A few years ago I was putting together a collection of netizens' opinions on the topic "What screams 'I'm entitled?'" and if I had known this story back then, it would have definitely made it into that collection. At least the word 'entitled' runs through every line here.
The author of this tale, the user u/Designer_Bus8694, is just a high schooler so far, and his older sister and parents are trying to take advantage of this in the most brazen way in order to get a free babysitter. But let's just take things in order.
More info: Reddit
The author of the post is a 16-year-old high schooler, and he's unlucky enough to have a golden child older sis
Image credits: Danik Prihodko / Pexels (not the actual photo)
The sister is incredibly entitled and when she got pregnant she even dared to push the author to change his first name in favor of his unborn nephew
Image credits: Designer_Bus8694
Image credits: Freepik / Freepik (not the actual photo)
Now she wants him to quit his part-time job to babysit the baby - for free, of course!
Image credits: Designer_Bus8694
Image credits: Budgeron Bach / Pexels (not the actual photo)
The youngster, however, stands his ground desperately, but all the family, including his parents, are on her side
Image credits: Designer_Bus8694
So the teen took it online to vent and to get some kind of advice in this difficult case
So, the Original Poster (OP) is 16 years old. He's in high school and has a part-time job, which, although it takes up a lot of time after classes, gives him a certain degree of financial independence from his parents. Especially since his parents never gave him an easy life, having his elder 20-year-old sister as their clear favorite.
Our hero has never been particularly close to his sis - and her recent pregnancy has been a real challenge for him. The sister wanted to name the baby the same first name as her brother and tried to pressure him to change his name. Yes, you read that absolutely right! Thank God, the OP flatly refused.
And now that the baby is born, the new mom wants to force her brother to babysit him. And the fact that the author works after school doesn't stop her at all. Oh yeah, here are a few more cherries on the cake:
- the sister wants her brother to quit his job but babysit the nephew for free.
- the sister "doesn't want anything to do" with the OP, so she said she'll tell the baby that he's not his uncle, but just a babysitter.
- she put pressure on the parents, and they also insist that the author fulfill all of these conditions.
- damn it, three points are enough - there must be some limit to human entitlement!
Needless to say, our hero bravely holds up under triple pressure, despite his young age. And so, the poor youngster tried to enlist the support of netizens in his desperate resistance and thus took it online to vent.
Image credits: Freepik / Freepik (not the actual photo)
"To be honest, it is hard to believe that something like this is even possible in modern society - and even approved by several adults at once - but judging by the words of this young man, not only his parents, but all his relatives share his sister's point of view," says Irina Matveeva, a psychologist and certified NLP specialist, whom Bored Panda asked for a comment here.
"Behind any beautiful and confident words that this is all about supporting his sister, in fact, there is ordinary banal favoritism. When both parents and the rest of the family simply choose the child who gets everything. And over time, this order of things becomes something self-evident for everyone in the family."
"The only thing that makes me somehow glad about this situation is that the author is already 16 and will be able to separate from his toxic family pretty soon. In the meantime, it might be worth getting the appropriate state agencies involved. After all, it could make the author's next few years before coming of age a bit easier," Irina ponders.
People in the comments also massively supported the author, urging him to also contact CPS. "Tell your sister you will be calling CPS for abandonment if she leaves you alone with the baby as you are not qualified to care for them," one commenter wrote. "Their emotional battery, verbal abuse, and financial abuse need to stop," another person agreed reasonably.
In addition, the responders are sure that the author will need to move out as soon as possible. "They’re all going to act so shocked when you move and go no to low contact with them in a few years. Also good on you for standing up for yourself," one of the people noted. And what do you, our dear readers, think about this particular story? Please feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below.
People in the comments unanimously sided with the teen, urging him to get Child Protective Services involved too
In any family conflict, financial disagreements can often precipitate deeper rifts and reveal entitlement issues, much like in cases where people feel owed something beyond what's reasonable.
For instance, if you're interested in stories of disputes involving money, you may want to understand more about resolving financial disagreements between family members, which often require firm legal measures.