Man refuses to babysit his sister’s kids because she canceled a previous babysitting gig after rearranging his schedule

On November 10, 2024By Pranco

“I was frustrated because I had completely cleared my weekend, turned down plans with friends, and rearranged my work schedule to do so,” one Reddit user wrote

Getty A man babysitting children (stock image) — Getty

A man babysitting children (stock image)

One man draws the line when it comes down to it babysitting his nieces and nephew – and his sister is not happy about it.

The 29-year-old man turned to Reddit Am I the A—— forum to discuss a family dispute, asking fellow Redditors if he is wrong for refusing to babysit his sister’s children after she previously canceled a babysitting gig for him at the last minute.

“So my (29M) sister (32F) has three children (10, 7, 5). Last month she asked me if I could watch them for a weekend while she and her husband went on a short anniversary trip,” he explained. “I agreed because I love my nieces and nephew, but I made it clear that I needed at least two weeks’ notice because I work long hours and I would have to rearrange my schedule.”

He then clarified that he also “asked my boss for time off, cleared my weekend, and stocked my house with everything the kids needed” in preparation for their stay.

“It’s Friday afternoon and I’m waiting for her to drop them off,” he continued. ‘Suddenly I get a text from her saying they’re not coming. She decided at the last minute that they were going to a family-friendly resort and that I wouldn’t have to babysit them anymore. No apology, just, “We’ll do it another time.” ”

“I was frustrated because I had completely cleared my weekend, turned down plans with friends and rearranged my work schedule to accommodate it,” he said. “I responded by telling her that it wasn’t cool to cancel at the last minute, especially when I was going out of my way to help.”

The man then said that his sister contacted him again two days later asking if he could babysit the following weekend.

“Apparently something happened to her original plan, and she still needed someone to keep an eye on them. I told her no, I wasn’t available,” he wrote.

However, his sister was not happy, and his parents apparently also expressed their displeasure at his decision to say he was unavailable.

“She got upset and said I was being selfish and punishing her children for something that wasn’t their fault,” he wrote. “Now she’s mad at me, and my parents say I should be more understanding because ‘things come up when you’re older.’ ”

“I don’t have children, but I feel like it’s just basic respect not to cancel someone at the last minute and expect them to be available whenever you want,” he concluded, asking others if he the “a—- –” for setting this limit.

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Redditors came out in droves to the man’s defense, with one writing that the family should both respect and appreciate his clear boundary.

“If someone is willing to babysit my child, but politely indicates their boundaries in this way, I’m all for it,” the commenter wrote. “Amazing, so glad you can babysit, I will absolutely keep you informed and respect your scheduling needs.”

Another commenter brought up the fact that the sister’s “change of plans” was entirely avoidable, arguing that her behavior shows a lack of appreciation for her brother’s efforts.

“The nurse just changed her mind about not taking the children,” they wrote. “If there’s an emergency or something, OP (the original poster) should be somewhat understanding, although that doesn’t mean he’s obligated to make time where he doesn’t have it. But that’s not what happened; what happened was that his sister showed a complete lack of concern and gratitude for OP’s efforts, so OP is right to refrain from such efforts in the future if it doesn’t seem worth it to him.

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Another commenter shared that, being childless themselves, they could completely relate to the original poster’s dilemma, and advised him to talk to his family about their current expectations.

“Sometimes people with children tend to think that without this responsibility, people have no life and no other obligations,” the commenter began. “I recently had to have a conversation with my family about this. They assumed that I was available at the last minute to put my life on hold and help my sister and her child for weeks at a time, take care of my parents’ house while they were away, or go to my brother’s house. go to pick up the children. taking care of his dog for a week, etc.”

“I sat them down and explained how disrespectful it was to put me in situations where I was either the jerk for saying no to help my family,” they concluded, “… or I was the one who made all my plans Anyway, I felt miserable.”