...to think that she should pay for a new switch and get her bloody kid one too?

[nikiforov]

Quick backstory: I live with some friends who are parents, nowhere to fit a TV in my room (I got the downstairs smaller one because I'm not a parent and we rent the house together, I'm not a tagalong or anything). I knew living with a kid would be odd and I'm childfree but we agreed at the start that I wasn't a free babysitter, I'm a student and I need my own space, et cetera - usually I leave my door unlocked because we all trust each other and the router is in my bedroom due to it being the only place with router access, so it's awkward if I'm at uni and the internet goes down.

I also have a nintendo switch in my bedroom, which is mine and mine only. Her kid is 6 now, so he's old enough to play it and she's been bringing up the subject more and more hinting that I'm being selfish by not letting him play it and she can't afford one, I can afford more because I'm a student and she cooks meals for us (she doesn't cook meals for me, I buy my own food and make meals myself because I'm a vegan and they're meat eaters so that's a lie) and anyway, push came to shove and she let the kid use the switch without my permission today. The screen is scratched to hell.

WIBU to demand she buys me a new one after damaging my property? Or am I being a stingy childfree bitch? I don't want to take it to some shady place to get a new screen fitted, which would void my warranty completely, but this would also be classed under not damaged enough for a replacement/fix or sort of 'it's your own fault' damage. Moving out isn't really an option until the lease runs out and I honestly didn't have much choice. It was this or halls, and halls is infinitely more expensive and I wouldn't have had my own private bathroom.

You don't have to justify why you need a private bathroom OP - your post is about someone invading your privacy and damaging your private property.
I'd be wary about speaking to the boy directly in a sit down for a serious chat way - mum sounds like a fucking nightmare who's raising an entitled kid like she'd be wound up by that. When you chat generally though in the course of daily life, yes absolutely, you can talk about respect for other people's stuff. That's totally fine.

And yy- I'd be having a very serious word if it was dc, and replacing/repairing at my expense. Just common decency.

My dc FFS!!

Hetro. How rude are you?

You definitely need to lock your door OP, but you were not unreasonable to in the first place. Most landlords wouldn't enter a tenants space without permission, let alone steal property. Ask her how she is going to make good the damage.

Glad fodmaps helps. Sounds like you have a very restrictive diet as that rules out nightshades as well and protein sources for you. We all have a very different digestive systems. I need lots and lots of animal protein and vegetables. I was veggie for a while (through conscience) and had to eat some ham one day as there was no other food around and I needed the energy to be able to move. The energy boost I had from it was amazing. So I had to choose to eat meat and it has enabled me to be able to look after dd better. I can't eat eggs though.

I think you should be sitting the mother down and asking her to have more respect for your property. It's pointless doing it to the child because she's just going to roll her eyes and give him the impression you're an entitled madam.

I'd get her to pay for a replacement screen from Nintendo (incidentally we have a screen protector on ours and it's fine) and then lock your door. Tough if the router goes down while you're out - they've shown they can't be trusted

have you actually spoken to them about it.honest talk no beating round the bush.not angry just talked it trhough nice and calmly about whats happened? if not this needs to be done surely.if you live with them they should be people you can talk to bout this I would think.or id want.
if its their fault then they have crossed a line.no ifs or but whether it was known to them it was being done or not its something their child has done so in turn its now there responisbilty to fix this.

Who owns the router?

If it's your housemates, I am not sure you can lock their property into your room all day, especially if she has an internet business.

Do you have any kind of a written agreement covering ground rules of your tenancy?

plus you can get on your different computers ways of opening up homepage and then typing in ip that allows anyone in the house with the right passcode and numbers to restart router from your own pc/laptop.

She should replace it, she can have the original one. Why should you have to chase repairs etc, if you send it back to Nintendo it can take 28 days.

If it was in a communal room then I'd say repairing the screen was fair enough. But it was in your private bedroom and her child had no right to use anything in there.

Where are the scratches on the screen? There's a known issue with the dock scratching the screen. Do they look like they could have been caused by him/his mum putting it back in not so carefully? If so, it will be covered by the warranty. You'll have to send the switch back and be without it for a while but could be an option.

