Artist Asks If She Is Wrong For Charging Sister $3,400 For A Painting Her 9-Year-Old Nephew Damaged

Oct 21, 2021 by apost team

We’ve probably all encountered or witnessed a child misbehaving at some point or another. It’s definitely not unusual since kids seem to get bored pretty easily. Not only that, but they are still growing and learning more and more each day, meaning they’re bound to make a handful of mistakes along the way. However, sometimes kids take their antics too far and create a huge mess, leaving it all for the grown-ups to have to clean up. This is what one 26-year-old Reddit user unfortunately had to deal with after a dysfunctional encounter with her nephew.

She had a get-together with some friends and family for a late New Year’s celebration and only invited adults to keep everything running smoothly. However, her sister was unable to find a sitter, so she brought her 9-year-old son. The original poster (OP) was frustrated but found a way to distract him, so she figured everything would still be fine.

The OP worked as an artist and made it clear that no one was allowed in her art studio, but sadly, her nephew did not listen. While no one was keeping an eye on him, he made his way into the studio and destroyed one of the OP’s artworks that she was still in the process of working on for a client. The OP sent a bill to her sister the following day, asking her to pay $3,400 for the damages the boy caused. The entire family was split on if this was OK, leading the OP to turn to Reddit users for advice in January 2020.

Starting off her Reddit post, the OP explained that she’s a fairly successful artist. She invited her sister Lucy to her place for a late New Year’s celebration, along with some other adult guests. She made it clear that no kids were invited, but Lucy was unable to find a sitter, so she ended up bringing her 9-year-old son named Ethan. The OP simply set up her boyfriend’s gaming system for Ethan to use to keep him distracted.

During the party, the OP made it clear that no one was to go near her art studio. “I had a sign posted on my art studio saying ‘DO NOT ENTER’ and specifically made it clear to all guests that nobody was to enter that room,” she said. "It’s 10pm, and I hear a loud crash from my studio, I run up and see paint all over."

She explained, “I run up and see paint all over my recent work that so far had taken 15 hours to do. Ethan was sat there laughing, rubbing paint into my work, it’s now unsalvageable and I have to restart the work, as it was a specific request from a client.” Now, the OP was also going to be behind on all of her other work orders since she needed to re-do this important one.

The OP was furious and immediately asked her sister and nephew to leave. The following day, she sent over a bill for about $3,400 to help pay for the damages, which was actually lower than what she would’ve received for the work Ethan had ruined.

apost.com

The OP’s sister was not having it. “She’s absolutely screaming about it, the whole family is divided,” the OP explained. Her dad and her sister’s husband were on her side, but her mom was on her sister’s side. The OP mentioned that although she’s not a fan of kids, she has always been a great aunt to Ethan, so this was definitely an unusual circumstance. She asked Redditors if she was wrong to charge her sister for the ruined artwork.

Reddit users agreed that the OP was definitely right to charge her sister. One user said, “This is your livelihood, art supplies aren’t cheap, and not to mention the time it’ll take you to recreate what was lost.” Other users pointed out that Lucy did not seem to be watching her son like she should have been and that Ethan didn’t seem to be sorry about ruining the OP’s work. 

One user commented, “It was already an issue that she brought her kid, but you were understanding about that. The least she could’ve done was watch her damn kid while there and respected your wishes of no one going in there. When you bring kids to an adult party it’s your responsibility to watch them, not the host or other guests unless other kids are involved.” Another user chimed in and said, “Also it didn’t seem to be an accident. The kid thought it was funny.”

It was clear that Reddit users agreed that the OP should be compensated for her work and all of the damages her nephew created even if that meant charging her own sister such a hefty fee.

Do you think this woman was right to charge her sister for the artwork her nephew ruined? Let us know, and be sure to pass this along to your family members and friends to find out what they think, too.