Reddit Stories - Three SIBLINGS aged three ruined my EXPENSIVE gaming ARRANGEMENT worth $2,000 during their

Episode Date: July 10, 2025

#redditstories #askreddit #aita #siblings #gaming #expensive #ruined #familytimeSummary: Three siblings aged three ruined my expensive gaming arrangement worth $2,000 during their playtime.Tags: redditstories, askreddit, reddit, aita, tifu, siblings, gaming, expensive, ruined, familytime, playtime, kids, children, toys, entertainment, fun, damage, expensiveitems, parenting, responsibilityBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/reddit-stories--6237355/support.

I hope you enjoy this story. Three siblings aged three ruined my expensive gaming arrangement worth $2,000 during their visit to my place. However, after her spouse assisted in repairing it, she expelled him and is preventing him from visiting. Their kid. Hi everyone. I'm honestly at my breaking point with this one. I need outside perspective because my entire family is acting like I'm Hitler for standing my ground. So, I, 25F am a student software developer and a pretty serious PC gamer in my free time.

I live alone in a one-bedroom apartment that I've spent years making cozy and functional. I saved up for a long time to build my dream PC setup, triple monitors, custom mechanical keyboard, ergonomic chair, the works. Altogether, my rig is worth a bit over $2,000, and I take care of it like it's a damn child. Last weekend, my older sister, 30F asked if she could crash at my place for one night because her apartment was being fumigated and her husband was out of town. She has a three-year-old son, Max, who's, let's say, spirited. I love him, but he's a little chaos goblin. I hesitated, but she swore she'd keep an eye on him and that it'd just be for one night. They show up Saturday afternoon, and immediately it's clear she wasn't kidding about Max being a handful.

Within ten minutes of arriving, he'd pulled four books off my shelf, thrown my houseplants on the floor, and spilled juice on my area rug. I tried to stay chill, he's three, I get it, but I asked my sister politely to please keep him out of my office, where my PC setup is. She rolls her eyes and goes, he's just exploring, he's curious, it's normal. But she closes the office door anyway. Cut to Sunday morning. I wake up to screaming.

Max had apparently woken up before his mom, managed to open the office door, and decided my setup was his new jungle gym. He pulled down one of my monitors, cracking the screen. He stuck crackers into the PC tower's ventilation slots, I'm not kidding, yanked out my keyboard's keycaps,

and had colored on my chair with permanent marker. The cherry on top. He poured apple juice into the tower. into IT. When I tell you I went silent. I mean dead silent. My sister comes in, sees the damage, and just says, oh no, in this incredibly flat tone, like someone knocked over a cup of coffee.

I start freaking out, and she has the audacity to say, you should have baby-proofed the room if it was that important to you. I lost it. I told her that one, she knew he wasn't supposed to be in there, too, this is my space. not a damn daycare, and three, baby-proofing a $2,000 gaming setup is not a standard requirement for adults living alone. She told me to calm down and said that he's just a kid, and stuff is replaceable. I told her she could replace it then. She said she didn't have the money right now, but maybe in a few months she could give me a few hundred. I told her that wasn't acceptable

and that she needed to take full responsibility. She left in a huff and now my whole family is blowing up my phone. My mom says I'm being materialistic and should understand that my nephew didn't mean it. My dad said I should have locked the door if it was that important. My brother actually said, why do you even need three monitors anyway? That's kind of overkill. I filed a claim with my insurance, but there's no guarantee it'll be covered since it was technically guess damage. I also told her that if she does not pay up, I'll take her to court for what happened. Now I'm getting texts from my sister demanding an apology for blaming her kid for being curious. I told her I'd drop it if she covered the cost of repairs and replacements, or at least met me halfway, and she blocked me.

So, am I overreacting if I take my sister to court over this? Edit 1, my sister still has not unblocked me, but her husband reached out to find out what happened. I'm sorry I don't have more to tell yet, but I'll update again when I do. Seriously, thanks for the insights everyone. My head is a lot clearer now. Edit 2. Hey y'all. My sister's husband reached out as mentioned earlier, and we're working out a solution if possible. He's been really understanding as have all of you.

