Teenager Is Expected To “Give Up His Freedom” Until He’s 21 To Take Care Of His Baby Brother
Some time ago, Reddit user A-Lot-Like-Birds had been babysitting his young brother. 17 at the time, he was sacrificing virtually all other aspects of his life, and although his mom paid him for it, the money was minuscule compared to the number of hours he was putting in. However, when the teen brought it up, saying that he wants to move on and start building his own future, the woman didn’t take it well and they got into a huge fight.
This teenager had been looking after his baby brother full-time for more than half a year
Image credits: vedrana2701 (not the actual photo)
And while his mom had been paying him, he confronted her because he thought it wasn’t enough
Image credits: Karolina Grabowska (not the actual photo)
Image credits: A-Lot-Like-Birds
Image credits: Danik Prihodko (not the actual photo)
You can understand why OP’s mom wants him to help. The world has changed a lot over the last few years due to the pandemic and economic struggles, and families have felt the shift when it comes to managing their households as well. Making matters worse, nearly 9,000 U.S. daycares closed in 37 states between December 2019 to March 2021, according to findings from a new 2022 survey by ChildCare Aware.
Parents continue to struggle to pay for child care. In fact, 59% are more concerned about its costs now than in years prior, which is driving significant changes, such as taking on a second job (31%), reducing hours at work (26%), changing jobs (25%), and leaving the workforce entirely (21%), just to foot the bill.
But while there’s nothing wrong with asking your son to help look after his baby brother once in a while, expecting him to put in 50-60 hours per week, month after month and year after year for just $150 sounds quite bad.
The national average cost of a nanny for one child averaged $694 per week or about $17.35 per hour.
Image credits: Lukas (not the actual photo)
People supported the teenager and advised him to move out as soon as he could
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NTA. A 17 yo shouldn't be wasting the best years of their life raising kids they didn't choose to have.
Exactly. Not his kid, not his responsibility. As an older sibling it's natural you might be expected to help out occasionally, but watching your siblings every day is not fair.
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NTA. A 17 yo shouldn't be wasting the best years of their life raising kids they didn't choose to have.
Exactly. Not his kid, not his responsibility. As an older sibling it's natural you might be expected to help out occasionally, but watching your siblings every day is not fair.
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