AITA for wanting my sister to pay me back for the cans her kids stole from my shed?

Picture a guy trudging home from work, dreaming of a cold soda, only to spot his shed door swinging wide, its padlock smashed to bits! Inside, bags of soda cans—his stash for a $200 bottle drop payout—gone, along with tools, a gas can, and a machete. Heart sinking, he checks his security cameras: three nephews, hammer in hand, raiding his stuff like pint-sized pirates, hauling it off in stolen shopping carts. This wasn’t their first grab-and-go either.

Fuming, he storms to his sister’s place, footage in tow, forcing her and her husband to face the truth. The tools return, but the can cash? Spent on games and junk food. Demanding his $200 back, he’s met with excuses and anger—how dare he, when they’re broke? With phones buzzing and a nephew’s taunting middle finger, he’s at a crossroads: forgive or fight? Let’s dive into this family fracas!

‘AITA for wanting my sister to pay me back for the cans her kids stole from my shed?’

This tale of betrayal and broken locks crackles with theft, defiance, and a fed-up uncle’s stand. Here’s the original Reddit post, spilling the gritty details of this shed-stealing showdown:

This happened yesterday. When I came home from work I noticed my shed door was open and the padlock that I used to keep it shut was broken. And I had a LOT of bags full of soda cans in there. I tend to drink a lot of soda, so I've built up a lot of cans. And I was going to cash them in at the bottle drop soon. There was more than just my cans missing from the shed too.

I was missing some gardening tools, a machete, and a gas can. I went to check my security cameras and early in the morning right after I left for work I saw my three nephews break into my shed using a hammer to smash the lock, and taking the cans, as well as the other stuff. I called my sister and she and her husband denied their kids did it.

Till I showed up at their house with the footage from my cameras. They were furious with their kids for robbing me and skipping school to do it. I got the other stuff back. (The gas can was emptied though) But they'd already cashed all of the cans. I wanted the money from the cans and my nephews had already spent it all on video games and junk food.

I demanded to know how much they got from the cans and it was nearly $200. I told my sister she now owes me over $200 for the cans and the broken padlock. My sister and BIL went from being angry at their kids to making excuses for them, and then being angry at me for wanting that money back when I know they have three kids and a mortgage.

I said it was either that or I go to the police and press charges. They told me to get out, and I said they have two days to decide how to pay me back before I go to the cops. My nephews are thieves and have stolen from me before. That's why I got the cameras.

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What my nephews did was most definitely wrong. But I also know my sister and BIL can't really afford to pay me back. And they're blowing up my phone and calling me heartless for giving them the ultimatum when I know they are nearly broke after the holidays.. AITA for doing that?

The OP’s dropped an update on the saga—curious? Click here to check it out!

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This soda can caper pops with audacity—nephews raiding an uncle’s shed, swiping $200 in cans and tools, then flipping him off! He demands repayment, but sister and brother-in-law dodge, blaming him for “tempting” their kids. Filing a police report, backed by camera proof, he’s done playing nice.

The kids’ spree—machete included—screams unchecked behavior, while parents’ excuses enable it. He’s out cash and trust, pushed to the edge by a taunting photo. Family theft stings extra hard! A 2023 FBI report notes juvenile property crimes spiked 15% post-COVID, often tied to lax parenting (Source). These nephews need a wake-up call, not a free pass.

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Psychologist Dr. John Duffy says, “Consequences shape accountability; shielding kids breeds entitlement” (Source). Duffy’s take nails it—uncle’s report might jolt the kids straight, saving worse trouble later. Sister could sell their games, set a payment plan.

Here’s the input from the Reddit crowd:

The Reddit posse rolled in like a vigilante crew, tossing fiery takes and a dash of sass—here’s the sharpest from the mob, served with a cheeky nudge:

ILikeSealsALot − NTA. Though I do think your nephews should be held responsible for paying you back - sell the video games they got, or return them. If they are old enough to steal, they are old enough to sell some of their stuff to pay you back for their behaviour.

Though of course, your BIL and sister should have expected that you'd want to be reimbursed and they have no right to get angry at you, if their children are actual criminals. I feel like, depending on the justice system, their ages and the consequences, a report may be the best outcome. What they stole honestly sounds dangerous in kids hands and they really planned this.

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Glittercorn111 − NTA. Have the kids sell their games and other property, or go work for you to pay it off. Little shits.

pookguyinc − NTA- Please call the cops to teach them a lesson.

God-Of-Tacos − NTA. Who cares if they can't afford to pay you all of it at once? They can pay you back ten bucks a week until it's paid off.. I would have personally still called the police.

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[Reddit User] − 'My nephews are thieves and have stolen from me before. That's why I got the cameras' This right here. Your sister and BIL should be making the kids do whatever needs doing to pay you back. You are owed restitution. Going to the police is unfortunate, but apparently no one in their family is taking this seriously.

If it had been my kid, I'd have taken the games back to wherever they were purchased and see if I could get a refund or take their stuff to GameStop or eBay and sell it, or make our kid work for the money and pay you back over a period of time. Lawns always need mowing, snow shoveled, etc. Expecting you to just suck it up makes your sis and BIL totally Assholes along with their kids you, however, NTA.

fruskydekke − 'Am I the a**hole for reporting a theft?' Listen to yourself! Of course you're NTA, and you might even be doing the kids a service, long term - they need to learn they can't get away with this sort of thing before they escalate to bigger crimes.

