I'm currently studying for some exams and I never leave my materials out when my daughter is around. Today I was studying while my mother-in-law watched my daughter (husband is working).

I needed a shower because we were going out for lunch so I put my study materials on the kitchen table pushed to the centre. Usually, I put them in my husband's office but today he was working from home and I couldn't. The centre of the table is not a place my daughter (14 months) can reach. She's also constantly supervised so realistically even if she did reach them because she'd somehow climbed up on a chair and grabbed them, you'd redirect her before she actually got to them.

I was going to get a shower. The table is upstairs. My daughter was downstairs with my mother-in-law (in her playroom) because I was studying upstairs. There was no reason for her to come upstairs, and a baby gate downstairs prevents her from even going up the stairs alone.

I got out of the shower and could hear my daughter upstairs. My mother-in-law then tells me "You need to put away anything you don't want ruined. She took your pens and highlighters and coloured all over your notes and textbook."

My notes are destroyed. My textbook has ripped pages and several destroyed pages. I said, "So were you not supervising her or ... Like what happened that led to this?"

My mother-in-law said "What happened was you have a 14 month old and you left these things in her reach. She doesn't know any better."

I said, "But you do and you were supposed to be watching her."

She said "well I guess you learned your lesson didn't you?"

I told her no, she was supposed to be watching her. What happened? She just maintains that this is my fault and she just stood by to make sure my daughter was safe while I "learned my lesson".

Yes, I should have locked these away in my husband's office but he was working and I didn't want to disturb him. However, she did nothing to prevent this and didn't redirect my daughter.

Also, I have a hard time believing that a 14 month old unzipped a pencil case, took the lids off of highlighters, opened a textbook AND notebook, and did the damage.

My husband is on the fence but I told him at the end of the day, his mom should have been watching her and the fact that she let this happen is unacceptable.

So... Vindictive or am I at fault?

@Jess: my husband is on the fence because this wouldn't have happened if I'd put my materials in our bedroom or in his office. He says he wasn't busy and I should have just put them in his office. He also agrees that his mom should have never allowed our daughter to do this either, but it wouldn't have happened if I'd put it away