As fun as babysitting can be, it’s also a lot of responsibility. For people who love doing it, that’s a completely different story since they probably enjoy spending time with kids. The folks who are forced to do unpaid babysitting by family members often wish they could be doing literally anything else.
One teen decided to make the best of an annoying situation like this by getting buzzed and making the kids watch a PG-13 show. Unfortunately, when her family walked in, all hell broke loose, and they yelled at her.
More info: Reddit
People often view family members as perfect unpaid babysitters and expect them to just go along with the request without any pushback
Image credits: senivpetro / Freepik (not the actual photo)
The 19-year-old poster shared that she lives with her dad and stepmom and also has a stepsister, Jaimie, who visits them on Sundays
Image credits: Freepik / Freepik (not the actual photo)
Whenever Jaimie comes over to visit, she forces her unwilling stepsister to babysit her two kids so that she can go out with her mom for hours
Image credits: Freepik / Freepik (not the actual photo)
Recently, while babysitting, the teen decided to have a few drinks and let the children watch Supernatural
Image Credits: Electrical_Swim5171
When her family came home, they were angry that she behaved so irresponsibly while babysitting, but she told them that it wasn’t technically babysitting as she wasn’t getting paid
Imagine working 52 hours every week and then having to give up a lot of time on a Sunday to babysit children you don’t like. That’s exactly the situation the teen has found herself in week after week, and the worst part is she has been forced into doing it by her family.
After completing her full-time job and then working as a beer tub girl on the weekend, the teen probably wants to just kick back and relax. Unfortunately, her stepsister sees this as an opportunity to get free babysitting and spend time with her mom. In fact, this kind of situation is very common with around 51% of babysitters being unpaid since they are friends or relatives.
It’s understandable that the stepsis, Jaimie, also wants some time to herself during the week. According to a survey, around 84% of parents find it tough to get any space for themselves away from their kids. So, having someone to help out with childcare can be a real blessing.
The problem is that you can’t force someone to keep looking after your kids and expect them to give up hours of their day just because they’re family. That’s exactly why the fed-up poster decided to take the edge off by drinking and letting the young kids watch a show that they probably shouldn’t have.
Image credits: gpointstudio / Freepik (not the actual photo)
When Jaimie and her mom returned home, they were obviously shocked to find the kids watching Supernatural and the poster slightly drunk. Although they yelled at her, she had a fair point when she explained that she was doing it as a favor, and since she wasn’t being paid, they couldn’t call it babysitting.
The problem with family obligations is that they can sometimes be a source of stress for a person and infringe upon their freedom. When folks have good relationships with their family, then they might do these favors out of love, but that doesn’t mean they’re always ready to drop everything else in their life for no good reason.
The poster who just wanted to enjoy her Sunday had to endure being yelled at by her family. Everyone also called her irresponsible, but hopefully, this made her stepsister rethink how often she foists her kids on the OP.
Setting boundaries with one’s family can be difficult, but it’s essential because it helps protect one's mental peace in the long run. Although the teen’s way of weaseling out of this obligation was probably unethical, you have to give her points for creativity.
What do you think about her actions? Do you side with Jaimie or the poster? Let us know your opinion.
Netizens mostly sided with the teen and told her to go out every Sunday to avoid babysitting duties
