To make them pay for damaged ballpit

[mummaelle]

I bought my 10 month old a fairly expensive fabric ballpit and balls.
The day after we had family round for drinks, after my dd went to bed my stepfather and older brother had a few too many to drink and were running and jumping in the ballpit and laying across it causing it to misshape.
I was annoyed and shouted at them and moved the ballpit to another room, they could tell I wasn't happy and offered me half the money each to get her a new one.
The next morning, my mum found out what happened and was angry I accepted the money off them and said I shouldn't have taken it and that there was nothing wrong with the ballpit.
She asked me to return the money to them but I refused, after all the damaged my dd brand new ballpit a day after she got it. My mum has fallen out with me over it and told me not to come round until I returned the money.
What do you think, aibu to not return the money and should just get over it??

@UpCloseAndPersonalWithGlenda

BathMat, it's practising. It's a verb.

Glsser, lying, not laying. Unless he's a chicken.

I hate grey toys, too.

Thank God the internet didn't exist when my DC were little.

OP, this has nothing to do with your mum, and I don't know why she's involved herself.

Do you feel better now you have that out your system?

IMO it’s only ok to take the money if you genuinely do need to buy a new one. If it’s a bit misshapen but functional then you should return the money. Your kids will trash it in no time anyway.

Grey ball bit looks fine, loads of people paint their houses grey so I'm guessing its for them. I haven't so just have a random messy mix of colours.

@UpCloseAndPersonalWithGlenda

BathMat, it's practising. It's a verb.

Glsser, lying, not laying. Unless he's a chicken.

I hate grey toys, too.

Thank God the internet didn't exist when my DC were little.

OP, this has nothing to do with your mum, and I don't know why she's involved herself.

P. S. You don't usually put a comma before the word 'and'. @UpCloseAndPersonalWithGlenda

They were drunken idiots, but they apologised, you mum is an arsehole.

I'd definitely charge an adult for acting the fool with a child's toy.
I'd take it on the chin if another child broke it.

They damaged it and paid for a replacement. That is exactly what they should have done in that situation. Ignore your mother.

I have the grey ball pit. I asked family for small things as we're overrun with toys as it is. I got the grey ball pit. With extra balls. "Hahaha Mindy, you're going to hate our present!" Yes. Yes I do.

Ahem.

They were obviously unreasonable to play with a kid's toy like that, and if they damaged it you're right to ask them to replace it. If the foam is just a bit misshapen that seems like overkill though.

The main point, OP, is that this is none of your mother’s business. Everyone involved is an adult and made their own choices without needing her to stick her nose in.

A lot of nurseries are now taking up the ‘boring’ neutral toys, with plain wooden or natural resources. No need at all to feel sorry for a child with a grey toy or wooden toys.

Anyway, whether it was a plastic baby mobile or a £1000 wooden rainbow stacker, two drunk adults broke it. They offered to pay for it, which was appropriate. If your mum is annoyed she really should be speaking to her husband and son and telling them not to break things in other peoples homes.

But I do agree with a pp that if it had been another child I would have accepted it (or returned it since it’s not fit for purpose if it can’t handle a child playing with it) but as they’re adults they can pay for what they broke.

They damaged it and have paid up to get another one

Your mum needs to keep her nose out

I think you can put a comma before ‘and’. Isn’t it called an Oxford comma or a serial comma?

@CurlyWurly321

It's the grey one isn't it?

It's a grey ball pit.

Was wondering the exact same thing!

I suspect your mother will get over it when she realises it means missing out on seeing her grandchild.

P. S. You don't usually put a comma before the word 'and'. @UpCloseAndPersonalWithGlenda**

Yes, you do.

Google Oxford comma.

Teaching the Oxford comma seems subject to the whims of the fashionable pedagogy and changes every ten years or so. However, it has been around for a very long time.

I quite like the grey ballpit!

@Mouthfulofquiz

I think you can put a comma before ‘and’. Isn’t it called an Oxford comma or a serial comma?

Yes, but that poster didn't use an Oxford comma (a comma used after the penultimate item in a list).

@jd88123

I quite like the grey ballpit!

I've no doubt you do.

That's the whole point. It's made that way to the parents taste, not the babies.

Yess, the ballpit is grey. Get over it.

OP, your mum is being ridiculous. Don't rise to it. Your step dad and brother were silly but they've made a genuine effort to rectify things, so I'd say everything is good there. Now it's just your mum being an arse and stirring up trouble when the matter had been put to bed.

Another post the question post then disappear for 3 hours ....boring ...

B and m sell grey ball pits now. Buy one for your stepdads birthday

@SRS29

Another post the question post then disappear for 3 hours ....boring ...

Then comes back with "I have got a life outside of MN you know!"

YANBU. If it was a genuine accident I wouldn't have taken the money but they got drunk and mistreated your DDs new toy, very rude.

Yes, but that poster didn't use an Oxford comma (a comma used after the penultimate item in a list).

@Somethingsnappy, you are quite right in that it is not an Oxford Comma. It is a conjunction, and a comma can and should be used between two independent clauses.

In context, the comma was correct .