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The original was posted on /r/AmItheAsshole by /u/InternalSurround5317 on 2023-08-10 13:24:09.
I (32F) am an artist and I recently had one of the biggest commissions of my career - a large mural for a local business. It took me weeks of planning and about 10 days of actual painting. I stored the final sketches and painted samples in my home office.
Last weekend, my sister (36F) and her family came over for a visit. She has a 6-year-old son, Ethan. While we were chatting in the living room, Ethan went off to play. A little while later, I walked into my office to find Ethan had found my watercolors and decided to “add” to my sketches and painted samples. He essentially ruined weeks of work.
I was furious and immediately asked my sister to supervise her child more closely. My sister apologized, but when I mentioned she needed to cover the damages and the cost to redo the work, she scoffed and said it was “just a drawing” and that kids will be kids.
The business was expecting the mural installation in less than a week. I had to work around the clock to redo everything. It cost me sleep, extra materials, and a rush fee to get some supplies delivered ASAP.
My sister is now angry with me for sending her an invoice for the damages and we haven’t spoken in days. My family is divided - some say I’m right for wanting to be compensated, while others think I’m being too harsh on a child’s innocent mistake.