Also, to clarify the office situation, my one-bedroom apartment is on the smaller side, 33 square meters slash 355 square feet, so the landlord converted an old ex-closed cabinet into a makeshift office. It's weird, but the building is from the 40s, and IG they had to get creative with the space with an old tenant or something. So it's living room, sister and her kids slept there, plus kitchen, I slept there, plus the office. Thanks for all the support. And the award. I really don't have the words for how nice people

have been in both DMs in the comments. Update 1, April 16th, 2025. Hey again. Just wanted to post a quick update since it's been a little under a week and a few people asked what happened next. Things are better, pretty fucking weird, and still ongoing, but here's where we're at. This Saturday, my brother-in-law, B.L., came over to check out the damage himself. He actually brought Max, toddler, with him, which I was almost livid about at first, but he had a reason. He asked Max to try opening the office slash closet door. The kid couldn't do it. The door was too heavy for him.

You probably can guess where this is going. Equals, Bill offered to take my PC to the store that originally built it for me, just to see what was fixable. I agreed, but asked for something in writing just so I had some peace of mind. We put together a little agreement that he'd be responsible for it while it was with him. Yeah, yeah, it was just a formality and would not hold much merit anywhere, but it helped me feel a more in control. On Monday, he dropped it off at the shop and gave them my number so they could keep me updated. He also told me he confronted my sister about how things played out. I sent him my original Reddit post too, he read the comments and apparently showed them to her. She still

hasn't unblocked me, and from what I've heard, was not happy about the fact my bill is actually listening to me. I also shared the post and some comments with my parents and brothers since no one really believed me before. My parents still don't fully get it, but they've at least stopped pushing back. My brother is more understanding now, though for some reason he mostly wanted to talk about how many people saw the post. I don't think either of those three still care, really, and I'm fine if they see this. Do better. Anyway, I went to see the PC today, Wednesday here. The shop said it's mostly salvageable. It needs a very, very careful and clean and a few fans replaced, and some wiring fixed, but overall the main part survived

somehow. Bill told me he'll cover the cost of the repair, no hesitation. When I brought up what my sister said about not being able to pay even $200, he said she's lying. He also said he's not sure Max actually did all the damage. He thinks the door was left open on purpose, or that my sister might have even done some of it herself. Based on the height of the tower and where the crackers ended up, it didn't quite add up to a toddler acting alone. Apparently, she's been telling him I have a gambling addiction, I did get a bit hooked on Ginchen like four years ago, I guess. And that maybe this whole thing will wake me up, which is, new. She used to be supportive or at least indifferent. No idea where that switch came from. So yeah, that's where we're at.

My PC is being cleaned up and fixed, and Bill is covering the cost, sister still has me blocked and won't talk to me. Bill tempted to start something with her TVH, especially if she actually did all of this on purpose, still not ruling out small claims court depending on how things go. Thanks again to everyone who responded to the original post. Seeing how many people understood what happened really helped me hold the line with my family when I felt like I was losing my mind. One thing I've been turning over in my head lately is what if my sister did do something to my setup on purpose? I don't want to believe that, it feels like a stretch, but the more I think about it, the less

so, I guess. But then I remember how she acted when I asked her to keep Max out of the office. The eye roll and the he's just curious comments like she didn't take any of it seriously. And now hearing from my bill that she's been saying I have a crippling gambling slash gaming slash whatever addiction and needed to grow up. It's just, weird. She used to be cool about it. Never super into games herself, but she got that it was important to me.

If something changed, I don't know when or why. And if this was some weird way to make a point or teach me a lesson, that's messed up. You're not our mom. How about talking first instead of this? I don't want to jump to conclusions, but the more I think about it, the less it makes sense that Max could have done all of that alone. sick if she blamed her own son for it. So yeah. Not accusing anyone outright, but that thought is there now. And if you're my sister reading this? Which I'm guessing you are, because I bet you'd love

to look at the comments that are on your side a lot. Smiles, I don't know why you blocked me. I don't know what shifted in your head about all this. But if you actually had anything to do with damaging my setup whether it was on purpose or just through complete carelessness. Fuck. You. You know I worked hard for that. You know what that rig meant to me, and you know I would never do something like this to your stuff. And if Max really did all of it on his own. I hope you're paying closer attention now. Not for my sake, but for his. Read the comments on my first post again, from other parents and people with younger siblings who clearly know better than you. That's all. Thanks for reading, those who did.

