Uncle lets 7-year-old nephew play with his Nintendo Switch, only to be met with mom's demands to give him the console for good, uncle refuses: ‘It's my hard-earned property’

Author image for Bar Mor Hazut
Bar Mor Hazut • Senior Editor
Jan 21, 2026 2:00 PM EST

Every aunt or uncle is used to their homes becoming a playground whenever their nieces and nephews come to visit.

They will go around your house, pick up everything that catches their eyes, and create a whole game around random objects you would prefer if they left alone. Sometimes they might look at you with their tiny little puppy eyes and ask to keep a trinket or two, but you have no obligation to agree, as everything in your house is your property. That way, at the end of their visit, you can put everything back where it was and move on.

That being said, sometimes the things you have around your house are more valuable to you than random trinkets and are much more appealing to a curious 7-year-old. Someone with a love for LEGO, for example, would probably prefer keeping kids as far away from their valuable collection, and any uncle with a gaming console should be prepared for an evening of non-stop gaming if their nephew is coming to visit.

Still, that doesn't mean the kids get to keep anything after they return home, right?

The mom in the story below seems to think differently. Since she and her husband are not doing great financially, she thought her brother would have no problem with giving her 7-year-old son his Nintendo Switch after their visit. The brother, the kid's uncle, on the other hand, was confused by this demand. Even though he enjoyed seeing his nephew playing with the Switch, he still didn't want to just give it away; this console is his property, something he worked really hard to afford, and he doesn't want to just give it away. He knows his sister cannot buy her son a new one, but that still doesn't mean it's his responsibility to provide the kid with a Nintendo Switch of his own. 

After the uncle refused to let his nephew keep the console, the kid's mom started throwing accusations around, claiming her brother shouldn't hold on to an item that's just "collecting dust" and that he should do something nice for his nephew.

Who do you think should keep the Nintendo Switch? Scroll down to read the full story and let us know.

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  • Person holding a Nintendo Switch console
    via Alvaro Reyes

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • AITA for not giving my sister my old game console even tho she really wants it for her kid?

    kay so this is kinda dumb but its causing a huge fight. I have an original Nintendo Switch I bought like the year it came out.
    via Time-Estate3774
  • Its not even the cool new OLED one. But its special to me cause i saved up for it working a shitty part time job in college and me and my old roommates played smash and zelda on it for literally hundreds of hours.
    via Time-Estate3774
  • Its got stickers on it and the left joycon drifts a little but it works fine.
    via Time-Estate3774
  • I don't really use it much now since i have a PS5 but i keep it on a shelf in my office mostly for nostalgia.
    via Time-Estate3774
  • My sister (35f) has a 7 year old son, my nephew. He's a good kid. Her husband lost his job last year and things have been tight for them, which i know and i help out sometimes like buying the kid cool birthday gifts or taking them out for dinner.
    via Time-Estate3774
  • Last weekend they were over and my nephew saw the Switch. He got super excited and asked if he could play.
    via Time-Estate3774
  • I set it up and he loved Mario Kart. When they were leaving, he didn't want to stop playing and my sister jokingly said "maybe uncle will let you borrow it!" I just smiled kinda awkwardly and said "we'll see." Yesterday, my sister calls me.
    via Time-Estate3774
  • She says that her son hasn't stopped talking about the Switch and that it would mean the world to him, and since I don't use it, would I just give it to him?
    via Time-Estate3774
  • She said it would be a huge help for them financially because they can't afford to buy one and all his friends have them and he feels left out.
    via Time-Estate3774
  • I felt put on the spot. I told her I was really sorry, but I wasn't comfortable giving it away.
    via Time-Estate3774
  • I offered to let him borrow it for a couple weeks at a time whenever he wanted, or that I'd keep an eye out for a good used one for his birthday.
    via Time-Estate3774
  • a closeup of a Nintendo switch in the hands of a boy
    via 2K Studio

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • She got quiet and then kinda cold. She said "Its just a console, it's collecting dust.
    via Time-Estate3774
  • I thought you'd want to do something nice for your only nephew.
    via Time-Estate3774
  • Darkprotector88 Not the asshole. Its the same way some people keep a childhood item forever or a trophy they won as a memory. Be upfront, tell her that your not comfortable giving it away because its something that you worked hard for at a time when you didnt have much. Something you can look back on and go "When I had nothing I worked for this, of the same happens I know I can get through it, because I already did."
    via Darkprotector88
  • Time-Estate3774 Original Poster's Reply That's a fair, I guess I just feel guilty. He's a kid and they're struggling. Maybe I'm holding on too tight to an old thing. But it does mean something to me. I don't know if I'm right or wrong here. It's all just messy.
    via Time-Estate3774
  • Anonymotron42 NTA. It's not your job to "console" your nephew. It is your hard-earned property, and their lack of financial means does not entitle them to your things.
    via Anonymotron42
  • poesgirl17 NTA. The person trying to guilt you into giving up your stuff because they can't afford stuff of their own is TA. Your reasons for wanting to keep your stuff are your business and yours alone. You don't owe anyone any explanation nor should you reward their entitled actions.
    via poesgirl17
  • EeveeLover1334 Nta. I wouldn't let him borrow it. Its gonna end up broken or.missing
    via EeveeLover1334
  • Awkward_Meal2036 I gave a niece and nephew my XBox years ago. They played with it for about 2 weeks and sold it to another uncle. It was their plan all along.
    via Awkward_Meal2036
  • sbinjax NTA. The Switch can be the cool toy the kid gets to play with when they visit you. I understand your sister asking, but "no" is a complete sentence.
    via sbinjax
  • Subject-Can1138 Why is she insistent on it being your one when you said you would look out for one for him? Also with stick drift in some countries Nintendo offers free repairs no matter how old it is so you might be able to get that fixed
    via Subject-Can1138
  • Odd-End-1405 NTA Children need to understand that they cannot get everything they want when they want it. Harsh, but real life. Is BIL STILL not working? Sister needs to realize that her feelings about others properly or the value to the owner is irrelevant. It is YOUR property.
    via Odd-End-1405
  • Jacce76 NTA if it goes to his house it will never come back.
    via Jacce76

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Tags

nephews kids nintendo switch gift gamers uncle sister money nintendo children entitled people
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