How could you possibly find this cute? No mother can work a desk job with a 1 year old, so why would it be possible (or cute?) for a 5th grade sibling??? This is not about being a good sister or whatever. Out of school (work), I wouldn't see a problem with the big sister helping out. But at school, she's AT WORK and paying attention to her lessons and to the needs of a baby is impossible. It's not cute at all. This girl must be suffering a huge amount of stress. Look at the big picture !

Pardon me for not getting warm and fuzzy over seeing a child parentified. She shouldn't have to take care of a kid while trying to get an education. Props to her for that kind of balance at 10, but jeeze it shouldn't be that way. We've really been brainwashed to see people enduring hardship as a chance to high-five them instead of burn down the system that is creating the struggle.

How is the mother running errands an acceptable excuse to send her 1 year old off with her 10 year old? I get that older siblings help out. That's fine. But parentification of a 10 year old is not. Can't believe errands is being seen as a valid excuse not to care for her child but her child having school isn't.

the struggle of being a parentified eldest in the US is that we weren't allowed to do this, so people imagine it doesn't happen here, but i just had to stay home or do other things to get around stuff. like people force their eldest (usually daughter) to be the backup/emotional support parent, especially if they're financially unstable, all the time, all over the world. just places in the west don't allow you to be this blatant about it. multiple doctors thought i was my sister's mom for years because i was the one who'd take her in. this is not a shock. this is just accommodated in Thailand in a way it isn't everywhere in the world.

Aww no. Just let her learn and have dreams outside of being a caretaker. She should be a child right now not a mom. Childhood is so short and girls have even less of it. It’s not her responsibility and mom should have taken her baby with her on errand or left her with an adult family member or friend. Such a heavy burden for a little girl to bear

Keep studying little girl.

Op my sister had to watch out for me because our mother was working and she resented it and resented me because of it. My mother yelled at my sister because she was being abusive towards me in retaliation for my mother forcing her to watch me. My mother also received income from my father's death as well as employment from two jobs at this time so it's not like she couldn't have paid someone to come in and watch me so I could be safe and not abused.

OK maybe it's because I grew up mostly outside North America or Europe but I don't see why the uproar over this. Of course kids help the family out, do chores and help with their siblings. Lucky for you if you're rich enough not to have to. So she brought her sister to school, it seems like a one-off anyway. I see a lot of people making assumptions in the comments here, one guy Eric even feels that he has to swear at everybody 😂

Nah, this is 100% the Dad's way of telling her this is all you will ever be. So why bother with school. Life is so unfair for females.

It's called parentifying, and it's abuse.

That girl is doing a wonderful job, and is clearly a very caring older sister, but she shouldn't have to be doing this. It's awful that her family is in a position where they don't have adequate childcare. While I doubt the daughter would say that she's unhappy caring for her sister if asked, she's still a child and needs time to be a kid instead of having to care for her sister. Obviously watching a younger sibling at home for some time while a parent is out is one thing, but having to bring her sister to school is heartbreaking. That family deserves better. The girl is clearly a commendable, responsible, and caring older sister, but just because she *can* care for a child doesn't mean she *should*. She's ten, she needs to be learning long division and hanging from the monkey bars, not changing diapers and fixing bottles.

What kind of dystopian s**t is this?

When I read the headline, I thought the 10yo had a child. Glad it's just a sibling but this poor girl needs to be able to focus on her studies and have a life, not be a baby sitter...

While I see the concerns that some commenters have expressed, I think it's arrogant for us to judge this without understanding the culture. Is this a girl being parentified or just a girl in a more collective society content to play her role? I don't know and I bet the other commenters don't either. Regardless, I am impressed by the focus that Green exhibits.

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Wow these comments make me so sad. Westerners really don't understand anything about other cultures. If it doesn't fit our mold it needs to be changed. Go ahead try to "fix" it. You make judgements without understanding their world, their culture or their beliefs. She will probably turn out to be a stronger and better human being than a lot of kids being raised in Western Cultures who only think about what is in it for me? Is it perfect, is it right, is it abuse? It most definitely is not our place as Westerners to decide. Walk a mile in their shoes then maybe just maybe you can have some tiny right to judge.