Person Refuses To Babysit Their Nephew Angering Their Family For Ruining Their Day

Mar 21, 2023 by apost team

When it comes to raising children, it's safe to say that every parent needs a little help at some point or another. In dire instances where parents could not bring their child somewhere, they could ask someone trusted, like a family member or a professional babysitter, to do so. 

In the case of Reddit user @ayumi_doll, babysitting their nephew isn’t a problem as long as they do it at their sister’s house. However, one encounter in March 2023 left the 26-year-old Redditor, who uses they/them pronouns, wondering if they were in the wrong after they were forced to babysit their nephew in their own home despite their continuous refusal. 

“The other day, my sister messaged me that she, BIL, and kid were on the way to my apartment. A bit out of the blue, but maybe they're headed somewhere and stopping by to say hi. However, when I answered my door, my sister began hurriedly explaining that they need someone to watch the kid while they go to their doctor's appointments and I'm their only option,” they explained. 

The Original Poster (OP) listed four of the reasons why they could not accommodate their nephew in the first place, all of which their sister knew about. 

OP is a self-employed work-from-home employee who juggles three clients and jobs all at the same time with time-sensitive deadlines. They also pointed out that they were diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), which makes them hyperfocus while working. Furthermore, they had just started to recover from an infection, and additionally, OP’s house is also not childproofed. 

When asked why their parents, the child’s grandparents, could not look out for the child, it was revealed that they “needed a break” from babysitting, so they could catch up on watching Netflix.

OP gave their sister a lot of alternatives aside from them, but she brushed them off. Cornered with the daunting task, OP decided to drive to their parents’ home, which they said was better equipped to house the child. 

“They were NOT happy when I showed up with nephew but I said I had work, was still sick, and their house is much better equipped for a 2-year-old than my place. My mom sorta made a face and huffed but took my nephew. I went back home to work,” OP furthered. 

However, later that same day, OP’s sister sent a flurry of angry messages about what they did, even calling them “irresponsible” and slamming them for “inconveniencing” their parents. Their sister even blatantly said that they could have sacrificed a few hours. Apart from this, OP also received messages from their BIL and their parents, whose day was “ruined” because of what they did. 

Feeling guilty, OP asked the AITA thread on Reddit if they were wrong for doing what they did, but it seemed like the consensus in the comments was the other way around. 

“You don't need to apologize to anyone. This was not an emergency. Your sister knew exactly what she was doing. Your parents are likely upset because she has been abusing their help. While they are understandably upset, they should be upset with your sister, not you,” a user pointed out. 

“NTA poor planning and extreme entitlement on their part does not mean you should drop everything and serve them,” another Redditor said. 

“No is a complete sentence. Don't open your door when they "surprise" visit. I truly dislike people/relatives who think that they are entitled to your time or money,” someone shared. 

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What do you think about OP’s dilemma? What would you have done if you were in their position? Do you think they deserved the reaction they received from their family? Let us know, and pass this on to your friends and family to find out their reactions too!