[sea_dolphin111]

My cousin came over to visit us (she is only 6 years old). They live about 4 hours away from here and she cane over to our house after school one day. I let her use my phone to play games on it then when she was done she put it on the table then she accidentally knocked it off the table and my phone fell screen-first onto the hardwood floor. I picked it up and... my whole screen is cracked! Most people when they crack their phones they might have a small one or just a few scratches but mine is cracked really badly. My whole screen is ruined and I can no longer use my inner camera (meaning no more selfies) since it cracked and when you try to use the inner camera it doesn't work. My phone is also cracked really badly that small pieces of the screen are actually coming off. I know my cousin didn't mean to do this she did it by accident and when she knocked it off the table she actually said she was sorry and felt bad about it.

When I showed my parents my phone they yelled at me and telling me I'm not cautious about my own possessions and blaming it completely on me telling me it was my fault. Then they basically gave me like an hour lecture of "how expensive it is" or that "I'm not careful enough" and such I mean, I understand that phones cost hundreds of dollars and they had to work and pay for my phone I understand all of that but the thing is they're blaming it all on me and also how they are super angry about the situation. They are still mad at me even though its been 4 days they haven't gotton over about the fact that my phone broke and they tell me all the time how I'm not getting it fixed (which I kind of do understand since its expensive) but when my dads phone had a tiny crack he still got it repaired but when it comes to me I'm not even though my crack is 10x worse.

My phone is still usable (which is the good part) even though using it may give me scratches on my thumbs since its pretty sharp. But also I want to know how can I get my parents to calm down from this whole thing and forget about it? And if you know how to fix a cracked screen yourself for free please let me know! Some people say to use toothpaste or baking powder and stuff but I'm not sure if it works, it might. I just need to know how I can fix the screen myself at home.

[joypulv]

I can't tell you how to fix the screen. That's something you google.
I can tell you how to act with your parents. You go to them and say 'I was wrong for letting a 6 year old play with it, and I plan to babysit or mow lawns or walk dogs, or if you will let me, do some serious drudge chores around the house such as scouring the baseboards or other on the floor type work.'
You don't seem to get that you are responsible for your phone! If they let you drive their car in a few years, and you hit something, it's their fault. THEY let YOU the car, same as YOU let someone else use your phone. To me it's clear as day.
ALSO: You don't get to compare yourself to your dad. He worked to pay for his phone and can break it all he wants. Not you. And you don't make them 'calm down and forget about it.' They will calm down, but forget about it? Ask them how many hours of work it took to pay for it. There goes your new clothes and shoes next spring, a fund for a vacation, a loan paid down, and repair to the house. When you are paying for things, EVERYTHING, you will realize. You say you do, but you clearly don't. Get busy making amends.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

[CravenMorhead]

Honestly, Joy has it in one.

I have a REALLY young daughter who plays with my phone and my wife's phone, iPhone 5, They've got cases on them so we know that she won't do anything to them. Phones, like a lot of things, are very expensive and it probably cost 2-3% of your parents take home pay. That's a huge chunk. While this wasn't directly your fault it was your fault. It is your technology and you're responsible for it. If you left out steak on the floor of your kitchen and your dog ate it, whose fault is it? You're dog is responsible for the action, but you're responsible for putting him in the situation for it be eaten. So it is your fault that your phone got broken.

You're going to need to pony up the money to get it fixed. Whether it is saving your allowance, or mowing lawns, or shovelling snow, somehow you're going to need to fix it. That's up to you. What to do with your parents. Apologize to them. Explain what had happened and admit that you did something wrong. Start investigating options to fix your phone. Also start investigating cases for your phone, look at otterbox, they're good for that.

This was a unintentional test in personal responsibility and you're failing it. Take the hit on your pride, swallow it down, and talk to your parents about it. This will be one of the many times you;ll need to do this.

[Homegirl 50]

Good points jpypulv and CravenMorhead
You were responsible, own it and find something you can do to pay to have it fixed.