Bored Panda works better on our iPhone app
Continue in app Continue in browser

The Bored Panda iOS app is live! Fight boredom with iPhones and iPads here.

Mom Wonders If She Was A Jerk For Making The New Babysitter Cry After She Started Telling Her Kids That They’re Actually Hers
User submission
1.8K
202K

Mom Wonders If She Was A Jerk For Making The New Babysitter Cry After She Started Telling Her Kids That They’re Actually Hers

ADVERTISEMENT

Boundaries are incredibly important, in every area of your life. Whether we’re talking about personal, family, or professional relationships. Some people, however, walk all over any implied boundaries, so you need to reinforce them and follow through on them, otherwise, things can get very, very emotionally messy.

A 26-year-old mom of two kids, who are 3 and 4 years old, turned to the AITA online community for their advice and wisdom on a situation that happened with a new babysitter, a friend of her mother-in-law’s. The latter insisted that her friend babysits for the couple for free, even though the two young professionals had no problem at all affording a professional sitter. Eventually, they relented.

Though things started out just fine, the situation took a dramatic and bizarre turn when one of the redditor’s kids asked her if she’s their real mom. That’s when the truth finally came out: the desperate new babysitter had been filling the kids’ heads with lies. The mom decided that some drastic action needed to be taken, though the fallout was pretty heavy. You’ll find the full story below, dear Pandas. When you’re done reading it, we’d like to know what you would have done in this situation and if you think the mom was right to react the way she did.

RELATED:

    A mom was pressured by her mother-in-law to let a friend babysit her two children for free

    ADVERTISEMENT

    Image credits: Anna Shvets (not the actual photo)

    Even though things seemed to be fine at first, the mom eventually noticed a huge red flag with the new sitter

    The couple immediately took steps to rectify the situation when they realized something was wrong

    ADVERTISEMENT
    ADVERTISEMENT

    The mom wanted the AITA community’s verdict on whether she did the right thing, in the end

    The entire situation would likely have gotten way out of hand if the new babysitter had been left to her own devices. Personally, I find it inexcusable that the sitter yelled at the kids and lied to them, trying to turn them against their own mother. It’s unprofessional. It’s manipulative. It’s just darn plain wrong!

    ADVERTISEMENT

    Probably the worst part is that the author of the post’s mother-in-law insisted that they hire her friend and later started screaming at the couple when things didn’t work out. It seems that the MIL was putting her friendship ahead of her actual family’s welfare. Though we might love our friends, I still believe that family comes first. And you can’t sabotage family matters for the sake of your friend feeling a bit better about her life. There are other, healthier ways to do that which don’t result in family drama and everybody feeling like a big bunch of garbage.

    According to ‘Care,’ parents should always trust their gut feelings when considering a babysitter for hire. Your intuition is there for a reason, use it. “In addition to properly screening a caregiver and monitoring the quality of care children receive, parents should never disregard their gut feeling about a provider. If something doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t,” Michelle LaRowe, the founder of the ‘NannyTraining’ project explained. Though it’s always a good idea to get a second opinion if you’re usually anxious or suspicious about most things. Try to listen to your gut, heart, and brain all at once.

    ADVERTISEMENT

    Some other things that might be potential red flags include the fact that your child doesn’t look cared for when you get back home or starts developing unusual behavior and habits. What’s more, if your kid isn’t reacting all that well when the sitter shows up, there might be some issues there, too. Parents also ought to be concerned if a nanny completely ignores their instructions about bedtime, playtime, and food.

    Most internet users sided with the mom. Here’s what they had to say about the entire bizarre situation

    ADVERTISEMENT

    202Kviews

    Share on Facebook
    Jonas Grinevičius

    Jonas Grinevičius

    Author, BoredPanda staff

    Read more »

    Storytelling, journalism, and art are a core part of who I am. I've been writing and drawing ever since I could walk—there is nothing else I'd rather do. My formal education, however, is focused on politics, philosophy, and economics because I've always been curious about the gap between the ideal and the real. At work, I'm a Senior Writer and I cover a broad range of topics that I'm passionate about: from psychology and changes in work culture to healthy living, relationships, and design. In my spare time, I'm an avid hiker and reader, enjoy writing short stories, and love to doodle. I thrive when I'm outdoors, going on small adventures in nature. However, you can also find me enjoying a big mug of coffee with a good book (or ten) and entertaining friends with fantasy tabletop games and sci-fi movies.

    Read less »
    Jonas Grinevičius

    Jonas Grinevičius

    Author, BoredPanda staff

    Storytelling, journalism, and art are a core part of who I am. I've been writing and drawing ever since I could walk—there is nothing else I'd rather do. My formal education, however, is focused on politics, philosophy, and economics because I've always been curious about the gap between the ideal and the real. At work, I'm a Senior Writer and I cover a broad range of topics that I'm passionate about: from psychology and changes in work culture to healthy living, relationships, and design. In my spare time, I'm an avid hiker and reader, enjoy writing short stories, and love to doodle. I thrive when I'm outdoors, going on small adventures in nature. However, you can also find me enjoying a big mug of coffee with a good book (or ten) and entertaining friends with fantasy tabletop games and sci-fi movies.

    Austėja Akavickaitė

    Austėja Akavickaitė

    Author, Community member

    Read more »

    Austėja is a Photo Editor at Bored Panda with a BA in Photography.

    Read less »

    Austėja Akavickaitė

    Austėja Akavickaitė

    Author, Community member

    Austėja is a Photo Editor at Bored Panda with a BA in Photography.

    What do you think ?
    Add photo comments
    POST
    Dodo
    Community Member
    3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    MIL's friend needs to be kept far, far away from children.

    ToGo
    Community Member
    3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    If MIL's friend can behave this way with someone else's children what on earth would she behave like with her own kids?! Shudder to think.

    Vicky Zar
    Community Member
    3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I've seen this story before. Does no one else get the vibe that MIL had a hand in this? The way she insisted her friend should babysit and then excuse her and blame the Mother for not having enough "compassion"?

    8Yorkies-and-63cats
    Community Member
    3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    You're right, I also get the same kind of vibe.The MIL is either next level stupid or there was some plan in motion. Or she hates her DIL so much, her judgement is completely clouded.

    Load More Replies...
    Load More Comments
    Dodo
    Community Member
    3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    MIL's friend needs to be kept far, far away from children.

    ToGo
    Community Member
    3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    If MIL's friend can behave this way with someone else's children what on earth would she behave like with her own kids?! Shudder to think.

    Vicky Zar
    Community Member
    3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I've seen this story before. Does no one else get the vibe that MIL had a hand in this? The way she insisted her friend should babysit and then excuse her and blame the Mother for not having enough "compassion"?

    8Yorkies-and-63cats
    Community Member
    3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    You're right, I also get the same kind of vibe.The MIL is either next level stupid or there was some plan in motion. Or she hates her DIL so much, her judgement is completely clouded.

    Load More Replies...
    Load More Comments
    You May Like
    Related on Bored Panda
    Related on Bored Panda
    Trending on Bored Panda
    Also on Bored Panda