“Just be gentle with it, that’s all I’m asking.”

The boys raced upstairs, and I could hear them setting up in Wesley’s room.

Meredith and I stayed downstairs, cleaning up the party mess and making small talk.

Everything seemed fine for about 30 minutes, until a loud crash echoed from upstairs.

Before I could process it, Wesley came running down the hall, sobbing so hard he could barely breathe.

“Mom! Mom!” he cried, his face red and streaked with tears.

“Sweetheart, what happened?” I asked, my eyes wide. “What’s wrong?”

He couldn’t speak through his sobs, just pointed upstairs with a trembling hand.

The heartbreak on his face told me everything. Something awful had happened to his birthday gift.

I rushed upstairs, my heart pounding, and what I saw at the bottom of the staircase made my blood boil. Scattered across the hardwood floor were the shattered pieces of Wesley’s brand-new gaming system. The console was destroyed, the screen cracked into a spiderweb.

I spun around and saw Seth at the top of the stairs, looking smug, not sorry. He was grinning like he’d just pulled off a brilliant prank.

“Did you do this?” I asked, my voice shaking.

Seth shrugged and laughed. “Yeah, so what? I saw this TikTok where a guy throws a console down the stairs, and it was hilarious. I wanted to try it.”

I stared at him, stunned. “You destroyed your cousin’s birthday gift for a TikTok video?”

“It’s not a big deal,” Seth said, still smirking. “It’s just a dumb kid’s toy. Wesley will get over it.”

That’s when I called Meredith upstairs.

She took one look at the wreckage and sighed, like it was a minor inconvenience.

“Meredith, your son just destroyed Wesley’s birthday gift,” I said, struggling to keep my voice steady. “That console cost me $500. I expect you to replace it.”

She looked at me like I’d asked for a private jet. “Are you serious, Camille? Boys will be boys. You shouldn’t have let them play upstairs alone if you were so worried about it breaking. That’s on you for not watching them better.”

“Excuse me?” I stared, incredulous. “Seth deliberately threw a $500 console down the stairs, and you’re blaming me for not supervising closely enough?”

“Look, your son will get over it,” Meredith said with that dismissive wave she always uses. “It’s really not that big a deal. Kids break stuff all the time.”

“Yeah, Aunt Camille, why are you freaking out?” Seth chimed in. “It’s just a stupid toy. Wesley’s being a crybaby.”

Seeing my son on the floor, desperately trying to piece together the broken fragments of his gift while tears streamed down his face, I knew I couldn’t let this slide.

This wasn’t just about a gaming system. It was about respect, accountability, and teaching them that actions have consequences.

I didn’t say another word to them.

Instead, I walked to my bedroom closet with calm determination and pulled out the wrapped box I’d saved for Seth’s birthday.

My hands were steady as I ripped off the colorful wrapping paper in front of them, revealing the identical gaming system inside.

“Here you go, sweetheart,” I said to Wesley, my voice warm and loving. “Take this up to your room and set it up however you want.”

Wesley’s tear-streaked face lit up with shock, then joy. He hugged me so tightly I could barely breathe, whispering “thank you” over and over into my shoulder. Watching him carry his replacement gift upstairs, treating it like treasure, warmed my heart even as the storm brewed behind me.

“Wait!” Meredith shouted. “That’s Seth’s birthday present, isn’t it? What are you doing?”

I turned to her, feeling calmer than I had all day. “Not anymore. Since Seth thinks gaming systems are dumb kid’s toys, I figured he wouldn’t want one for his birthday anyway.”

Seth’s smug grin vanished. “What? No! That’s mine! You can’t just take my present! That’s stealing!”

“I’m not taking anything from you, Seth,” I said evenly. “You destroyed yours when you threw it down my stairs.”

“That wasn’t mine! That was Wesley’s!” Seth’s voice grew high and panicked.

“And now Wesley has a replacement, and you have exactly what you deserve for your actions,” I replied.

“You can’t be serious, Camille,” Meredith cut in. “You’re punishing my son over an accident!”

“An accident?” I nearly laughed. “Seth just admitted he did it on purpose for a TikTok video. There was nothing accidental about this.”

“He’s 13! He doesn’t get the value of money yet!” Meredith protested.

“Then maybe it’s time he learned,” I said. “And maybe it’s time you stopped making excuses for him.”

Seth tried a new tactic, his voice suddenly soft and innocent. “Aunt Camille, I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt Wesley’s feelings. Can I please have my birthday present back?”

“Sorry doesn’t fix broken gaming systems, Seth. Sorry doesn’t give back the months I spent saving that money. And sorry doesn’t undo the fact that you laughed about hurting your cousin.”

Meredith grabbed Seth’s arm and yanked him toward the front door. “We’re leaving. This is outrageous. You’ve lost your mind over a toy.”

“You’re welcome to leave,” I said, following them to the door. “But Seth’s not getting that console.”

As they reached the doorway, Seth spun around. “I hate you! You’re the worst aunt ever! I’m gonna tell everyone what you did!”

“Go ahead,” I replied calmly. “Tell them exactly what happened. Tell them you destroyed your cousin’s birthday gift for fun.”

The door slammed so hard it rattled the frame, setting off the neighbor’s dog.

Within an hour, my phone was buzzing with messages from relatives. Text after text poured in, each one more accusing than the last.

“You ruined Seth’s birthday completely.”

“How could you be so harsh to a child?”

“Buy him another console and apologize.”

“Meredith is heartbroken and crying because of you.”

But as I read message after message calling me wrong, I felt something new when it came to my family. I felt proud. For the first time, I’d stood up for what was right instead of just keeping the peace.

Seth is 13, not three.

He knew exactly what he was doing when he destroyed that console. He did it on purpose, laughed about it, and showed no remorse. My sister wasn’t going to teach him that actions have consequences, so I did.