Here’s an idea for the next party. At the end of the day when everybody is getting ready to leave, quietly give every kid an energy drink and a list of swear words.

NTA. You are obviously not "invited" to the parties, but abused as free labor.

Where I live one registered and qualified child minder can only look after up to 6 children under the age of 8 years old at any one time. The adults in this situation, regardless of being entitled, rude and disrespectful of OP, are being irresponsible to their own children by forcing this on OP. They are the grown ups, they are the parents only they and they alone are responsible. Also, where I live, I can legally leave my child with someone under 18... but if anything happens to my child, whether I'm present or not, I am legally responsible. The parents are absolute cockwombles

Using teenage children as free babysitters because "it's a family thing" is so f****d up. If they don't know how to use a condom, they shouldn't bury others with their responsibility. Their children, their problem. Why are (some) people with children so blind d***s about it? Watch your own f*****g kids instead of stealing other people's leisure time.

I was the quirky aunt and they learned pretty quickly not to leave me alone with kids. My weapons of choice were kid makeup, finger paint, tons of glue, glitter and coloured paper and at the third and last occasion a huge bag of cheap plastic kazoos. Each and every occasion was messier, louder and stickyer than the last. My SIL heard me talking about plastic recorders and police whistles to keep the kids happy and occupied and how to make your own bongos and decided then and there never to leave me alone with the kids ever again. The next party they hired a sitter that definitely wasn't me.

I've got a sister that always does this to my teenage daughter on family vacations and we had to start reminding her that our daughter is on vacation, too.

If you're a parent and you bring kids, it's your responsibility to watch em. Grew up to large family gatherings and none of us kids were ever imposed on our older cousins. In truth, if our parents caught us hanging around a particular teen we'd get in trouble and our respective parents profusely apologized....never knew why till I became a teen, lol. Family gatherings with 50+ people with lil Rugrats all over is exhausting! Hard to find a place where the youngins CAN'T get to. Or if you do find a place, can't make too much noise (like playing pool) or you'll be swarmed with 20 or so kids asking a plethora of questions and being rowdy. We'd just put up with it until the adults realized what was going on and we'd love somewhere else....like the roof and just chill. Ah, memories :)

Leaving an underage person to watch your children while you drink. Tell that to the cops.

When i was a kid and we had family things there was 23 of us cousins. We were responsible for each other. No one bothered trying too supervise us because 23 little a******s running around is an impossible feat. Now the 23 of us have 58 kids and it's even worse while being exactly the same

I've been in her position and when I say I don't want kids, the same family members who still try to foist their kids on me tell me I'm young, and speaking from without (BTW I'm 25F, I think I'm old enough to know my mind). I hear things like "You want kids, how can you not? It's inevitable" "Don't be foolish, you want kids" "There's power in the tongue, the devil can hear you" "you don't know what you're talking about, just keep quiet" "there are people who can't have kids and you who can is throwing the opportunity away" but really, their kids have made me averse to them, among other factors.

Sounds like you need to stop going or start charging. An seriously talk to your parents how you are being treated at these parties as a free babysitter and talked rude to. It's not your job to watch the kids. You're not even enjoying the gathering. Make plans to stay with a friend next time you hear about one of these parties in advance an tell your parents you are having a study sleep over or a movie night. And please talk to your parents how uncomfortable it's making you. Be honest. Say they disrespect your supervision (the kids) and the adults for when you can't even use the restroom because the kids wander off.

Yelling at me that I should have been watching the kids? Oh no no no no no. YOU should have been watching YOUR kids.

There are state statutes of how many children a child care provider can attend to. You are a minor child being put in a situation that is illegal. I'd be notifying social services so these people quit with their ignorant antics. Yeah it may be extreme but sometimes it takes something this big to smack down their despicable behavior. Not to mention is something happened to an unattended child. The parents would be putting blame on the teenager. And then turn they could charge her as an adult. These situation call for no mercy cuz the adults obviously don't care The teenager needs her voice heard through a legal entity like social services and the police department. When it comes to something like this you can't be nice about the situation Because it could totally ruin the teenagers life there is a mishap. And then what the adults get to go on their merry way thinking that they're ignorant decisions are no big deal. Know-it-all parents need to be smacked down.

