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Sister Shocked When Woman Refuses To Cancel Fully Paid Vacation To Babysit Last-Minute
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“Everything Is Booked And Paid For”: Woman Refuses To Cancel Vacation To Babysit Sister’s Kids

Sister Shocked When Woman Refuses To Cancel Fully Paid Vacation To Babysit Last-Minute“Everything Is Booked And Paid For”: Woman Refuses To Cancel Vacation To Babysit Sister’s KidsSingle Mom Furious When Sister Won’t Drop Hawaii Plans To Help With Last-Minute BabysittingWoman Is Upset Sister Didn’t Even Try To Rebook Her Holiday Trip To Help Out With Her KidsWoman Won’t Give Up Her Trip After Sister’s Nanny Canceled At The Last Minute, Is Called SelfishWoman Second-Guesses Her Judgment After Sister Is Left With No One To Watch Her 2 KidsSingle Mom Is Upset Sister Didn’t Cancel Her Trip To Hawaii When She Needed A Last-Minute BabysitterSingle Mom Goes Off On Sister For Refusing To Babysit Her Kids On Important Work DayWoman Chooses Hawaii Over Babysitting Sister’s Kids, Wonders If She’s In The WrongWoman Refuses To Cancel Long-Awaited Holiday To Babysit Sister’s Kids, Gets Berated
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When we’re sucked into the work-home-sleep, rinse and repeat, kind of routine, it’s nice to have something to look forward to. For some, it might be a birthday, for others – a get together with friends, but for arguably quite a few people, it’s vacation time that they look forward to the most.

For this redditor, it was a trip to Hawaii that couldn’t come fast enough. But when it was nearly time to board the plane, an unexpected call from her sister left her wondering if she should rebook the flight.

Scroll down to find the full story below where you will also find Bored Panda’s interview with Duff Roblin Professor of Government, Sociology, University of Manitoba, Dr. Susan Prentice.

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    Children of young age need constant supervision

    Image credits: Mikhail Nilov (Not the actual photo)

    This woman’s sister asked her to postpone her Hawaii trip to watch her two kids

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    Image credits: Markus Winkler (Not the actual photo)

    Image credits: Future_Biscotti9

    It’s not uncommon for parents to turn to their relatives for help with child care

    It’s neither a surprise nor a secret that whenever emergencies as such arise, people tend to turn to their relatives for help. And there’s nothing wrong with that; as long as they are able and willing to help, leaving your bundle of joy in the hands of a family member you trust might be the best option in unexpected circumstances.

    However, that becomes an entirely different story when said relatives don’t want to or can’t look after one’s child, be it because of a busy schedule or simply not having the capacity to. In addition to that, when it comes to lengthy babysitting periods, a professional might be a better fit.

    Seeking to learn more about child care and how often relatives become involved, Bored Panda discussed the topic with an expert in child care and social policy, Dr. Susan Prentice. She pointed out that caring for children is complex and so relatives might not be the best choice for a lengthy period of time, especially if they themselves have to work or are dealing with other responsibilities at that time.

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    “For short periods, adults can and do double-tasks with divided attention. But when we want children to spend full days away from their parents, we very much want them to have well-educated caregivers—in well-resourced settings—who spend their time on early childhood education and learning, as well as care. We want children to flourish, not merely be guarded and kept safe,” Dr. Prentice said.

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    Image credits: Lina Kivaka (Not the actual photo)

    In certain locations, it might be very difficult to find child care

    As much as we want children to flourish with the help of well-educated caregivers, the expert herself noted that unfortunately, that’s not always possible. “In both Canada and the US, most parents live in child care deserts; there is a licensed child care space for just about one in four Canadian children, and the US situation is roughly similar, with wide provincial/state variation.”

    And that’s why people might once again turn to their relatives for help with child care. “Families usually do their best to help each other out. But the real help will be provided when our governments invest in high quality regulated early childhood education and care services. We have made important gains in Canada, as $10/day child care begins to roll out across the country, but there is much more to do. I hope this public policy failure is recognized as the root of these family problems,” Dr. Prentice said.

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    It’s unclear if the OP’s sister lives in a child care desert or if it’s possible for her to find an alternative for the babysitter who canceled. Yet, no matter the case, fellow redditors didn’t think the OP was a jerk for refusing to postpone her long-awaited vacation because her sister’s child care arrangements fell through. Netizens shared their thoughts in the comments.

    Image credits:Kindel Media (Not the actual photo)

    Fellow redditors didn’t think the woman was a jerk for refusing to postpone her vacation

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    Miglė Miliūtė

    Miglė Miliūtė

    Writer, BoredPanda staff

    Read more »

    A writer here at Bored Panda, I am a lover of good music, good food, and good company, which makes food-related topics and feel-good stories my favorite ones to cover. Passionate about traveling and concerts, I constantly seek occasions to visit places yet personally unexplored. I also enjoy spending free time outdoors, trying out different sports—even if I don’t look too graceful at it—or socializing over a cup of coffee.

    Read less »
    Miglė Miliūtė

    Miglė Miliūtė

    Writer, BoredPanda staff

    A writer here at Bored Panda, I am a lover of good music, good food, and good company, which makes food-related topics and feel-good stories my favorite ones to cover. Passionate about traveling and concerts, I constantly seek occasions to visit places yet personally unexplored. I also enjoy spending free time outdoors, trying out different sports—even if I don’t look too graceful at it—or socializing over a cup of coffee.

    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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    Insomniac
    Community Member
    5 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Sister was jealous of OP's trip and was looking for a way to sabotage. I dated a guy like that. Anything I planned that was important to me or I looked forward to, he had an emergency that I "had" to help with that would interfere with the plans. OP needs to be strong in her boundaries. People like that are so toxic.

    LtKernelPanic
    Community Member
    5 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    While not exactly the same it reminds me of one time a few days before a planned trip my boss asked me if I could shift my vacation back two days (as in start it two days later and come back two days later with no days off lost) because of some big HQ visit that we had just found out about. I said well I'm staying with friends so that part isn't a problem but I'll need $EMPLOYER to reimburse me for all change fees and difference in airfare and that since this trip was a birthday present to myself I splurged for first class. I also said I'd need it in writing too. He looked at me and said enjoy your well deserved trip. That boss is actually a really nice guy but I have no idea what he was thinking that day. Had I been taking a "staycation" I likely would have shifted the dates for him.

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    Insomniac
    Community Member
    5 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Sister was jealous of OP's trip and was looking for a way to sabotage. I dated a guy like that. Anything I planned that was important to me or I looked forward to, he had an emergency that I "had" to help with that would interfere with the plans. OP needs to be strong in her boundaries. People like that are so toxic.

    LtKernelPanic
    Community Member
    5 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    While not exactly the same it reminds me of one time a few days before a planned trip my boss asked me if I could shift my vacation back two days (as in start it two days later and come back two days later with no days off lost) because of some big HQ visit that we had just found out about. I said well I'm staying with friends so that part isn't a problem but I'll need $EMPLOYER to reimburse me for all change fees and difference in airfare and that since this trip was a birthday present to myself I splurged for first class. I also said I'd need it in writing too. He looked at me and said enjoy your well deserved trip. That boss is actually a really nice guy but I have no idea what he was thinking that day. Had I been taking a "staycation" I likely would have shifted the dates for him.

    Load More Comments
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