Update 2, May 3, 2025. A few weeks ago, I made a post, not here, about how my sister's toddler, 3M, almost destroyed my PC setup. Long story short, she and her son were staying with me for one night, he got into my office, and the whole setup got wrecked with juice and cracker bits shoved into the tower. The situation was awful, and when I asked my sister for help covering the damage, she made an excuse and blamed me instead. It became whole family drama. My sister blocked me and acted like the whole thing was my fault, but her husband, my Bill,

reached out on his own. He checked the damage himself, helped take the PC in for repairs, and ended up covering the costs because he was genuinely embarrassed by the way she acted. He even started questioning whether their toddler could have done that much damage on his own, especially after the kid couldn't even open the door by himself. My bill thought maybe my sister left it open or did something herself. Within a week of that, my bill confronted her and well, she kicked him out of the house. Like, full on, told him to get the hell out, packed up his things, dumped them and left them

by the curb like he was a stray dog. He told me she screamed that he was betraying her and taking the side of that fucking Reddit bitch, meaning me. She also apparently accused him of conspiring and cheating on her with me to humiliate her publicly, which, what? She hasn't let him see their kids since. No visits. No phone calls. She's gone full black hole mode and is completely unreachable, threatening cops if he goes near. She's blocked me, my brother, even some extended family, and is only talking to our parents, we're still enabling her but I think it's only so they can keep Max at arm's length.

Meanwhile, I'm hearing rumors she's been telling people I'm unhinged, psychotic, and that I made the whole thing up. She told one of our cousins that I lured her kid into the office like some kind of trap or set up. I don't know if this is postpartum related, or if something snapped, or if she's just always been this vindictive and I didn't want to see it. But I'm scared. Scared for her kid. Scared for her husband. And yeah, I'm also scared for myself, because if she's willing to ruin her whole marriage and turn the family against me just to protect a lie. My parents want to keep it under wraps, but I know my bill wants to get her help. I want to get her help too, but I don't know where to start or what to do.

What can I start with to possibly push her toward someone who can help her out? Has someone here dealt with a situation like this before? I feel helpless, as I know she is an adult and has free will, but I fear for her safety and my nephew's safety as well. My bill voiced wanting to divorce her and told my parents he will get his son whether they approve or not. His side of the family is furious with mine and I've no idea where I stand because, yeah, I guess I started this. Is this salvageable? If so, how?

What can I do? Who can I contact within the States? Is there anything I can do even? Does anyone know? Story, wife threw away all the videotapes of my late wife's pregnancy that I saved for 16 years to show my daughter on her 18th birthday because she was jealous of a dead woman. I am writing this because I don't know what to do. I have a daughter with my late wife and her name is Eleanor. Her birthday is coming up in two weeks and she's turning 18.

Background, me and my late wife, Chloe has been dating since college. We got older and ended up getting married, and after our wedding, she shared news to and I was excited that we were expecting our first child. Since it was our first child, we bought a video camera and made little tapes and snippets of her whole pregnancy. Wholesome things such as us just joking around or having lunch, or talking to our unborn child through the camera. We made a promise to only show Eleanor the tapes until her 18th birthday. Fast forward two years after her birth, Chloe passed away due to a drunk driver crashing into her car as she was coming home from her mother's house. I was devastated of her passing and went into a deep depression and having to raise our two-year-old daughter by myself.

My friends tried to get me to go out again and start back dating, but every time I did I felt like I was betraying her. Years later when Eleanor was 13, I met Wendy. We met at a gathering for my sister's birthday and we instantly hit it off. She didn't mind that I had a daughter because she had two kids herself and just went through a divorce. Two years after we got married, now back to the present. Eleanor's 18th birthday is coming up and I kept all the tapes for me to show her. Mind you, her mother died when she was just two, so Eleanor doesn't remember her touch or her voice. I was excited to show her the tapes and a week ago I was talking to Wendy about it and I noticed her expression going from happy to looking a bit uncomfortable. Wendy would always get uncomfortable

when I talk about my late wife. I don't say things like why can't you be like Chloe or Chloe was only supposed to be my first love, but I talk about her in a way to give my daughter a mental picture of how her mother was like. Wendy has always talked to me about Chloe and how it made her sad that she can never be like her. Chloe was a model then started working on her fashion career, and don't get me wrong, she was a really beautiful woman, while Wendy had two kids in college and not in the best shape due to her words. I love both women how they are and I've never had a preference, but I feel like Wendy is gaining some jealousy towards Chloe. I told Wendy that I love her just the way she was and she broke down crying. The next day after that incident she came up to me

