AITAH for telling a lady she should reimburse the shop for all the coffees her grandkid spilt?

A person on Reddit recounted an annoying situation at a packed café. A small child was dashing about and throwing a ball, which led to multiple coffees being spilled, creating a chaotic scene and wasting the beverages. Even though the employees asked the child to settle down several times, the grandmother was engrossed in her phone and paid no attention.

Following the coffee mishap, the Reddit user proposed the grandmother cover the cost of the damaged beverages. This sparked a heated exchange, ending with the grandmother rejecting the idea and storming off. The Reddit user is now questioning whether they were wrong to request the grandmother compensate for the accident her grandchild caused. Check out the complete account of the incident below!

‘ AITAH for telling a lady she should reimburse the shop for all the coffees her grandkid spilt?’

I visited the local mall early yesterday to grab coffee and breakfast for my partner and I (we’re relocating and the coffee at our motel is terrible). The coffee shop was packed, nearly all the tables were occupied, and there were at least 10 people ahead of me waiting for their orders.

There was also a woman and her grandson awaiting their takeout order. The child, probably between 8 and 10 years old, was dashing around and creating a ruckus with a football. He was obstructing the employees who were simply trying to work. He nearly caused a waitress to drop the food she was delivering to customers on multiple occasions.

The coffee shop’s workers repeatedly asked the child to sit and quit tossing the ball. His grandma was simply browsing on her phone, paying no attention to him or the staff’s requests for him to stop being a nuisance.

TheRealOGBob

So this child proceeds to throw a ball, apparently aiming for it to rebound off the counter where the barista was working hard to efficiently prepare numerous coffees. Regrettably, there were approximately eight or more coffees sitting on the counter, ready to be delivered to tables or collected by customers for takeaway, mine among them. The child’s aim was off, and the ball collided with nearly all the coffees on the counter, sending coffee splattering in all directions, and shattering the cups and saucers that were waiting to be served. The child found it amusing and started laughing. His grandmother joined in the laughter.

We all glared at grandma, a mix of shock and anger on our faces. She glanced up from her phone, gave a dismissive shrug, and uttered her usual phrase, “kids will be kids.” I retorted that using “kids will be kids” is simply a way to justify terrible parenting, and now the shop is short on funds because she wasn’t watching the child she was supposed to be supervising. I added that the appropriate action would be to compensate the shop for the coffees her grandchild spilled.

She simply rolled her eyes, returning her attention to her phone. Other patrons expressed the opinion that she should compensate the coffee shop. One man was particularly adamant and irritated about the situation, likely due to caffeine withdrawal. She then began yelling, cursing at everyone, and left with her child, declaring that she only wanted a coffee. I can relate, but she and her grandchild ruined my coffees before I could get them from the counter. So, am I in the wrong?

Here’s what Redditors had to say:

Secret_Sister_Sarah −  NTA. People like her should be banned from public places. If I had been there, I’d have filmed her little tirade and Karen’d her.

BlueGreen_1956 −  The store should have called the cops and them both removed after telling them ONE TIME to stop.

Ok-One-9817 −  NTA. She should have paid of the spilt coffees. She is responsible for the child’s behavior.

VirtualMatter2 −  I’m pretty sure here in Germany they would. 1 have kicked her out before this happened. 2 if it happens actually made her pay for the coffee. Kids will be kids isn’t really an excuse here. Parents are liable for their kids here and pay for damages. 

DangerousAd1986 −  NTA that disgusting behavior! The coffee shop should have pressed charges. That could have seriously hurt someone of that hot coffee hit someone.

You_Sick_Duck −  NTA. That’s crazy! I can feel the frustration radiating from your post. It sounds like the kid was being a handful, and grandma was totally checked out. I get why you’d call her out on it – “kids will be kids” isn’t an excuse for not supervising your child, especially when they’re causing chaos and damage.

Your response came across as rather harsh, but given the context, it appears warranted. The child’s behavior led to considerable disruption and monetary damages for the store. It’s understandable to anticipate the grandmother accepting accountability and proposing to compensate the business.

The fact that other customers agreed with you and grandma overreacted by screeching and storming off says a lot. It’s not like you were being overly aggressive or unreasonable. You were just stating the obvious – that her grandkid’s actions had consequences, and someone should take responsibility. What do you think would have happened if grandma had just apologized and offered to pay for the damaged coffees? Would the situation have been diffused, or was she always going to be defensive?

Trin_42 −  I would’ve put my foot into the back of that kids knee to make him go down to the floor.

Strength_and_wonder −  Honestly thank you and others for speaking out and highlighting her and the kids behaviour!