AITAH for refusing to babysit after finding out my sister is going out instead of “running errands”?
I’m 24F and my sister is 32F. She has two kids, 5 and 2. I love them a lot and that’s honestly why I feel conflicted about this.
A few months ago she started asking me to watch them here and there. At first it was normal stuff. Date nights. Appointments. Quick errands.
I didn’t mind. But lately it has turned into 3 to 4 times a week. Usually for 5 or 6 hours. Sometimes she doesn’t even really ask anymore. She’ll text something like “I’m dropping the kids off in 20”
I work remotely. I’m trying to build my career and take my job seriously.
Watching a toddler while answering emails and sitting in meetings is not easy. There have been nights I stayed up until 1 or 2 am finishing work because she came back way later than she said she would.
She always tells me she’s running errands or has something important to handle or is just at the gym.
Last weekend she dropped them off around 4 pm and said she had a lot to take care of. Around 8 pm I finally sit down for a second and open Instagram.
She’s at a rooftop bar.
Hair done. Full makeup. Holding a cocktail.
And it wasn’t just that one time. Once I started noticing it, I realized it’s happened before.
So I brought it up calmly and said I don’t mind helping sometimes, but if I’m basically watching them multiple times a week, we need to plan it and she needs to respect my time. I also said if it’s going to be this frequent, I should probably be paid.
She got really defensive and said she deserves a life and I’m being selfish. She said I’m treating family like a business transaction. Now she’s barely talking to me.
I feel bad because parenting is hard and I know she needs breaks. But I also feel like I’m being treated like free childcare that she can call whenever she wants.
AITAH for putting boundaries in place after realizing she’s not actually “busy” like she says?
