Uncle refuses to babysit for rambunctious nephews because they broke his $1500 television, brother refuses to pay or apologize

They say "kids will be kids," but that doesn't mean you have to take care of them for free.

You might love the kids in your life, but that doesn't mean you want them running around wrecking your stuff. Stuff that you worked hard to own. As a non-parent, you might be accustomed to the non-kid life. You have breakables in your home and haven't given one thought to childproofing. And that's your right to do. You don't have kids, so you don't need to secure your home for them. But what about the kiddos that come into your life, faster than a moving train? Maybe you're their aunt or uncle, or maybe they're the children of a friend. Either way, you suddenly have kids in your space where there once were none. And kids are nothing if not unpredictable. You never quite know their next move. 

You're probably happy to babysit the kids in your life who you love, and you might even do it for free. Someone you love is a parent, and you know they need all the help they can get, so you're happy to swoop in. They're doing a million things, and you can take some things off their plate for a time. You might even love the kids and relish spending time with them. Kids can be an immensely positive influence on your life. They can also break your expensive television set. Both things can be, and usually are true.