alone that long
Even though it doesn't sound like the guitar got damaged the way he said it did, the babysitter is lucky something worse didn't happen by leaving a 2 year old in the house alone..
This is ridiculous Who doesn't lock their basement I'm not American but in the show's I've seen basement stairs are pretty steep. Also if the baby needed a couch to get over the gate did the drop on the other side not hurt them. Why is your child moving said couch like how?! Also guitars are heavy how did they get it off the wall? Lastly your priorities are messed up I appreciate the child wasn't hurt however they could have been and therefore you should still be concerned. You can replace a guitar but not a baby. I get she shouldn't have stepped out but also I want to hear her story cuz baby's don't move sofas
Babysitter is 19 not a child, she should be held responsible for anything that happened while she was in charge, why should the owner and parents be responsible for the baby sitters negligence? It’s not like she was a child and thus not mature enough to be held responsible, if your child is at daycare and they leave the child alone for 20min and the child breaks something, is the child or parent responsible? No the day care is, same principal, age shouldn’t be a excuse for not being responsible
How the hell does a 3yo move a couch!?!?!?!? There is no way the kid is responsible for all that he claims. He’s 100% TA.
Ummmm shouldn't he be more concerned that his 3-year-old was left completely alone for 20 minutes with the run of the house? The kid could have broken something important like their leg, arm, neck for crying out loud. Plus his story about the kid moving furniture and warping a guitar sounds shady. What an a**e.
That's what you get for giving birth to Stewie Griffin. "What did we learn?"
He's lying. There really is no way that kid warped the neck of his guitar. That ONLY happens over a reasonably long period of time, and ONLY when it gets damp. He broke his guitar himself when he realized that HE destroyed the value of it himself and thought he could get away with screwing someone over for the cost of his mistake.
I can 100% confirm that some toddlers are capable of accomplishing this. My 2 year old niece pushes our 3 seater sofa around the room like it's on wheels (it's not) and has ninja speed when it comes to climbing up and down stairs, seriously it's impossible to sit down for more than a minute before she's off again! Though the babysitter certainly should NOT Have left the 3yo alone for that amount of time it certainly doesn't make her responsible for an item broken by his own child in his own home.
Since when was the word "death" (as In "kiss of death" such a bad word that it had to be censored?
I am in agreement with most of the commenters here that it is the parents problem. Yes the babysitter was somewhat negligent but if you have children and don't want something broken, either teach them to respect things or keep them 100% out of reach, like no way kids can get to valuables and get insurance for the most valuable items.
1) I would have been more concerned that my child might have gotten seriously hurt climbing over a fence and falling down the stairs to the basement. 2) why did you have a baby gate up in front of a dangerous basement staircase? Why wasn't the basement door not shut? No door??Why didn't he have one built?? Basement stairs are very dangerous for children. 3) BTW, How in the world did a 3 year old push a couch? 4) It seems convenient that you have specified rooms that your child can go into. If this is true, must I remind you that you have living, loving, curious child not a dog! 5) Why would keep a valuable guitar that is susceptible to being warped in a basement?? Even when they are "dry", they still the dampest part of our house. 6) How well did you know this babysitter and her family? Not many 19 year olds have $2200 in her piggybank.Did you know that the family was wealthy?? Conclusion: This story has way too many holes in it. Either it is a lie or the guy is a total jerk!
I seriously doubt that the babysitter left the child alone for 20 minutes. Maybe she stepped out of the room for a few minutes, but the dad has to be exaggerating. I've raised 2 kids and you can go into the next room at that age for a minute or two. Otherwise you could never make lunch or do laundry or whatever. Also, why would the kid go for a guitar on the wall? And why isn't the door to the basement childproof? My kids never pulled things off walls. I can only assume that the dad had told the kid to not touch his guitar so that made the kid curious. If this even happened, which I doubt. Sounds like a really fishy story to me. I feel bad for the babysitter and the child.
They'll never get another baby sitter ever, if they pursue repayment.
Now im curious how did this guy found out what happened. Did the babysitter report that to the dad when she finished her call? Or was it the dad who did it and accused her of not looking after his kid? Or since a 3yo kid is well i guess not strong enough, what is a chance that this girl just went there and tried some guitar play herself and broke it and then said it was the kid? Or maybe it was the mom who had an emergency and staged it all? This one is tricky Anyways if she was responsible for the kid at the time she should be liable for what happened if its proven beyond any doubt it was on her watch. I mean apart of breaking the guitar the kid could hurt himself.
I think the dad is the arsehole here. I felt that his right to procreate should be revoked too but it seems harsh in light of his broken guitar.
I don't buy that the guitar didn't have any sort of damage prior to being actually broken, you just don't keep instruments in a damp area. Personally I would be more upset over the fact that my child wasn't watched and managed to get down a flight of stairs..
