AITA for getting high so my relatives don’t try and pawn their children on me?
One person from Reddit shares their frustration with constantly being asked to babysit their nieces and nephews whenever the family gathers at their home. Tired of being the default childcare provider while others enjoy their time, they decided to get very high to avoid being roped into the task.
While their husband and in-laws are upset by the choice, they feel it was the only way to communicate that they value their free time. Was this an acceptable approach? Read the full story below…
‘ AITA for getting high so my relatives don’t try and pawn their children on me?’
I live in British Columbia and my family often hosts at our home because we live on a lake. However I seem to always get roped into watching the kids. Which means I don’t get to enjoy my life when we have guests. My husband will drink beer with his brother and dad and my MIL and SIL will go on winery visits and I end up at the house responsible for my nieces and nephews.
So last weekend I made sure I was high as f**k when they showed up. My husband and his brother had to watch the kids because I was in no condition. Their mom is pissed at me because she “trusts me to make better choices”. I told her that my free time is valuable and I wasn’t free child care.
My husband had already had a few so his brother had to stay sober, poor baby. My husband thinks I should have tried talking to them again for the fiftieth time instead of getting fucked up. I think they now know better than to not ask me if I even WANT to watch the kids.
Here’s the feedback from the Reddit community:
Tizzery − Nta. And your hubby is the biggest ah. He was just as happy with the previous scenario because he still got to drink and socialize while You were the one being held hostage to the expectation of forced babysitting duties. He didn’t even remain sober to help you watch his nieces and nephews. He held the exact same expectation as his family that
He could drink and schmooze while you chased the kids. And isn’t he such a great guy to bring a babysitter for the family. He got all the benefits and goodwill of doing the family a favour while you were stuck with the actual work of it. He should have put a stop to it from day 1 (and if he was the one who was stuck with the kids from the beginning he would have)
[Reddit User] − My husband thinks I should have tried talking to them again. This is HIS family, he should handle them, tell them you are not a free babysitter. NTA. You don’t have to get high to avoid babysitting, unless you just want to get high, lol.
Bipolar_Bear_84 − So everyone is allowed to enjoy their time except you? That makes perfect sense. NTA (And hello fellow British Columbian)
ETA: who knew a simple comment could bring together so many Canadians. Stay polite out there y’all.
LeadSea2100 − NTA – That’s p**s funny BTW, well played
[Reddit User] − Awwwww you weren’t sober and they wanted to join but couldn’t because they had to have one responsible adult, so sad…. Keep smoking. NTA
Sonadormarco − NtA. Good for you. Hitting the bird with one stone.
Sour_yell − NTA I couldn’t imagine going to someone’s house and leaving them by themselves to watch after my kids while I went out and had a good time with someone else who is visiting their home. If they offered, maybe for a few hours occasionally, but it sounds like it’s consistently longer than that on a regular basis.
Consistent-Leopard71 − NTA. They should start bringing a sitter or trading off which parent stays sober during each visit.
Powerful_Cause_14 − NTA. And for all the people saying “you can just say no” I’m certain this person has tried saying no and it hasn’t been respected. No is a full sentence but a lot of people ignore it and still hoist their responsibilities on you.
Sometimes the only way out is inebriation. It may not make sense to everyone, but plenty of people drink their way out of responsibilities, why is getting high so much more taboo? It’s healthier!
SenorRona − Madam you took the hight road.
Do you think the poster went too far with their strategy, or was this a reasonable response to a recurring issue? How would you have handled the situation? Share your thoughts below!