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Mom Hopes The Sitter Won’t Notice The Third Disabled Child She ‘Forgot’ To Mention, Sitter Leaves
The job of a babysitter seems simple enough on paper. You feed them, keep them from drawing on the walls, and make sure everyone has the correct number of limbs at the end of the night. It’s a straightforward contract based on trust. The parents trust you to keep their kids safe, and you trust them to be honest about the job.
Usually, there shouldn’t be any major, last-minute surprises or unmentioned duties. But one 19-year-old babysitter recently walked into her new job and discovered her employer had omitted one very significant, wheelchair-using detail from the original agreement.
More info: Reddit
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When a new job seems too good to be true, there’s usually a major catch, so sometimes it’s good to be prepared for the worst
Image credits: Curated Lifestyle / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
A 19-year-old babysitter thought she was taking a straightforward job watching two young children
Image credits: freepik / Freepik (not the actual photo)
But on her first day, she discovered a third, severely disabled child who the mom had conveniently forgotten to mention
Image credits: user25451090 / Freepik (not the actual photo)
When she refused the massive, unagreed-upon responsibility, the mom called her unreliable
Image credits: Wallswalls11
The drama continued at home when her own mother called her ‘cowardly and selfish’ for quitting
A 19-year-old babysitter, a seasoned pro at the summer gig, took on a new client: a single mom who was desperately looking for help. This was already a red flag, but the house was close and the money was good, so she went for it. She did her due diligence, met the mom and her two kids, and agreed on all the rules. Everything seemed perfectly normal, a standard babysitting job.
But on her first day, she walked into a bait-and-switch of epic proportions. There, in the house, was a third child, an 11-year-old boy in a wheelchair, who the mom casually introduced as her “severely disabled son.” The mom then tried to pretend he was “part of the deal,” and even handed over a list of duties that included changing and feeding him.
The babysitter, understandably, freaked out. She immediately drew a firm line, explaining that she was a babysitter, not a trained carer, and was not qualified for this immense responsibility. The mom tried to downplay it, saying it was just like “caring for an infant,” but the babysitter wasn’t buying it. She refused the job and made for the door, even as the mom pivoted from deception to guilt-tripping.
The drama didn’t end there. When she got home and explained why she’d quit, her own mother sided with the single mom. Her mom called her “cowardly and selfish” for putting the woman in a “rough place,” completely ignoring the massive lie that had caused the entire situation. Now, the babysitter is left questioning herself, caught between a clear case of deception and a tag-team of maternal guilt-tripping.
Image credits: Wavebreak Media / Freepik (not the actual photo)
The mother’s attempt to downplay the situation by comparing it to “caring for an infant” ignores a fundamental truth: caring for a child with severe disabilities is a specialized field, not an extension of regular babysitting. Experts at SOSgarde emphasize that caregivers for children with special needs often require specific qualifications, such as first aid training, experience with mobility aids, and condition-specific knowledge.
The most significant issue here is the mother’s deliberate deception, which created a dangerous situation for everyone involved. As emphasized by Autism Parenting Magazine, the first and most crucial step in finding a caregiver is for the parent to be completely honest about their child’s needs. This put both the child and the babysitter in a potentially unsafe position by not allowing her to give informed consent.
Mary Poppins Services explains that trained professionals provide a level of care far beyond basic supervision, often including medication management, physical assistance with transfers, and supporting therapy goals. The babysitter’s decision to leave was not “cowardly” or “selfish”; it was the most responsible and ethical choice she could make, protecting herself from a liability she wasn’t prepared for.
The babysitter’s fear of the “huge responsibility legally” was a spot-on assessment of a potentially catastrophic risk. Experts from the Special Needs Alliance say that personal injury actions involving individuals with disabilities are incredibly complex. An accident could have entangled her in a legal nightmare involving specialized litigation and potentially the management of long-term care funds, far beyond a typical liability claim.
Do you also think her refusal was a rational decision to avoid a situation where a simple mistake could have life-altering legal and financial consequences? Let us know in the comments below!
The internet, however, unanimously agreed that the mother’s lie was dangerous and the babysitter was right to walk away
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What do you think ?
Mel in Georgia 1 month ago
I don't know what that mom was expecting when she made the "big reveal." No sane person would just say no problem when suddenly told they were caring for a disabled person. This was an act of desperation that rightfully didn't pay off. Feel for the mom, but this was so, so wrong.
Ms.GB 1 month ago
Yes. There's a reason that type of care costs more than a regular babysitting fee. I cared for 2 disabled adults for 6 years and even I found it extremely challenging physically and emotionally at 45. In no way would I recommend that kind of work for a teenage babysitter at pennies on the dollar.
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James016 1 month ago
If you want someone to look after your wheelchair bound child, you have to be upfront to people and you will have to pay them. As OP states, he needs a carer, not a babysitter.
Ben Aziza 1 month ago
I think this is more severe than just being wheelchair bound. That is thankfully no longer the barrier to autonomy it was in the past. Trust me, I would know. The poor kid is not able to feed himself... And the mom tried to make a random babysitter be in charge??? This is the type of stuff that requires medical degrees! I spend many years of my early childhood in hospitals for the severely disabled for surgeries. (I came out of that more fked up XD) Some of the fellow kids I saw there required 24/7 care by a team... Even as a kid myself, I wondered if it was cruel to... I won't finish that thought... Anyway, why is there no gov help? This is a country where a 19 Yo can work as a babysitter so it is not a complete disaster zone... Meaning there should be some sort of help provided or even special care centres. Again I would know that was the case in my poor shi I mean lovely wonderful homeland!
Load More Replies...
FreeTheUnicorn 1 month ago
Even if there was no concerns over specialist care, if you shownuo to watch two kids and there are three, walk right back out. Not only was the contract not for the 3 kids, there are definitely other things the parent has lied about.
Mel in Georgia 1 month ago
I don't know what that mom was expecting when she made the "big reveal." No sane person would just say no problem when suddenly told they were caring for a disabled person. This was an act of desperation that rightfully didn't pay off. Feel for the mom, but this was so, so wrong.
Ms.GB 1 month ago
Yes. There's a reason that type of care costs more than a regular babysitting fee. I cared for 2 disabled adults for 6 years and even I found it extremely challenging physically and emotionally at 45. In no way would I recommend that kind of work for a teenage babysitter at pennies on the dollar.
Load More Replies... James016 1 month ago
If you want someone to look after your wheelchair bound child, you have to be upfront to people and you will have to pay them. As OP states, he needs a carer, not a babysitter.
Ben Aziza 1 month ago
I think this is more severe than just being wheelchair bound. That is thankfully no longer the barrier to autonomy it was in the past. Trust me, I would know. The poor kid is not able to feed himself... And the mom tried to make a random babysitter be in charge??? This is the type of stuff that requires medical degrees! I spend many years of my early childhood in hospitals for the severely disabled for surgeries. (I came out of that more fked up XD) Some of the fellow kids I saw there required 24/7 care by a team... Even as a kid myself, I wondered if it was cruel to... I won't finish that thought... Anyway, why is there no gov help? This is a country where a 19 Yo can work as a babysitter so it is not a complete disaster zone... Meaning there should be some sort of help provided or even special care centres. Again I would know that was the case in my poor shi I mean lovely wonderful homeland!
Load More Replies... FreeTheUnicorn 1 month ago
Even if there was no concerns over specialist care, if you shownuo to watch two kids and there are three, walk right back out. Not only was the contract not for the 3 kids, there are definitely other things the parent has lied about.
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