I think $50 is a small price to pay to find out what kind of person this cousin is.
No, no. My daughter-in-law is married to my stepson (stepdaughter’s brother). Clear as mud, right? 
I simply cannot imagine the contortions that would be necessary for my cellphone to fall out of my pants pocket and into a tub. 
I don’t think there is a clear right or wrong in this case - which means it is well-suited for IMHO!
My first thought was “How stupid of the sitter to have her phone anywhere the kid could reach it.” But that was before I realized the kid was 6 years old. If my 6 year old damaged someone’s property in that manner, I’d pay for it - tho I’d probably say something to the sitter about would she please not leave her phone where it might get damaged. Since the sitter was careless and the kid thoughtless, I see plenty of blame on both sides and think halfsies is the fairest route.
And yeah - what is the deal with bathing a 6 year old? I mean, was she just sitting on the can keeping the kid company? If so, again, how did the phone ever get where the kid could grab it?
Another question - who needs the babysitting gig more - your kid or the cousin?
Lots of folks (myself included) don’t have a house phone (landline) anymore.
I still don’t see a problem with the babysitter having her cell nearby.
I don’t have a problem with her having one nearby. I have a problem with her having one nearby and it becoming my responsibility. If I need her to have one nearby, then it is my problem.
The cousin. My step-daughter receives SSI income, which we let her manage. She’s probably got a few thousand dollars in the bank, which she can use for expenses when she goes to college.
Word. I’ve decided to ask my step-daughter to drop the reimbursement request. I’ve already paid for the replacement phone, and I owe my step-daughter a couple hundred bucks, so I’ll just write it off against that. It’s not worth going through a family war over $25.
Just out of curiosity, if your kid, say, grabbed a bracelet off her wrist and dropped it down the drain, would you say that it’s her fault for wearing the bracelet?
I think you’re overlooking the fact that it’s not about the phone, it’s about the kid’s behavior. If the babysitter dropped the cell phone in the tub, that wouldn’t be your responsibility. But when your kid takes something that doesn’t belong to him, that *is * your responsibility.
amen to that.
That said, although I voted for it being the sitter’s fault AND for the mom having to pay for it anyways, I certainly don’t think that the sitter should have asked the mom for the replacement money. That was for the mom to offer, not for the sitter to demand.
I completely agree with this. If my 5-year old did that I would be mortified, I’d replace the phone and give the kid hazard pay for the evening’s work. If she (the babysitter) had the phone on her shoulder, talking to her girlfriends while she bathed the kid and the phone fell in the tub, well, she’s out of luck. Otherwise, it’s the parents’ responsibiilty to pay up.
Ah. Maybe it’s just me. I always end up completely soaked after bathing my kids, but that could be because they’re like a couple of greased up crocodiles (and much younger than 6). I personally wouldn’t have my phone anywhere in the vicinity of the bathroom during bathtimes…not much stays dry in there.
I guess this reveals how clueless I am about cellphone usage, but would those of you who feel the sitter bears no responsibility please explain to me exactly where you think it would be responsible to place a cell phone in a bathroom? (I still don’t understand the sitter’s role in bathing a 6-year old.) Most bathrooms have a sink with some kind of vanity/counter, a toilet where the phone could be placed on the seat or the tank, maybe a shelv or 2 or a hamper, the floor, and the tub.
It seems to me that if there was a reason for the sitter to have the phone in the bathroom, it could safely be in the sitter’s pocket, or on the vanity - as far from the tub as possible. Unless this kid is elasticman, there had to be surfaces where the phone could be placed where it would be relatively safe. If she put her phone on the edge of the tub, or even on the floor right next to the tub, well, I don’t know how to say this really nicely, but IMO that was really stupid.
Or is there some reason a 17-year old is not supposed to think about the fact that expensive electronic gadgets might get damaged if they get wet, and take appropriate precautions?
I wouldn’t want it in my pocket. All it takes is one good splash from the kid and your phone is soaked.
If what had happened was that the phone got splashed, or fell into the water, that would be relevant. But what happened is that the (and once again, six year old, NOT two year old) kid grabbed the phone and dropped it in the water.
