'AITA? for letting my niece's boots get wet? Her parents want me to reimburse them.'
"AITA? for letting my niece's boots get wet? Her parents want me to reimburse them."
I picked up my niece from daycare and it was raining, my niece begged me to carry her because she said if her boots got went her daddy would get upset. She is five, I figured she was you know being a kid and just trying to find a reason to get carried. She likes to be carried.
I told her no and to hold my hand so we can get to the car. I took her to a few stores to kill sometime since my sister was running late. When I dropped her off with my sister, she did not say anything and I did not bring it up.
Next day I got a call from her dad telling me I own them replacement boots since allegedly they were $120 UGG boots, he then sent me the Amazon link to buy them. I asked if he was serious he said yes, I just told him no and that she is five she is going to ruin stuff. He said she did not ruin it, I did by not carrying her as she asked. At that point I was done and hung up.
Today my sister asked if I could just buy them since he is actually really upset about it and it is causing tension. Supposedly those were a gift from his mother that does not have much or something.
I asked my sister why spend that much? Just get off brand ones? She agrees but he is actually extremely upset. He is threatening of not going to our annual Christmas Dinner before the holidays. Since we have families we do such on the week before Christmas as a family so we can do our own individual things on the day.
I just have to know am I the ahole here for my own mental sanity? I will probably buy the boots to keep the peace because no reason to punish everyone over a man-child. My sister does think I should have just picked her up to avoid any issues. Really?
Here's what people had to say to OP:
Moggetti said:
NTA. The actual answer you should give is, “Sis you need to grow a spine. Ugg boots are meant for outdoor walking. They aren’t ruined, they are experiencing normal wear. Don’t send your kid out in shoes she’s not allowed to walk in.”
Primary-Friend-7615 said:
As an adult owner of uggs, I can assure you that they will survive getting wet from the rain or snow. Like most shoes, they are, in fact, intended to be used. If they were that concerned about shoes remaining pristine, they should have spent $10 on a bottle of Scotchgard spray. Your BIL is either terribly spoiled and set to spoil his daughter, or terribly controlling. NTA.
HorizonHunter1982 said:
They sent a 5 year old to school with a hundred and $20 shoes on. It's clear that they had an expectation she would be carried because she knew to ask for that but they didn't communicate that to you. Also waterproofing sprays exist? This would have been a really easy prevention. NTA.
OkStaff8633 said:
NTA. Maybe check in with sis and see if she’s really okay at home? That’s pretty bizarre behavior. I used to buy boutique dresses for my toddler. I never sent her to other people’s houses in them because that felt like too much pressure to put on others. She did take scissors to a couple dresses at home and then I realized how stupid it was to buy them in the first place.
ModeSubstantial1092 said:
Feel sorry for the 5 year old who worries about her father getting upset over something so silly. 5 year olds have better things to think about.
whatsmypassword73 said:
NTA, if only there was some magical way to ensure my child wouldn’t ruin the impractical and useless boots I insisted she have…or just know that Uggs get ruined daily by functional adults and I should get her regular kid boots.