and apologized for the way she acted last night. I told her it was okay and it's good that she felt comfortable to share her feelings, and I gave her a tight hug and a kiss on her forehead. She asked to see where the tapes were at and I showed her the box of videotapes of my late wife in my closet. Things were going fine until yesterday morning. I was looking for the tapes because I wanted to put them in a prettier box for my daughter and when I went to go find them, the box wasn't in my closet. I looked everywhere to the point I walked downstairs to see my wife laying on the couch watching TV. I asked her about the box and she told me she threw it away with a neutral expression. My heart dropped and I asked her what did she mean,

and she told me that I talk about her too much and that I need to move on with my life so she threw them away as a head start. I was fuming with anger because not only she threw away what I had left of her, she threw away my daughter big surprise. We quickly got into an argument and she noticed how angry I was so she started apologizing. It got to the point I started crying and locked myself in our bedroom. It's the morning and I'm writing this in my office going through my computer finding old files or any type of video of my late wife to give it to my daughter because sometimes my daughter still cries that she never got to meet her mother and I really thought it would bring her closer to her. I've been ignoring my wife for the past day and she's been

texting me nonstop about how sorry she is, but I really just can't look at her right now. It's getting to the point our mutual friends are texting me to accept her apology and get over it since Chloe died over 10 years ago, but I'm trying to ignore them all because they never had someone so close to them died. I am working on finding these files and I'm starting to think I was overreacting. I don't know what to do and I really need help. Update 1, I didn't expect this to blow up. I came on here to look for general advice and now I have thousands of of people taking my in my DMs. I'm going to be answering some questions that I'm getting asked about the most.

I was thinking about asking Wendy about the tapes and where she threw them out at, but I saw a comment that told me to don't ask her, because it might give her some time to hide it or lie. Instead, when I went back home, I checked in the outside trash cans and the kitchen one and I still couldn't find them. Trash day isn't until Thursday, so I was confused. I finally went up to ask her and at first she wasn't going to tell me. I threatened with divorce like one you guys said and she gave in.

It turned out she kept the videotapes in her car until Trash Day arrived because she knew I would look through the trash. So now I have the tapes, thank God. Another question asked was did Elinor know about the tapes? No, I didn't want to ruin the surprise until if I knew that I had a backup. She didn't know about them now and I'm not planning on telling her until her birthday. The only problem is that I'm afraid that Wendy might tell her. One more question is people asking if I'm considering divorce.

Wendy never did anything like this before and I don't want to ruin a six-year relationship. But at the same time I really do think she needs some type of help. I'm considering asking her to go to therapy and I'm really considering our relationship. Wendy is really good with my daughter and my daughter loves her and her children like family. I think Wendy is just trying to take Chloe place with being Eleanor's mother. I really starting to think she has issues. A lot of people also said if I don't divorce her I will betray my daughter. My daughter is my number is one and I think I should find someone better that can respect

not only me but my daughter and her mother. Update 2. It's been a month now, things been definitely, changing. For anyone wondering, Eleanor's birthday went great, especially without Wendy there to ruin it. Basically what happened was Wendy found my post and went crazy about it. She started accusing me of trying to ruin her life over something so little in the way she only found out because her older sister saw the story. We got into an argument and she tried gaslighting me into being the crazy one and threatened me to leave and take all I own and whatever she said.

She then proceeds to go into our room and start tearing things down, trying to look for the tapes again. I pull her wrist, trying to get her to calm down, but she took it as an opportunity to start breaking down crying saying that I hit her, which I back off and just watched her as she tried to throw things at me, and now I reached my breaking point because it's the day of my daughter's birthday and had little time to get to dinner tonight, because we have reservations. I was already ready and had to pick Eleanor up from a friend house, so I grabbed my keys and left her there, not having time for her to act like a child. And by the way, the tapes were at my mother's

house as we were all going to go there after the dinner. The night went great after that and me and Eleanor came home to a messy house with furniture and pictures tiered up. It looked like a bunch of three-year-olds went wild in there. Wendy and her children wasn't anywhere to be found and neither was her car. I already assumed it was Wendy who did all of this. Plus I had proof because I keep security cameras in my house. I tell Eleanor about everything that went down before her birthday and she was shocked at least to know the woman she thought was an angel was actually

be long story short we call the cops, Wendy gets arrested but gets out after three days. Now I'm almost done with my divorce process. Also, Wendy, if you're reading this, have fun living at your mother's house and having a criminal record, I hope it was worth it.