Redditor Gets Labelled As 'Ungrateful' And 'Rude' By Sister Over Her Decision To End Cheap Babysitting Services

Take your $100 somewhere else.

Jesse

• Published in Interesting
• September 21, 2023

Child care is by no means a simple undertaking. Parents should compensate babysitters well for their time since it requires patience, compassion, and a keen sense of observation. 

Unfortunately, this isn’t often the case because babysitting is not as valued as it should be. In fact, many parents opt for relatives whom they offer little or nothing to care for their kids day in - day out.

We found one Redditor (OP) who can relate to this all too well. OP shared on the AITA subreddit that they got stuck as the babysitter for their sister’s two kids against their will. 

Although they didn't mind helping their sister here and there, they weren't prepared to make this an everyday arrangement.

According to OP, their sister had wiggled babysitting into their daily schedule and didn’t care that it affected their education. Instead, she would pay OP a meager $100 per week for their troubles, which wasn’t enough to do anything meaningful.

OP finally got a job, but their sister wouldn’t stop trying to convince them not to take it. Apparently, she argued that the job would distract OP from their education, but it was all a ploy to get them to stick around for more babysitting duties.

In the heat of the argument, OP got fed up with their sister’s selfishness and yelled at her to get a babysitter. 

This led to OP’s sister accusing them of being ungrateful and rude. Now, OP can't help but wonder if their anger is justified or if their sister has a point.

Scroll down to see the final verdict.

The story in detail

A little background

Now OP has found a job but their sister is insisting they focus more on catering to her kids

Here’s what the Reddit community had to say about this story:

“You need to concentrate on you, and your future. You are not dirt cheap child care.”

“She's trying to discourage your growth, so she can have cheap childcare.“

“NTA, she wants cheap child care from you and those kids are her responsibility, not yours.“

“You deserve a life filled with studies and your own job-not being a second mom to 2 kids that are not yours.”

“NTA…Set your boundaries and look out for you.“

“NTA. She made the decision to have children, not you.”

“I also have two kids and I could never imagine asking my younger sister to watch my kids full time all week.”

“NTA. As the parent, your sister is responsible for taking care of them.”

“NTA - You are in a free hiring market and her compensation is woefully insulting.”

Nothing is more comforting to a working mother than knowing her kids are in safe hands. So it’s easy to understand why OP’s sister was comfortable leaving her kids in their care.

However, the commenters are not impressed by the poor compensation that OP is getting for sacrificing their time and energy. They further advised OP to remain firm in their decision, as their sister has been taking advantage of them.

We'd love to get your thoughts on this story. Join the conversation in the comments.

Jesse