'Was I wrong to lie about a break-in so I could be relieved from babysitting?'
Teens run the babysitting economy in some towns. Children need to be sat, and who better to do it than children with more hormones? On a popular Reddit thread in the Am I the A**hole Subreddit, one couple took advantage of a local teen, and she did not have it.
AITA I lied to the people who I was babysitting to get them to come home.
OP is a professional.
I am 15 years old, and I babysit to make money. I took a first aid course and a babysitting course.
OP asks all the right questions.
Last weekend one of my little sister's classmates' parents had a wedding to go to and asked if I would babysit. I asked how late they would need me and if I should pack an overnight bag if they would stay out all night. They said that they would be home by midnight.
Stranger danger.
So I asked my dad if that was okay because he was my ride. He doesn't want me alone in a car with adults that he does not know.
A very ominous 'yes.'
So my dad was there to pick me up at 11:50 PM. The kids were asleep, and I watched TV. I texted them at 11:00 PM to double-check that they would be on time. The mom texted me back, 'yes.'
Yikes. Yikes. Yikes.
12:30 AM, they still aren't there. I texted again. No answer. I called my dad, and he was pissed. One o'clock, still not back. I call them. No answer. My dad went and got a coffee at home and came back. He is all calm. Not good. He is ready to blow.
This isn't nice.
I texted every 15 minutes. No response.
2:20 I have an idea. I texted them that someone had tried to break into their garage, but the alarm scared them away.
Dad is not having it.
They were home drunk in an Uber in 15 minutes. My dad made them pay me for my extra time before we left. He told me I could not babysit for them again unless I charged them for an overnight stay.
An encounter in the wild.
Yesterday at school, I saw the mom when I was picking up my sister after school. She gave me sh*t for scaring her and her husband. They had checked their security cameras, and no one tried to break in. I said sorry the alarm went off, so I called you.
No remorse.
She called me a liar, which is fair. But I don't feel bad about what I did. They lied to me first. My mom says I should have just sucked it up, but my dad says they broke our deal.
Was there an alternative route?
I feel bad for tricking them into coming home from their party. But they could have told me it was overnight or texted me that they would be late. My dad had brought me an overnight bag before when that happened.
Alarming_Reply_6286 says:
NTA (Not the A**hole) - the fact that the parents said yes they would be home at 12 and then they don't respond for two hours is bullsh*t. Where she gets off being pissed at you is crazy!!! Please tell me they apologized when they finally got home?
Luebbi says:
NTA. They had no regard for you and your time, forcing a minor to stay up way late and ignoring your texts. The fact that they came home right after you scared them shows that they read your texts and just decided to ignore them. You told a white lie to force them home after all other attempts failed.
ChibiGuineaPig says:
Your dad is right.
Sure the lying is not great, but they were the ones who f*cked up.
You are absolutely not an a**hole, they are.
And learn from your father, not your mother. She's too much into people pleasing.