The three year old sounds like an awful child if this is the kind of thing it wants to do. The dad doesn’t sound like an asshole, but he has really unreasonable expectations thinking the babysitter could or should pay the ENTIRE cost. Maybe just have them work for free for a while until it gets up to half of the cost of a replacement and give the babysitter shîtty references. But most importantly, get the kid some kind of discipline or therapy. That isn’t normal. Kids break things but that kid seemed to have a mission for destruction and that isn’t normal, no matter how much bad parents try to convince the rest of us that it is.
He's the bigger a-hole, insisting on new for old, item stored in the basement with easy access especially considering the Items value and should be covered by insurance (ask the babysitter for a contribution to the excess of needed). The child has I suspect done this before i.e. moved the sofa, claimed the gate and gone to the basement! However, the babysitter had one job, to leave the child alone for 20 mins, anything could have happened, the excuse they didn't want the child to listen is no excuse!
Keep the instrument in the case! I can’t stress how important it is you do that. And a basement really isn’t a great place to keep it.
Do not believe a 3 year old moved a couch and did everything he said. Who knows what happened!
If the guitar in the picture was the one the kid broke I'm having a hard time understanding it's worth. The head stock seems like it says "Squire." The Fender Guitar Company makes the "Squire" guitar. Some of the models sell for as little as $100. The "Squire" is not considered to be a top of the line guitar in any case. Unless it's either very rare (I doubt it) or the guitar in the picture isn't the one that was broken.
There is no way an insurance company would pay out for a guitar stored improperly.
Dad should not have let his kid watch any Who concerts and Pete Townsend.
I would like to add that this specimen looks like a Squier SA 150 - a cheap guitar that sells for less than 120 €.
True but it was just a stock photo not the real guitar
Load More Replies...So the dad knew the neck was warped, hired the baby sitter in the hope she would be negligent, the 3 year old knows to grab the damaged guitar, further damages it during negligence, and now the dad wants to cash in on his plan? The baby sitter leaving the house for 20 minutes is completely unacceptable. A 3 year old child needs constant supervision and whoever was supposed to be watching her is responsible for what the kid does. What if it wasn't the GUITAR neck that was broken.
Why is no one taking about that, that girl is only alowwed in 3 rooms and 3 when she's not in what about bedroom and bathroom and what if she wants to watch mum and dad cook for fun?!
Nobody else is talking about it because pretty much everyone here is an adult, and adults know why the thing you’re thinking is not only ridiculous but also untrue. You’ve given a kiddy response to an adult topic. The kid is only allowed in 3 rooms because the parents aren’t home and the kid is a destructive little shît. Surely the kid can go in other rooms when its parents are home.
Load More Replies...Idk, I watched my oldest daughter at 11 months (she'd already been walking independently since 8 1/2 months) push a very heavy piano bench across the wood living room floor at my parents' home, so, I do actually believe a 3yo could push a couch if it were on a wood floor. Also, what does the Dad mean by basement? In some parts of the US that means a literal floor of the house mostly underground and usually unfinished. But in other parts of the US it just means the 1st floor. Where I live now they call 1st floors basements, but I wouldn't consider any of them "basements". They have full sized windows! But the babysitter SHOULD pay for the guitar, not because she's necessarily responsible for all the damage to it, but because SHE LEFT A 3YO ALONE FOR 20 MIN!!! Children that young can literally be severely injured or die in that amount of time. I've read and heard some brutal stories. If something serious had happened to the 3yo it would cost the babysitter a lot more than $2200.
My BS-meter would be ringing at any story with a 3yo climbing a baby fat OR going down some basement stairs by self OR shoving a couch around OR causing months' worth of damage in less than 20 minutes. Put them all in one story, and the BS-meter just exploded.
No, baby gates are worthless. Seriosuly, I've seen them gotten around when bolted into wall joists. THAT is the only believable part of the story, IMO.
Load More Replies...Oh...and just to add this to the mix: Like most here I have my doubts about a 3yr old moving a couch...but otherwise, NEVER underestimate the climbing skills of a small child.
Um no. For one- *not *didn't *their *it's *wouldn't. Two- If you had read the comments above (Although you may have) it clearly states the loopholes in the story. I agree that the babysitter could have been more responsible, but maybe (I'm not justifying her action of choosing to go outside) she could have been talking about a subject that she didn't want the child to over here, just for the reason that three year-olds are capable of picking up words that you may not want your child to know/say. Going back to what I said before. It's not the babysitters fault that the couch was light enough to move, the baby gate easy to climb over, and the guitar not put out of the child's reach. ALSO how can a child warp a guitar's neck in under twenty minutes? (It must have taken some time to move the couch and scale the gate.) If you know anything about guitars, you should know that the neck is very hard to "bend" with out snapping it. Warping is caused by leaving the guitar in a humid--
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