AITA I lied to the people who I was babysitting for to get them to come home?
Babysitting can be a great way for teens to earn extra money, but one of the unspoken rules is that parents should respect the sitter’s time—especially when the sitter is a minor who needs a ride home. Unfortunately, not every parent follows that rule, as OP found out when a job that was supposed to end at midnight stretched into the early hours of the morning with no response from the parents.
After multiple unanswered texts and calls, OP came up with a genius, if slightly deceptive, plan—a fake security scare that got the parents home in 15 minutes flat. The next day, however, the mom confronted OP at school, accusing her of being a liar. But was OP really in the wrong for using a little tactical deception to get out of a disrespectful situation?
‘AITA I lied to the people who I was babysitting for to get them to come home?’
Expert Analysis:
The Importance of Respecting a Babysitter’s Time
Babysitting isn’t just watching kids—it’s a responsibility that requires trust, communication, and fair treatment. According to the American Red Cross Babysitter’s Training Guide, Babysitters should always establish clear expectations with parents regarding payment, hours, and emergency contact methods before the job begins.”
OP did everything right—she confirmed when the parents would be home, followed up before midnight, and waited over two hours before taking action. The fact that the parents immediately responded to the fake emergency proves that they saw the earlier messages and chose to ignore them.
Is It Ever Okay to Trick Someone Into Doing the Right Thing?
While lying is usually not the best approach, OP’s situation falls into a gray area. According to Dr. Aaron Ben-Zeév, an expert in moral psychology, “When someone ignores their obligations and leaves another person in a difficult situation, the ethical weight of a small deception may be justified to correct the imbalance.”
In this case, OP’s fake alarm story wasn’t meant to harm anyone—it was a last resort after the parents disrespected her time and ignored multiple attempts to reach them.
If OP wants to avoid this happening again, she could consider:
- Setting a late fee policy – Charging double the hourly rate after an agreed-upon time can discourage parents from taking advantage.
- Refusing to babysit for unreliable families – If a parent has a history of disrespecting a sitter’s time, it’s best to cut ties and find better clients.
- Calling the police as a last resort – If a parent is hours late and completely unresponsive, a babysitter has the right to call authorities for guidance on what to do next.
Here’s the comments of Redditors:
The overwhelming consensus was that OP was not in the wrong. Most agreed that the parents were completely irresponsible, and OP had every right to ensure they came home ASAP.
Some suggested implementing a late fee in the future to prevent this from happening again.
A few believed that lying wasn’t the best move, but even they admitted that the parents had no right to be mad when they ignored OP’s texts for over two hours.
At the end of the day, OP wasn’t being unreasonable—she was problem-solving under pressure. Babysitting is a two-way street, and if parents can’t respect basic boundaries, they don’t deserve a responsible sitter like OP.
Would you have done the same in OP’s position, or was there a better way to handle it? Let’s discuss.