Woman Backs Out Of Deal To Babysit Sister’s Kids After Sister Lets Her Move In To Do Just That
You’re pretty much expected to go the extra mile for family, but there have got to be some limits in place, or you might end up with a feud on your hands. And let’s face it, nobody needs drama that could have been skipped by setting some simple boundaries.
One woman is at her wits’ end after her younger sister, who moved in two years ago on the condition she would help out with childcare, brazenly backed out of the babysitting deal and has been mooching off her ever since. She took her troubles to an online community.
More info: Reddit
You’re expected to go the extra mile for family, but being asked to go too far can make things awkward for everyone
Image credits: EyeEm / Freepik (not the actual photo)
One woman’s sister was stuck in a rotten relationship, so she invited her to stay with her and her husband, as long as she picked up babysitting duty for the couple’s kids
Image credits: cottonbro studio / Pexels (not the actual photo)
It didn’t take long, however, before her sister started complaining that the constant childcare was making her depressed, so the woman found someone else to do it
Image credits: Grinvalds / Freepik (not the actual photo)
Two years later, the woman’s sister was back on her feet, but refused to help out at home, skipping all chores and living rent-free
Image credits: Glad-Price-5340
Then she sent the woman and her husband a text moaning about babysitting again, so now the woman’s asking netizens if she’d be a jerk for kicking her out
When the original poster (OP) took in her troubled younger sister, the arrangement was simple: free housing, access to a car, and a small weekly payment in exchange for babysitting. Two years later, however, the setup spiraled into resentment. OP’s sister stopped helping out altogether, yet still lived rent-free, leaving tension in the household at a boiling point.
Despite agreeing to childcare duties at first, OP’s sister now refuses almost every request and doesn’t chip in with bills, chores, or groceries. What started out as OP’s lifeline for a sibling in need had slowly descended into an exhausting burden.
The breaking point arrived when OP’s sister sent her a long text message while she was out with her husband. She insisted she wasn’t being “ungrateful,” but said she felt “used as a service” and underappreciated. She also argued that watching kids she didn’t choose to have wasn’t her responsibility.
Now OP feels stuck. Her husband is sick and tired of supporting an unhelpful adult, but she’s torn between family loyalty and fairness. She’s since turned to netizens to ask if giving her mooching sister the boot would make her a jerk.
Image credits: prostock-studio / Freepik (not the actual photo)
From what OP tells us in her post, her sister seems to be hopelessly entitled. We’ve all met someone like that, right? Folks who strut around like the world owes them something.
So, why do some people think like this? And what’s the best way to deal when they’re a family member? We went digging for some expert insights.
WebMD says entitlement mentality is defined as a sense of deservingness, even when nothing has been done to deserve special treatment. Basically, a “you owe me” attitude.
While it’s not exactly known how this mentality develops, the pros agree it’s a narcissistic personality trait that may rear its ugly head due to social factors. Things like the environment you grew up in, the way your parents treated you, whether adults solved all your problems for you, or how you were treated by authority figures.
Writing for Psychology Today, Abigail Brenner says that sometimes we’re just dropped into situations we have zero control over. Like being related, for example. Apparently, what often makes family members the trickiest to deal with is the fact that they’re connected to us in a more complex and intimate way than friends, colleagues, or neighbors.
Perhaps it’s time for OP to set some reality-checking boundaries, if not month-end marching orders, if her sister refuses to wake up and do some actual adulting.
What do you think? Does OP’s mooching sister deserve the boot, or is her text worth a second look? Share your opinion in the comments!
In the comments, readers all agreed that the woman was not the jerk in the situation, slammed the flaky sister for her audacity, and said she had to go
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She's not paying rent. There is no better way of teaching respect than taking her toys away. Bounce her.
Sadly I've had a similar experience. It's time for sis to go and make her own way in life. It's fine to help someone for a brief time, but this situation has gone on too long and now entitled sister, who brings almost nothing at all to the table to compensate for her free rent and use of car has decided it's her "due" and she should be expected to provide any services for what she receives. I'd give her 30 days to move out. She's got a job, she should be paying her own way entirely. She's not disabled, she's an adult. She should be entirely responsible for herself. I'd ask sister, "So exactly what do you bring to the table to make it worth it for us to be paying the majority of your bills? Oh, that's right, little to nothing"
If she's working full time and not contributing anything to the household monetarily or upkeep of chores then she can go live elsewhere. Maybe after paying all the bills on her own and cleaning her own space she might decide watching the kids occasionally wasn't such a bad deal. Although you have to love the comment about babysitting being "all I'm good for." She's not even good for that.