"Well Mom and Dad, hope you didn't want any grandkids outta me"

Nta. I wouldn't go to any of the parties, or I would leave early to show that it is in fact that your job to do that

Imagine if suffering happened to one of these kids. You would be blamed and your parents are A- holes for putting you and tthem in that situation. A licensed daycare would only allow 6 children under 6 to be supervised by one trained adult!

NTA. I had a relative a long time ago who would invite me and other family members to her home for a social occasion and then she would declare, "I'm going to put y'all to work." She would assign a list of household chores and fully expect the work to be done. Everyone knew she would do it and everyone hated it but to keep the peace we complied with her demands for many years. She didn't take it well at all if we didn't. She probably had no idea how much everyone dreaded "visiting" her. No one had a problem helping her out when she needed it but she was just lazy, demanding and had a way overblown sense of entitlement. You know, sometimes a family would like to get together just to actually visit. Those parents sound like they're natured the same irritating way.

sounds like a good time to make yourself the leader of the family "gang" and make a few memories with your cousins nieces and nephews! Make sure by the time you and the "gang" are done, they will see you as so "irresponsible" watching kids and allowing them to be destructive that they won't trust you with them EVER again! A few artistic drawings on walls, dug up flowers, muddy cars or wet muddy toddlers jumping on furniture makes you look like a horrible baby sitter every time!

Not her responsibility. And maybe it's better if the parents ask or just put her to see their kids, put signage for the rates.

This can happen even if your an adult. I was in charge of meal and kids, sat at kid table for years with my children and everyone else's too.

BYOB. Bring Your Own Babysitter.

One person having to watch 8-10 kids? That is like having to do kindergarten and knowing exactly where everyone is... Like that is abuse of basically free labor. Either OP needs to explain what is going on to their family, because they don't know, or they are definitely a******* for forcing OP to do it. Family isn't just about having kids do stuff, it is also about understanding and finding solutions. And OP is well justified in her complaint.

Also my sister is 11 years older than me and my mom always made her take me with her and her friends. She hated me because of it. Once we were both adults she admitted it to me.

Just me, and I’m arguably privileged that ‘small’ amounts of money aren’t an issue - but in my family, for a family gathering, I’m fairly sure we’d ask one or more teens to act as sitters, and the parents would all kick in some $$$ to pay them. In addition to the obvious, there’s all kinds of WIN in terms of interacting and strengthening family relationships.

Ok! So NTA - but there is one thing i do think- i have a three year old and when we get together with family and there are lots of other little kids its easy to lose track of them. I don’t expect anyone to look after my kid but if a kid, especially a little one , asks to go with you to a creek/potentially dangerous area and then wanders off to that place by themselves- thats dangerous. While you don’t need to be watching that kid, letting their parents know where they are or making sure they don’t go off on their own to do that is being à responsible human- and could be the difference between a kid drowning in a creek because you were taking a stand against being used by the family. It wouldn’t be your fault but i bet you’d feel s****y af about it. You dont have to watch over other peoples kids but if you notice a child missing or making their way to areas where no one is watching i think anyone has an obligation to yell at that kid to get back or/and tell their parents that they are about to run off .

I was that kid too. I liked watching them, but it ended when one day the kids got so far out of hand that I stood screaming at them, in exactly the way one of my aunts screamed at her kids. She'd walked in, heard me, and asked why I was hollering, so I told her they wouldn't stop messing with each other so I screamed like she did thinking maybe that would work. She must have told the others, and I never had to do it again.

I was a single and my child went everywhere I went and I always kept on eye on her a taught her to never be out of my sight. I never expect another person at any gathering to watch my child because it was always my responsibility. And yes my child knew right from wrong and was well behaved.

Not the AH but maybe have some foresight about a young child wanting to play in water.. steer them to ask their parents to go, tell them to go inside and get them and when they do, wash your hands of the situation. An unsupervised 6 and under child can still drown in a not very deep creek. Still, not the AH but also not super keen on foresight.

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This sounds like how my white friends treat teenagers. White privilege suks.