You definitely need to talk to your friend. It's not on at all. And I'd start locking the door when you're out. If the Internet plays up then it's a bit tough really. They should've thought of that before invading your privacy and damaging your property.

To the poster who got a little dig in about OP playing games. Don't be so ridiculous. Or maybe tell us your hobby so we can see whether it's suitably mature enough.

Yanbu! Cheeky git. Get her to pay for any repairs, lock your door and have a serious word with her that she is not to trespass into your room again.

I doubt she didn't know her son managed to go into your room, climb up to get the thing and then play for a while, all without her knowledge.

She should definitely replace it. I would be sitting down with the parents and telling them to respect your privacy and to ask them to tell their child to do the same. It's your "home" as well and your property is not communal

First off - if you'd said no there's no way I'd let my DC play with it. But if they did and scratched it I would offer to pay to sort it.

You shouldn't be left with damaged property because of someone else's actions.

I'd also get a lock for the door. You tried being all open. It's not worked. They've abused the privilege.

Hope you feel better too

'I have severe IBS and emetophobia. I need a private bathroom, but they aren't issues the government considers worthy of getting an en suite despite the fact that if I need the bathroom, it's either go or literally bloody diarrhoea in whatever clothes I'm wearing at the time. I've been tested for everything under the sun (including multiple camera tests down my throat and up into my bowels) and it's "just" very severe IBS that flares up daily, but go ahead and assume I'm an immature milennial because I like gaming on my downtime rather than drinking at a pub?'

This wasn't at all apparent from your OP. You didn't have to explain your issues if you didn't want to; just 'due to health issues a shared bathroom is not a realistic option for me' would have helped me understand better. As it was, it did sound a bit like you weren't willing to slum it like millions of students before you and share. And I stand by my point that referring to this child as 'her (bloody) kid' is indicative of a particular attitude on your part which I think means some issue or other would have come up eventually, if not this. I wouldn't be happy having a housemate who thought of my child as 'her kid'.

Of course it's not on that the child used your switch thingy without asking and of course she should sort out the screen for you.

MidnightSparkle - classical choral singing :)

I would take the thing & say, ^"you have used, or Dc has used my kit, I told you I was not lending it to him, now you can see why, (point to screen.)
This is not acceptable, you go into my room which I rent, therefore my private space, you take something of mine & replace it damaged.
So You will have to repare it, & under no circumstances can he use it again, EVER, I will be sorting out the router in the hall, (buy longer leads) & my room is limits.^
(locked, but no need to tell her, she will discover !)

off limits !

He's 6 - I have a six year old - if he went and and took someone else's switch he would know he was doing wrong. If I went and took it he would think it was OK though - so it all hinges on whether he took it or she did.

I can see why you were worried about a screen protector it's a fairly snug fit in there, but probably worth getting one now they've been out for a while..

Absolutely loathe people who say gamers are immature, like they're some superior being sat on their pedestal of bore.

Be calm but make it obvious that they've breached your trust and you don't like it. Ask her to pay for the repair then lock your room. The router problem is then her consequence to sort.

I would probably take the cost of next months rent. Then just explain. No argument, no fuss just done. I'm sorry you're having such a tough time healthwise too.

I think it's fair enough to refer to him as a "bloody kid" after he's damaged her property. Understandably she's not in the most charitable mood!

Actually it's more like "bloody mother", as it seems she thinks because the child would like something he has to have it, regardless of whose it is and what may happen to it in the process. Six is generally old enough to understand respect for space and property but only if they've been taught it. Sounds like his mum is teaching him the opposite.

If it was just 'bloody kid' after finding th scratched screen, I would agree. But 'her kid', which is dismissive and a little aggressive, seems to be her default way of thinking of the child.

Tbf, the mother sounds a bit of a nightmare, with the whole dropping hints thing. (I think at that point I would have allowed him to play under my supervision for the odd 20 min now and again, if I had suitable games - but that's obviously not something the OP is obliged to do).

Sorry for third person, OP.