Sister has no idea how good she’s got it. I could understand them not charging her rent if they meant for her to save up and move out soon but that doesn’t seem to have been a previous conversation. So she’s not paying rent and is refusing to do any help around the house. She’s complaining about having to do small favours in return for a massive favour. It’s time to go. Their house will be quieter for OP and husband without her.
Load More Replies...I moved back home a year ago after living with my boyfriend (now ex) for three years. (We were together for 24 years and y'all know how bad the relationship was, lol.) My mom owns a second house next door to the house I grew up in (she knocked down the wall between the backyards, so it's two houses on one lot.) I've been living by myself, rent-free, in that second house, with my minor horde of pets. I pay all the utilities/internet myself, but never paid rent, even when I was living here before moving in with now-ex. However, whenever my mom/sister have a problem with their TVs, computers, or any other tech next door (which is pretty much every day, lol) I go over and fix it (and listen to hours of my mom's stories while over there...) When they go on their (frequent) vacations, I bring in their mail, water their plants, etc. and run the family business alone. If you're living somewhere rent-free, even with family, you gotta contribute in SOME way, IMO!
"Sorry this didn't work out, we will get someone else in so please start packing up and getting ready to move out."
It's always a bad choice to let a friend or a family member stay with you for longer than a week or two, or there will be problems. Everyone is used to their own ways of doing things, the time and what to eat, shows to watch, and so much more that tensions start to build, and it's always better to end the situation before it erupts. Once everyone is back to their respective homes, they'll only remember the good bits about it, unless they let it simmer to the point the relationship can't be repaired. Best for everyone to end the cohabitation, as long as it's done reasonably and kindly instead of just kicking her out.
She's not paying rent. There is no better way of teaching respect than taking her toys away. Bounce her.
Sadly I've had a similar experience. It's time for sis to go and make her own way in life. It's fine to help someone for a brief time, but this situation has gone on too long and now entitled sister, who brings almost nothing at all to the table to compensate for her free rent and use of car has decided it's her "due" and she should be expected to provide any services for what she receives. I'd give her 30 days to move out. She's got a job, she should be paying her own way entirely. She's not disabled, she's an adult. She should be entirely responsible for herself. I'd ask sister, "So exactly what do you bring to the table to make it worth it for us to be paying the majority of your bills? Oh, that's right, little to nothing"
If she's working full time and not contributing anything to the household monetarily or upkeep of chores then she can go live elsewhere. Maybe after paying all the bills on her own and cleaning her own space she might decide watching the kids occasionally wasn't such a bad deal. Although you have to love the comment about babysitting being "all I'm good for." She's not even good for that.
Sister has no idea how good she’s got it. I could understand them not charging her rent if they meant for her to save up and move out soon but that doesn’t seem to have been a previous conversation. So she’s not paying rent and is refusing to do any help around the house. She’s complaining about having to do small favours in return for a massive favour. It’s time to go. Their house will be quieter for OP and husband without her.
Load More Replies...I moved back home a year ago after living with my boyfriend (now ex) for three years. (We were together for 24 years and y'all know how bad the relationship was, lol.) My mom owns a second house next door to the house I grew up in (she knocked down the wall between the backyards, so it's two houses on one lot.) I've been living by myself, rent-free, in that second house, with my minor horde of pets. I pay all the utilities/internet myself, but never paid rent, even when I was living here before moving in with now-ex. However, whenever my mom/sister have a problem with their TVs, computers, or any other tech next door (which is pretty much every day, lol) I go over and fix it (and listen to hours of my mom's stories while over there...) When they go on their (frequent) vacations, I bring in their mail, water their plants, etc. and run the family business alone. If you're living somewhere rent-free, even with family, you gotta contribute in SOME way, IMO!
"Sorry this didn't work out, we will get someone else in so please start packing up and getting ready to move out."
It's always a bad choice to let a friend or a family member stay with you for longer than a week or two, or there will be problems. Everyone is used to their own ways of doing things, the time and what to eat, shows to watch, and so much more that tensions start to build, and it's always better to end the situation before it erupts. Once everyone is back to their respective homes, they'll only remember the good bits about it, unless they let it simmer to the point the relationship can't be repaired. Best for everyone to end the cohabitation, as long as it's done reasonably and kindly instead of just kicking her out.





































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