'AITA for not giving niece a birthday present after she destroyed mine?'

"AITA for not giving niece a birthday present after she destroyed mine?"

So I am aware I might sound like a petty child but at the same time I feel like this kid needs to learn a lesson. I'll explain. Me and my niece have birthdays a few weeks apart, mine first. On the day I got this beautiful jewelry dish from my mom, she knows I lost mine when I moved house and so it really meant a lot that she got one which looks similar as it had sentimental value.

During the family dinner I heard this smash from the other room, I run out and my niece (14F) is standing next to the smashed jewelry dish. I am just stunned into silence and she just looks at me and says "well it was ugly anyway" and then goes to the bathroom.

I wondered if she was just embarrassed in the moment and so was mean to cover that up, but since then I overheard her in the back yard on the phone to her friend saying "my aunt is being so annoying about this stupid dish, it looked horrible anyway, I did her a favor."

I mentioned it to my sister and she said that her daughter was just being a kid, but I think she should have at least apologized. So now that it's her birthday, I am not gonna be buying her anything, I just got her a card but why gift her something when she smashed my dish and showed no remorse?

My sister thinks I am being horrible and will be ruining her daughters' birthday, but I think she needs to learn actions come with consequences and life doesn't just go on as normal with gifts from me if she will show disrespect to mine.

Here's what people had to say to OP:

eternally_feral said:

Gift her the pieces of the dish and call it a day. NTA.

Araveni said:

NTA. Your niece is old enough to know right from wrong: unfortunately her mother is an idiot and a bad mother.

Elegant_Tea_6973 said:

NTA, your sister is creating a monster, don't even give her a card.

SpecialProfile2697 said:

Your sister is as much to blame as your niece! Don't buy her a present on her birthday either. Make sure your mom knows her granddaughter thinks she has bad taste. NTA.

needsmorecoffee said:

At 14 she is NOT just "being a kid." She absolutely knows better, and if she doesn't, that's because of her parents dismissing this kind of thing. She needs consequences for her actions. Giving a gift would just be rewarding her. And if not getting a single present "ruins" her birthday, then that's also down to bad parenting. Stand strong. NTA.

Heraonolympia123 said:

1 person not getting her a gift isn't going to ruin her birthday. Just tell her you used the money to replace what she broke. NTA.

Difficult_Regret_900 said:

NTA. Smashing things on purpose is spiteful brat behavior, not kid behavior. And if it was kid behavior, it's up to the parents to correct it because the child has to learn how to function in society. Fourteen is also far too old for the "they don't know better" excuse.