The transition from being an only child to becoming an older sibling can bring about various emotions and changes within a family dynamic. In a recent Reddit post, a 16-year-old shared her concerns about her parent’s expectations of her becoming a live-in babysitter for her soon-to-be-born sibling. Here’s the full story.
She Has a Distant Relationship With Her Parents
The Original Poster (OP) is a 16-year-old who has a distant relationship with her parents.
OP says that her parents have always intended to have only one child, and OP was aware that this was in part because they found childcare to be absurdly costly. Also, OP’s mom enjoyed her career too much to stay at home.
They Don’t Show Any Interest
Her parents weren’t “natural parents” and are rather hands-off. They are not particularly interested in OP’s life and they never do anything as a family. They contribute to OP’s life only in monetary terms and no more.
The Unexpected Surprise
The story began when her mother surprisingly found out she was pregnant.
When OP overheard them talking about what they would do, OP’s mother kept stating that she wasn’t going to remain at home and she wasn’t going to take a lot of maternity leave.
Her mother said that she was eager to get back to work.
They Didn’t Want to Hire a Babysitter
They complained about the price of hiring a babysitter while they were at work, over the summer, and other things. Plus, OP overheard them name her.
Things Got Worse
Then things took a turn when last week, they sat OP down and told her they had plans to have OP watch the baby for 3–4 hours after school till they got home from work.
OP was taken aback as this would entail giving up all of her after-school activities and would stop her from hanging out with friends as well.
They also urged OP to spend the upcoming summer at home and to think about sticking around for the following few seasons.
She Said “NO”
But OP said, “No way.” Then, they informed OP that as a family member, she now has obligations and will soon be a big sister.
OP informed them that “they” were the parents and that OP was just a guest in their home, not a parent. OP got angry and told them she could rush graduation and leave their house so that they couldn’t use her as free daycare.
They Were Shocked
OP’s parents were shocked at her response.
OP learned that with the grades she maintains and the work she puts in, she could finish her senior year early since she is practically done with junior year.
Her Parents Were Upset
Her parents were really upset with her and informed her that by doing this she would be missing out on a lot.
She told them she wouldn’t look after or raise the child on their behalf.
She Told Them Its Not Her Problem
She mentioned she has a life of her own, and having a baby at home is not a part of it.
They Accused Her of Being Selfish
They warned OP that she is being selfish and advised her to consider what she was discarding.
They added that if OP refuses to participate in the baby’s life, she is a bad person and a bad sister.
She Turned To Reddit
OP asked Reddit if she was wrong for what she said and thousands of comments poured in supporting her.
One Reddit user said that it is a ridiculous amount of time daily and that they are the parents and they have to figure their own things out.
Another Redditor commented, “THEY are the parents, it is THEIR child and THEIR responsibility. I get help out once in a while but this is unfair to you. Plus you are 16! You are so young. What happens if you go to college or something? They are irresponsible parents.”
So what is your view? What would you do if you were in this situation?
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The post Her Mom Discovered She Was Pregnant and They’ve Pegged Her as the Built-in Babysitter. But She Refuses to Give Up Her Life So They Can Have Theirs! first appeared on Mama Say What?!
Featured Image Credit: Shutterstock / 4 PM production. The people shown in the images are for illustrative purposes only, not the actual people featured in the story.
Source: Reddit