Software developer refuses to babysit sister's kids after she tells him he has it 'easy.' AITA?
"AITA for refusing to babysit my sister’s kids after she told me I have it 'easy' with my job?"
So, I (32M) work from home as a software developer. My sister "Emily" (34F) has two kids (4F and 2M) and is a stay-at-home mom. A few weeks ago, Emily asked if I could babysit her kids for a full day while she ran some errands. I agreed and rearranged my work schedule to make it happen.
Fast forward to last week: she asks me again, but this time, I was swamped with work. I politely declined, saying I had deadlines and couldn’t take time off. That’s when she snapped at me, saying, “You have it so easy working from home. You could watch them and still do your job. It’s not like you’re doing real work.”
I was pretty taken aback. I explained that my job is demanding, and just because I work from home doesn’t mean I can juggle two toddlers and be productive. She brushed it off and said I should be more supportive of her because she’s “doing the hardest job in the world.”
Now, I’ve refused to babysit at all since that comment. I feel disrespected, but my parents are saying I’m overreacting and should just let it go. AITA for refusing to help her after what she said?
Here's what top commenters had to say about this one:
Mammoth-Dare-4237 said:
I hear these kinds of stories a lot. Mothers especially who believe that because they have children, they should be catered to by non-parents, because non-parents "have it so easy."
Hun, you already offered to babysit for an entire day for her after spending time shuffling your work schedule, and doing that every once in awhile as long as you've been given plenty of notice and your job is not going to suffer for it is more than generous on your part.
Your sister sounds entitled and narcissistic. Does your sister not have a partner to help her? What about other siblings, or parents, or literally any other family member? Why can't anyone else help? I'm glad you put your foot down and are setting boundaries. NTA.
Anxious-Routine-5526 said:
NTA. Whether or not your job is easy or hard doesn't matter. You aren't responsible or obligated to provide childcare for someone else's children. The blatant disregard for your job and sense of entitlement towards your time is ridiculous.
You helped out once when you could, and rather than be grateful, your sister has the audacity to treat you so disrespectfully. Let mom and dad step up and help out.
No_Experience_6132 said:
NTA. I used to work from home before the pregnancy and it's even more important to handle all the deadlines. Sometimes I worked after the business hours, so it's not as easy as it seems. I don't want to think what will be when I'm back to work and with two kids at home...
AugustWatson01 said:
NTA how is she disrespecting your job the way some people disrespect her choice/job to be a SAHM. She should be more understanding that not all is what it seems or shouldn’t be belittled because you work from home.
Fickle_File2062 said:
NTA. Your sister disrespected your work and expects you to juggle two toddlers while meeting deadlines. Just because you work from home doesn’t mean you’re free to babysit on demand. If she can’t respect your boundaries and profession, why should you be expected to drop everything? Your job is still a job.
Mapilean said:
NTA. She acted entitled and ungrateful. Let her pay a babysitter. Or dump the kids on your parents, seeing as they are so willing to "let it go".