AITA for refusing to babysit while family goes on vacation?
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A 28-year-old woman learns a week before her family cruise that they assumed she would babysit her relatives’ young children while they go on vacation. Feeling left out and unappreciated, she declines to babysit and instead takes a vacation with her boyfriend and adult son.
Upon her return, her family is angry that she didn’t help them with childcare, and her cousin accuses her of being selfish. The woman insists she was not consulted and that her family shouldn’t have assumed she would watch the kids. Read the original story below…
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‘ AITA for refusing to babysit while family goes on vacation?’
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Here’s what Redditors had to say:
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Is she justified in refusing to babysit after feeling excluded, or should she have put aside her feelings for family? What do you think? Share your thoughts below!
NTA: They were planning to drop 4 kids at your house and expected you to take time off work to babysit.
Hate how entitled and sneaky people can be! This was purposely planned….I have never thought of taking vacation without my kids…if I didn’t want to carry them around why have them..
Since she had to schedule vacation, what did they expect her to do about her job when they unexpectedly just dropped the kids off? And why would they expect her to use vacation time to babysit? That’s not a vacation!
100% NTA. The gall of your family to think they could just drop their kids off for you to look after while they’re away without asking you! I’m so happy you left before them and ignored their calls when they called to whine and complain. You deserve better than them!
After the cousin said that the cruise was fully booked, I would have gotten off the phone with her and called the cruise and found out for myself. If they said that there was room, then you know who was the one who actually didn’t contact you about going on the cruise and wanted you to be the babysitter.
Absolutely NTA! If I had done something as sneaky yet so blatant, my mom would have had a cow. And she would
completely have had my back if I was the “designated babysitter” with no prior commitment by me to serve that way. Your extended (and, apparently, your sis and parents!) family are the AH here. NO WAY would I allow myself to be used that way. I would absolutely distance myself from all of them until an apology (and make it a VERY good, sincere one!) is forthcoming. Good on you for refusing to be used. And leaving a day earlier than them was brilliant!!
Things like this is why I moved 5,000 miles away from my siblings, after I moved ‘home’ after my stint in the military. Some of them were angry that I’d ‘left’ them to join the military, like I was supposed to stay there forever to take care of them or something. I’m the second of eight kids, and they viewed me as their caretaker or something, I guess. Sorry, but I’m NOT your mom. Don’t get me wrong, I did a lot for them, but they just wanted more than I could give them.
I hate these made up stories. What 28 year old has an adult son? If you’re going to lie, at least be consistant
That is stupid!! Clearly not the whole story
This is so stupid are people actually that dumb? In no way should anyone expect someone to watch their children so they can go on vacation if it was above board they would have asked her first they are a bunch of leeches.
Is anyone else questioning the math here. She is a 28(F) with an “adult” son?
She never says she’s 28. That was whomever shared the story
Maybe a stepson?
no just you of course there is always that one like you
NTA – That’s not how you treat a family, you should have called the police on them instead.. its a good thing you left before they did, i don’t think it was an accident that they didn’t tell you, they did it on purpose to exclude you to take care of their own kids while they are having fun. Its good that you had your own vacation with your bf and adult son, you deserve it. You don’t owe them an apology, they should be apologizing to you instead of blaming you. Its better to cut comnections with people who treats you that way.
Not only are you NTA but you are brilliant! They purposely excluded you and expected you to care for 4 kids under 3 by yourself without even asking! Then threaten to call cps for “child abandonment” SERIOUSLY! Followed by some nonsense about “that’s not how you treat family”! They should know because of how they treated you! They are now members of the FAFO club. You were totally justified in your reaction!
Even if they all legitimately believed you didn’t want to go, (Hawaii, yeah right. Who wants to go there? /s) they could have, and indeed, should have arranged for you to watch the horde. Including some sort of compensation, or at least covering expenses. Nope, this was a set up, from the start.