It’s funny how society values some careers more than others. While an artist might struggle and starve for their entire life in the hope of being discovered, a banker can walk away with a fat bonus at the end of every year without breaking a sweat.
One guy’s sister had the audacity to tell him that his job as a freelance graphic designer isn’t real work, prompting him to tell her she can find someone else to babysit her kids. Now he’s asking an online community if that makes him a jerk.
More info: Reddit
Having your choice of career undermined can hurt, as this guy found out the hard way
Image credits: freepik / Freepik (not the actual photo)
Working from home as a freelance graphic designer, his sister was constantly asking him to babysit
Image credits: freepik / Freepik (not the actual photo)
Then, at a family dinner, his sister claimed that he doesn’t have a “real” job
Image credits: Timur Weber / Pexels (not the actual photo)
The next week, his sister asked him to babysit again, but he said he couldn’t because he had a deadline to meet
Image credits: throwerrrrr777
Furious, his sister claimed he was punishing her for a harmless comment, prompting him to ask netizens if refusing to babysit was a jerk move
OP, a freelance graphic designer working from home, thought he was being a helpful uncle when he started babysitting for his sister. However, what began as an occasional favor quickly felt like exploitation. His sister, 35, has three young kids and assumed that working remotely meant he was always available to watch them.
At a recent family dinner, she sneered that he didn’t have a “real job” and was just “playing on the computer all day.” OP felt hurt but stayed quiet. The next week, she asked him to babysit again, brushing off his deadlines as unimportant and implying his work wasn’t serious enough to respect.
For OP, that was the breaking point. Frustrated, he refused and told her to find someone else. If she couldn’t respect his career, he wasn’t going to watch her kids anymore. His sister called him selfish, saying he was “punishing” her and the kids for a “harmless comment” she had made.
OP didn’t cave, though - he felt disrespected and refused to accept guilt trips disguised as “family obligation.” Frustrated, he still turned to netizens to ask whether or not refusing to babysit after his sister’s insults makes him a jerk.
Image credits: Getty Images / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
OP’s sister’s refusal to see his career as something serious is understandably frustrating. Freelancing is no picnic, and being creative on demand can be tough. Just why, though, is working for yourself remotely considered less “real” than a permanent corporate gig? We went looking for answers.
According to a 2023 survey by Buffer, 22% of remote workers said friends and family assume they’re available for errands and favors because they “work from home”. This misconception can place unnecessary strain on remote workers who have deadlines that are just as real as those facing on-site, permanent employees.
According to an Upwork report, approximately 64 million Americans (38%) performed freelance work, making freelancing an integral part of the economy. Yet, stigma and misunderstanding about its legitimacy remain widespread.
Despite the global pandemic proving that, in most cases, working from home is just as effective as being in the office, employers still seem to be stuck on the idea that time-in-seat equates to effort. Freelancers and remote workers are often underestimated, not because they’re inferior, but because they’re unseen.
OP’s sister’s disregard for his career had less-than-ideal results, but we think he’s justified in pulling out of babysitting duty, don’t you? Until his sister changes her tune about the validity of his job and starts appreciating his invisible labor, he’s entitled to his downtime. After all, even freelancers need a break.
What would you have done if you’d found yourself in OP’s shoes? Do you think his sister got what was coming to her after insulting his career, or is he overreacting? Let us know in the comments!
In the comments, readers swiftly agreed that the guy wasn't the jerk in the situation and slammed his mom for siding with his sister
