Sister Forces Unpaid Babysitting, Gets Mad When She Refuses
The Original Post
Me (20F) and I do not like kids. I never have I do not enjoy taking care of them playing with them or being responsible for them I have always been clear about this with my family.
My sister ( 31F) has a daughter(5m) I love her but loving someone does not mean I want to be a caregiver to the most thing i hate.
A few months ago my sister started asking me to help her with her daughter. at first it was small things watching her for an hour staying with her while my sister ran errands .I did not love it but I agreed because I felt pressured.
Slowly it turned into more and more I was expected to babysit multiple days a week for hours I had to feed her play with her help her shower and put her to sleep My sister never asked anymore she just assumed I would do it and yell at me when i dont.
Whenever I tried to say no she would say things like you are young ,you have free time ,you live at home anyway or she would guilt me by saying she is family and I should help and blame me.
I felt trapped and exhausted even though I hated every minute of it I still did it because every time I complained my family told me I was selfish.and I felt that I were a one.
Recently I told everyone that I had planned a trip with my friends .It was already paid for and planned weeks in advance I was excited because it was the first time in a long while I felt like I had something for myself.
My sister immediately got angry She said what am I supposed to do with my daughter then I reminded her that I never agreed to be her full time babysitter.
She exploded and said I was abandoning her and being irresponsible.like he’s my baby not hers. She told me that I should cancel my trip and take care of my niece instead.
So i immediately said no.
That turned into a huge argument She called me names including b1t€h and said I was immature and heartless My parents sided ofcorse with her and said I should step up and help my sister.
I felt overwhelmed and honestly done taht j would really snap at them If I stayed.So I packed a bag and left the house to stay with my boyfriend for a few days.
Now they are furious.They say I ran away from responsibility and that I chose my boyfriend and friends over my own family. My sister says I betrayed her and that she can not rely on me anymore.
I feel guilty for my niece an I feel that I am the bad one.
So AITA?
Edit:for anybody wondering I meant in the (5m) A 5 months old.
What Reddit Said
Reddit users immediately rallied behind OP with overwhelming support. The top comments focused on one key point: the sister needs to parent her own child. Moreover, commenters praised OP for finally setting boundaries after months of manipulation.
Many Redditors called out the family’s enabling behavior. They pointed out how the parents sided with the sister instead of recognizing the exploitation. In fact, users celebrated when the sister said “she can’t rely on you anymore” – calling it a victory, not an insult.
The Verdict
The overwhelming consensus: OP is Not the Asshole (NTA). This is a clear case where sister forced babysitting duties crossed into exploitation territory. Reddit recognized this as classic family manipulation where reasonable boundaries were twisted into “selfishness.” The sister’s entitlement to free childcare – and the family’s support of it – made OP’s escape completely justified.
Original post from r/AmItheAsshole (2,520 upvotes, 377 comments)