A. The babysitter is not my kid. Teaching her a lesson isn’t my job. I think the mere incident itself is a better teacher than anything I can add to it.
B. The key phrase in the OP for me is this: “The kid picks up the babysitter’s cell phone…”
That’s it, that’s all I need to hear. The kid (mine) picks up the cell phone (not hers) and something bad happens to it. Therefore the kid (and, since she’s a minor, me) is responsible for replacing it. That’s it. Simple.
My having the child do chores to pay for the phone isn’t a “punishment” because she was bad or evil - it’s offering her the means (a “job”) to do the right thing - pay for what she damaged, intentionally or not. Otherwise, where is a 6 year old going to get the money to pay for what she damaged?
If you leave your cellphone on the bus seat between us and I pick it up and throw it out the window, would you expect me to buy you another phone? I would. Should you have kept your phone secure? Of course, but that doesn’t mean I’m not responsible for picking it up and allowing it to be damaged.
I agree that they should pay for the phone, or at least half.
For those that think she should not have a cell phone on her at all while babysitting, that is a rule that should be made clear from the start. If I don’t want a babysitter using her cell phone in my house then I need to make that known to her, not just assume she won’t use one. If that was in fact a known rule, and she was not supposed to have the phone on her or in the bathroom, then she is totally responsible for it. I don’t think that’s what happened here.
Where was the phone when it was grabbed? A six year old sitting in the tub can’t reach up and grab a phone from the vanity. And if the six year old got out of the tub, grabbed the phone, and got back into the tub, it isn’t an accident, and yes, the kid is responsible.
I agree with the parents paying for the phone crowd, but would also understand going 50/50 on it.
As far as why the cell wasn’t in her pocket, maybe she was wearing a skirt or some other article of clothing which had no pockets? I know the fashion is for tight jeans so maybe the pockets were either fake or too tight to get the phone into.
As far as keeping it on the sink or something, maybe she was playing a game on it and needed to set it down to help the child, who then grabbed it?
There’s a lot of potential factors that could change how much each party is at fault.
Lastly, as far as running two rooms over to grab the phone to call 911; what if the kid fell and gouged out an eye or sliced themselves wide open on a toy or something? If it were my kid I would want the sitter right next to that kid 100% of the time after the accident until the paramedics showed up, which means using her cell to call 911. I mean, what if the operator needed to instruct her on how to do a procedure and her cell had a speaker and the house phone didn’t?
Just my $.02 
True, but the kid was in the tub, and if the phone was close enough for the kid to grab, it was too damn close to the tub. Close enough to be knocked in, or splashed on, or grabbed by a kid. In this particular case, it was the kid, but it could just as well have been one of the other scenarios. And it goes back to the notion that a 17-year old ought to have enough sense not to leave a phone in such a vulnerable spot. Compounded by the facts that there were any number of safe places to set it in the room, and that the phone didn’t even have to be in there.
Was the kid wrong? Sure. Does that absolve the sitter of any responsibility to be more thoughtful and careful with her possessions? No. When you’re in charge of kids, you need to be mindful of how they can act. So yes, it’s partially about the kid’s behavior, but it’s also about the sitter’s behavior.
I don’t care. (Yes, I know you asked DianaG, not me.) It doesn’t matter where the kid grabbed it from, she took (“grabbed” has an even more negative connotation than anything the OP stated) an item that didn’t belong to her and that she did not have permission to take. As such, she is responsible for any intentional or accidental damage caused to it. (If she was given it, she’d only be responsible for intentional damage, IMHO.)
I almost feel like I’m Godwinizing the thread here, but on a teeny-tiny scale, this is much the same as a drunk woman wearing a miniskirt to a frat party. Yep, it’s not the best decision, and I might go so far as to say she’s stupid for doing it, but it’s STILL not her fault when someone grabs her and rapes her. It wouldn’t even be her fault if someone grabbed her and accidentally fell into her vagina.
Just because the girl made it easy doesn’t mean the guilty party isn’t guilty.