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Single Mom Weaponizes Son’s Tears To Get Free Babysitting, Gets Hit With Harsh Reality Check
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Single Mom Weaponizes Son’s Tears To Get Free Babysitting, Gets Hit With Harsh Reality Check

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Nobody deserves to be mistreated by their family members. Nurturing your relationships with your family requires a lot of consistent and hard work. It means respecting each other, enforcing healthy boundaries, providing support when needed, and communicating during a major disagreement. However, these relationships are meant to be a two-way street.

It’s a major issue if you’re constantly being taken advantage of. It’s one thing to lend a helping hand. It’s another thing entirely if you’re treated as an unpaid servant. Redditor u/Pretend_Mode_9494 went viral on the AITAH community after sharing a very sensitive story about how she finally stood up to her sister, who manipulated her into babysitting for free. You’ll find the full story below. Bored Panda has reached out to the author for further comment, and we’ll update the article as soon as we hear back from her.

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    Family is family, but if you feel that you’re constantly being taken advantage of, then things are far from right

    Image credits: dvatri (not the actual photo)

    A woman shared how she finally stood up to her sister, who kept guilt-tripping her into working as a free babysitter

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    Image credits: nenetus (not the actual photo)

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    Image credits: Tirachard (not the actual photo)

    Image credits: Pretend_Mode_9494

    Manipulative individuals use many different tactics to pressure someone into behaving a certain way

    According to WebMD, one of the signs that a person might be trying to manipulate you is trying to make you feel guilty.

    “A manipulator can skew any situation to make themselves the victim. Or they might remind you of times they’ve helped you out, making it seem like you owe them.”

    Meanwhile, manipulators are likely to make you doubt yourself. Often, they complain and get angry in front of others to pressure you and force you to behave the way they want. This is especially effective if their targets tend to avoid conflict.

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    Furthermore, manipulative individuals compare you to others, put you down, use threats, and tend to give out ultimatums.

    Others, however, may try to charm you in order to build trust and then make you do what they want.

    Nobody should feel like they’re being mistreated by the people who are supposed to be their biggest supporters.

    If you believe that you’re being taken advantage of by your relatives—being asked to babysit for free, constantly doing chores for them, etc.—it’s important that you speak up and address these issues.

    There is absolutely nothing wrong with standing up for yourself. Sure, family is family. But that doesn’t mean that you should be forced to sacrifice hours upon hours of your free time every single day.

    You have your own life to live. You have your career, family, chores, hobbies, social life, and responsibilities to take care of. But if you’re consistently forced to put those things on the back burner for the sake of your relatives, it’s not a healthy dynamic, and it needs to be changed.

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    Image credits: YuriArcursPeopleimages (not the actual photo)

    After you’ve clarified your boundaries to yourself, it’s then time to communicate about them with your family

    It’s very likely that you’ll have to remind your relatives of your boundaries and then enforce them if they keep getting ignored.

    However, before you even start enforcing your boundaries with your family, you should think about what these boundaries are. The more clarity you have for yourself, the better for everyone.

    “Spend time journaling and talking with other people to identify what your needs, limits, and values are,” licensed marriage and family therapist Elizabeth Campbell told Time magazine.

    Next, once you’ve wrapped your head around what your boundaries actually are, it’s time to articulate them. That might mean setting out some simple ground rules so that everyone’s on the same page.

    Licensed marriage and family therapist Laurie Carmichael suggests having a basic conversation template, such as: “If you say or do X again, I will need to do Y.”

    “It’s very clearly naming what it is and saying what’s going to happen. That’s different from a request,” she said, that you’re making clear where your lines are and what you will and won’t tolerate from now on. Boundaries are enforceable, while requests are not.

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    “There’s no need for fluff or apologizing. Just get to the point in a clear, kind way,” the therapist urged people to embrace briefness and directness rather than vagueness.

    Meanwhile, it’s vital that you prioritize your self-care while also respecting your family members’ own boundaries.

    What are your thoughts about the entire situation, dear Pandas? What would you have done if you were in the author’s shoes? Have you ever had a close family member try to pressure you like this? Have you ever worked as a free babysitter? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

    Image credits: LightFieldStudios (not the actual photo)

    Most readers were very supportive of the author, who later shared more context in the comments

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    After some time passed, the author shared a few more important updates about how her relationship with her sister deteriorated

    Image credits: macniak (not the actual photo)

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    Image credits: YuriArcursPeopleimages (not the actual photo)

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    Image credits: LightFieldStudios (not the actual photo)

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    Image credits: YuriArcursPeopleimages (not the actual photo)

    Image credits: Pretend_Mode_9494

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    Here’s how the internet reacted after reading the important updates

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    Ic_polls

    Poll Question

    How should the author proceed with her relationship with her sister after this incident?

    Go no contact for a while

    Try to communicate and rebuild the relationship

    Set clear boundaries and move forward carefully

    Forgive her and go back to helping

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    Jonas Grinevičius

    Jonas Grinevičius

    Writer, BoredPanda staff

    Read more »

    Storytelling, journalism, and art are a core part of who I am. I've been writing and drawing ever since I could walk—there is nothing else I'd rather do. My formal education, however, is focused on politics, philosophy, and economics because I've always been curious about the gap between the ideal and the real. At work, I'm a Senior Writer and I cover a broad range of topics that I'm passionate about: from psychology and changes in work culture to healthy living, relationships, and design. In my spare time, I'm an avid hiker and reader, enjoy writing short stories, and love to doodle. I thrive when I'm outdoors, going on small adventures in nature. However, you can also find me enjoying a big mug of coffee with a good book (or ten) and entertaining friends with fantasy tabletop games and sci-fi movies.

