Money Moral Dilemma: Should I insist my friend pay for the ornaments she broke?

BethP

Expect you were both embarrassed when the accident happened.  I would ask her to replace both ornaments with the same or nearest equivalent

cobcob

I sooner lose an ornament or two than lose a good friend. I wouldn’t make a big deal of it. 
Its happened at mine and I played it down didn’t want to embarrass my friend who’s child broke an ornament. My friend however replaced with something similar as she felt so bad. Which wasn’t necessary. It’s a thing not important friendship first .  

keithyno.1

hello_petal said:

This was an accident and not something that your friend did on purpose. I would not risk ruining a good friendship over an ornament so I'd let it go.  People are more important than items.

The best answer yet so far. An ornament is exactly that i.e. an ornament. It serves no useful purpose other than sitting there to be looked at. It’s just a thing, an item, an inanimate object. A true friendship is priceless, and worth more than a thousand ornaments. You can buy as many ornaments as you want, but you can’t buy friendships - they have to be earned. You lose your friendship with this person over this, and you’ll live to regret it far more than the material and aesthetic loss of an object.

iyhr

If your friend hasn't offered to replace the ornament you are left in a NO WIN situation - say nothing and spoil the friendship by feeling resentful or say something and spoil the friendship. Either way, a "friend" would not place you in that position. Time to re-define the word "friend".

Marshie92

elizabethhull said:

A half-decent friend would immediately offer (as I did when my child broke a plate at a friend's house) to pay for a new one.
A half-decent friend would then (even if through gritted teeth) decline the offer, as my friend did, saying,
'It's only a plate. It's more important that you can be with us.'

Exactly what I would have said. She should have offered to replace them, even if she couldn't really afford to. Unfortunately, you should then decline. 

maisie_cat

It wouldn't even occur to me to ask for replacement given that it was an accident. Real friends are more important than ornaments. If you feel strongly it probably says more about you.

Abbafan1972

Managed to break 2 ornaments?  Clumsy mare!

Milie

This is a lesson not to prop cards up amongst ornaments. Someone is bound to break something eventually, you could well have done it yourself. Hang cards on a string in future or put the ornaments away when cards are on display. Stuff that breaks does get broken and accidents can happen even when you are generally pretty careful. That's life. People are more important than things and she didn't mean to do it.

naughtybetty

No accidents happen and friendship is worth far more than any ornament. Maybe the next time you’re both on holiday together she may try and replace it. 

pollypenny

Broken ornaments or broken friendship? 

Depends what is more important to you. I know what I'd choose - or should I say 'who'?