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Fit-Distribution-252 − Nta. Actions have consequences and they need to learn them.

Most_Disaster_79 − NTA they can sell the crap their kids bought and give you the remaining if it’s not enough.

laughingsbetter − NTA- please stick to your word. If they do not pay you back, call the police. You may want to have the boys trespassed from your property. If the parents do not pay, take them to small claims. They should be putting more effort into raising their sons right.

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SpookyGirl0123 − NTA. If you don’t take these steps, your nephews will think they got away with it and do worse in the future. Your sister and BIL’s lack of money should not impact this at all. Your sister could return the video games or sell them at a pawn shop, and your nephews could work for you doing things like lawn work until their debt is paid. You are not heartless. You are teaching your nephews a life lesson.

These Reddit rants fizz like a shaken soda, but do they pop the truth? Was uncle’s cop call justice, or too harsh?

From a smashed shed lock to a nephew’s sneering middle finger, this saga bubbles with theft, family feuds, and an uncle’s last straw. He fought for his $200, facing down excuses and taunts, landing at the police station with proof in hand. Sister’s pleas of poverty didn’t sway him—past thefts and fake apologies sealed the deal. Was his stand a righteous fizz or a family fracture? The cans are gone, but the lesson lingers. What would you do if you found yourself in a similar situation? Drop your thoughts, quips, or family feud fixes in the comments—let’s pour out this drama together!

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OP has new update:

UPDATE: Well I went to the police. I tried to work with my sister and BIL when I called them this morning because I didn't want to wait till after they were done with work to speak with them. Not only did they refuse any sort of suggested way of repaying me, they actually said that it was my fault for having the cans there to begin with.

They said I tempted my nephews with the money. I was enraged and said I was done with them. Then they started blowing up my phone all over again. My eldest nephew sent me a picture of him holding a soda can and giving me the finger. So that was it. I went to the police station and filed the report.

Gave them a copy of the video footage of my nephews stealing from my shed. I gave them the broken lock they smashed. Showed them all of the texts, which were screen-shotted and also given as evidence. Hell, I even gave them the photo my eldest nephew sent me of him flipping me off. I don't know if my nephews have been arrested yet.

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But I'm assured they will be. Perhaps some community service will change their attitudes. I did tell police that I found it worrisome that my nephews had taken the machete. But it was as I thought. They classified it as a tool. Especially since they took a lot of other actual tools.

Other than the machete, they also some gardening shears, a steel rake, two shovels (One of them being one of those folding camping ones), a full two gallon gas can, a cheap power drill I got for like $5 used, an electric hedge trimmer, and a small electric chainsaw that was also used.

They didn't touch the lawn mower, weed wacker, extension cords, or the old radio I had in there. No idea why they took what they did. But I guess they figured they could resell them or something. But I got all of that back, minus the gas that was in the gas can. No idea what they used it for. But it was old gas anyway. After they first broke into my shed, they took what they could by hand.

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And then they came back with some shopping carts that I'm guessing they also stole. But it took them a few trips to get all of the cans. And they didn't bother to even try and close the door when they were done. Either way though my nephews are now in trouble for trespassing, larceny and harassment. I'm sure either today or tomorrow my phone is gonna be blowing up like mad when the cops come for those kids.

But I said it was my hill to die on, and I meant it. I don't even care if I get the money back now. They had their chance. I've already replaced the lock on the shed with a much stronger one. And the machete will no longer be kept in the shed. I've also talked to a few of my neighbors about what happened. They told me cans have actually been going missing around the neighborhood lately.

If anybody had a bag of cans sitting out, it'd get stolen. Can't say if my nephews were the culprits. But if they were, then they've been doing this for months. I've also spoken with my relatives. And they're fed up with my sister and BIL too. So they're all on my side at least. Which is good to know. I was worried they'd turn on me since I filed the police report.

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But no, I just got a lot of 'Good for you' and 'It's about damn time those kids faced some justice'. I wasn't the only one in the family they stole from. Many in the comments tried to say I should offer that my nephews work off the $200. There's no way I was going to do that. The little shits hate doing any work they don't want to do.

And will just stand around griping and acting like the world is against them. And they'd have to be supervised the entire time. Which is another thing I don't want to do. Plus, I banned them from my house for good reason. The thefts started with food and snacks. And then went on to DVDs and video games. That made me start putting my initials on cases and discs with permanent markers.

So I was able to show when my nephews had taken something of mine. They tried the 'Oh he let us borrow them' excuse a few times. But I always called b**lshit. And then made them return the stuff they took. Which they always acted like I was a jerk for doing. And then when they were made to apologize to me each time, they were the fakest apologies I've ever heard.

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The final straw that banned my nephews from my house was when they used the spare hidden key to my house to get in and stole three six packs of my favorite blood orange beer from my fridge, along with raiding my kitchen for anything else they wanted. One of them took a dump in my bathroom and not only didn't flush, put also intentionally pissed on the floor.

They tried to say it wasn't them. But I knew it was. The beer they stole was even hidden in their room. My sister and BIL barely punished them and basically gave me an equivalent to 'Boys will be boys'. Then berated me when I said they and their kids were no longer welcome at my home ever again.

And that's all why I got the cameras. When I had them installed I told no one. Which was a very smart idea because my nephews had no idea they were there when they broke into my shed. Guess I was their easiest target. When I can afford it, I plan to get more cameras inside my house too.

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