    Read less »
    Jonas Grinevičius

    Jonas Grinevičius

    Writer, BoredPanda staff

    Storytelling, journalism, and art are a core part of who I am. I've been writing and drawing ever since I could walk—there is nothing else I'd rather do. My formal education, however, is focused on politics, philosophy, and economics because I've always been curious about the gap between the ideal and the real. At work, I'm a Senior Writer and I cover a broad range of topics that I'm passionate about: from psychology and changes in work culture to healthy living, relationships, and design. In my spare time, I'm an avid hiker and reader, enjoy writing short stories, and love to doodle. I thrive when I'm outdoors, going on small adventures in nature. However, you can also find me enjoying a big mug of coffee with a good book (or ten) and entertaining friends with fantasy tabletop games and sci-fi movies.

    Justinas Keturka

    Justinas Keturka

    Author, BoredPanda staff

    Read more »

    I'm the Visual Editor at Bored Panda, responsible for ensuring that everything our audience sees is top-notch and well-researched. What I love most about my job? Discovering new things about the world and immersing myself in exceptional photography and art.

    Read less »

    Justinas Keturka

    Justinas Keturka

    Author, BoredPanda staff

    I'm the Visual Editor at Bored Panda, responsible for ensuring that everything our audience sees is top-notch and well-researched. What I love most about my job? Discovering new things about the world and immersing myself in exceptional photography and art.

    What do you think ?
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    POST
    Bat cat in a hat
    Community Member
    20 hours ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    It's funny sister said OP is jealous because she doesn't have kids when the truth it's the opposite, sister is jealous because OP doesn't have kids! Where is/are the father(s) of those kids? Sister hasn't learned by choosing to have the first kid it's HARD to be a parent, even more a single parent, not she's mad she can't just palm off the kids to someone else, and for free, when she feels like? Sister needs to grow up or the kids will be taken away - or maybe that's what she wants, and blame OP for calling CPS, so she'll always be the bad guy no matter what. Poor kids indeed.

    Kathy Brooke
    Community Member
    18 hours ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    That was exactly my thought. OP has a life, job, fiancé etc and sister is jealous. Sister wants to hand the kids over and swap lives.

    KatSaidWhat
    Community Member
    21 hours ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I'm sad for the kids involved but that sister is an unhinged entitled c**t.

    Crystalwitch60
    Community Member
    21 hours ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Op huge hugs your way , your sister is tbh dangerous ! Likely down to the s**t you both endured as kids , n the reason you don’t want kids , not sure in the pets tho as they will love you unconditionally and could really help you x however your sister now she’s as others said unhinged !!! the last update concerned me to when u asked where the kids where so from her your the only person she can get help from is either bs or she’s left them on their own !! please tell the cps about that , to add I’m a lone mum I’m 60 my kids are 23-20 n I’ve been on my own for 13 yrs after ex husband left n I’ve no family at all bar them I managed as have millions of other single mothers and fathers come to that , so she needs to parent up n get a grip of herself ! She’s almost lunatic status tbh and those poor babies need away from her asap please up date us n let us know if they are safe n how your doing we got you lovely x blessed be

    Load More Comments
    Bat cat in a hat
    Community Member
    20 hours ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    It's funny sister said OP is jealous because she doesn't have kids when the truth it's the opposite, sister is jealous because OP doesn't have kids! Where is/are the father(s) of those kids? Sister hasn't learned by choosing to have the first kid it's HARD to be a parent, even more a single parent, not she's mad she can't just palm off the kids to someone else, and for free, when she feels like? Sister needs to grow up or the kids will be taken away - or maybe that's what she wants, and blame OP for calling CPS, so she'll always be the bad guy no matter what. Poor kids indeed.

    Kathy Brooke
    Community Member
    18 hours ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    That was exactly my thought. OP has a life, job, fiancé etc and sister is jealous. Sister wants to hand the kids over and swap lives.

    KatSaidWhat
    Community Member
    21 hours ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I'm sad for the kids involved but that sister is an unhinged entitled c**t.

    Crystalwitch60
    Community Member
    21 hours ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Op huge hugs your way , your sister is tbh dangerous ! Likely down to the s**t you both endured as kids , n the reason you don’t want kids , not sure in the pets tho as they will love you unconditionally and could really help you x however your sister now she’s as others said unhinged !!! the last update concerned me to when u asked where the kids where so from her your the only person she can get help from is either bs or she’s left them on their own !! please tell the cps about that , to add I’m a lone mum I’m 60 my kids are 23-20 n I’ve been on my own for 13 yrs after ex husband left n I’ve no family at all bar them I managed as have millions of other single mothers and fathers come to that , so she needs to parent up n get a grip of herself ! She’s almost lunatic status tbh and those poor babies need away from her asap please up date us n let us know if they are safe n how your doing we got you lovely x blessed be

    Load More Comments
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