Guy refuses to watch roommate's kid; threatens to call cops; makes him miss birth.
"AITA for refusing to take my roommate's son for few hrs and causing him to miss the birth of his baby?"
I, 22 y/o , am in college. I live in an a rental apt w/ my roommate , Simon, 28 y/o , & his 4 y/o son. The mother of the child is deceased and he got together with his now ex gf, but broke up 4 months ago. He was expecting a baby w/ her and the baby was born this past Wednesday.
I was in the middle of studying and preparing for my exam when Simon barged in telling me his ex gf's mom just called him and said she was in labor and he had to go to the hospital. He started begging me to take his son for few hrs (prbly til midnight) so he could be there for his baby's birth. I declined and said I had so little time left and needed to focus on studying.
He begged saying that I wouldn't even feel his son's presence, but the kid is so hyper active and hard to deal with basically. He started raising his voice at me saying I was being mean for no reason and he had no one else he knows that could take his son. I told him he could of prepared for this by hiring a babysitter.
He started going off saying that I was being unhelpful on purpose. I told him to get out of my room. He said he'd just leave the kid with me then. I told him I'd call the cops as soon he do that which made him back off.
He was fuming , he took his son and left and came back the next day telling me that I just caused him to miss the birth of his baby and that he'll never forgive me for what I'd done. He's been avoiding me since it happened. Aita?
Here's what people had to say:
xMimichella writes:
NTA - if he had asked you in advance or his babysitter dropped out or something then that would be different. The fact he knew the baby would arrive at some point and didn't make any kind of arrangements makes him the AH for springing it in you. What would he have done if you weren't home? Was that his plan all along, to just drop the child on you? Crazy.
amyloudspeakers writes:
You don’t know when a person is going into labor and you can’t exactly book a babysitter for on call.
AromaticInvite4278 writes:
No, but you can make a whole bunch of contingency plans.
amyloudspeakers writes:
This guy has a roommate and kids from two different women. Something tells me he’s not swimming in willing friends and family.
angels-and-insects writes:
Be fair though. His son's mother died. So he's a widowed dad, which of course would make finances tight, and later got a girlfriend. None of that points to him being some kind of social outcast or player. Maybe he's far from family?
He definitely needed to make a plan for the baby's birth but nothing in his circumstances suggest the kind of judgement you're making of him.
speedofaturtle writes:
NTA - As someone who has done this three times now, let me tell you...you plan for who will watch the other kids, and you plan for who will watch the kids if your plan A falls through or can't make it in time. And you communicate with those people leading up to the birth. As a dad he was not prepared and that isn't your fault at all. He should be mad at himself for being such a shitty planner.
greaseychips writes:
Unpopular take, but YTA. Not everyone can plan when they go into labour. It’s not like he was asking you to watch him so he could go and kick ball or something. He was asking you to watch him so he could be present for his child’s birth. You could’ve done it just this one time, and then not again.