Free babysitting sounds great…unless the person offering to babysit isn’t a person you want babysitting your kids.
In today’s story, an ex-husband refuses to let his wife’s new husband babysit their son.
Let’s see why he’s turning down free babysitting…
AITA for refusing to pay 100% of babysitting costs declining stepdad’s offers to babysit?
I share custody of three boys – 13, 9 and 7 with my ex wife.
We’ve been separated for almost 5 years. During that time we used a sitter for the two oldest boys and now for the middle and youngest boys.
Our sitter is very much like a member of our family and my 9yo is very attached to him.
But now his ex-wife’s new husband is willing to babysit.
Unfortunately our sitter is ready to move on and agreed to stay until the end of this summer.
My ex remarried a few years ago to “Chris” and they have no kids together but he has an 18yo son.
Chris offered to become the sitter since he can WFH full time and misses being a hands-on dad.
No, he wouldn’t get paid.
He refuses to let Chris babysit.
I said no, I’m good.
He was pretty upset and asked why.
I simply said that he’s not a neutral party and I don’t think you’d connect with the boys like our current sitter has.
Plus I don’t think he has the patience. I can’t see him having a sense of humor when the 13yo pops an attitude or when the 9yo refuses to shower or when the 7yo whines.
I said worse comes to worse, I’ll take care of it myself by changing my work schedule so I can WFH FT.
His ex-wife is mad at him.
He asked me what was up with my attitude.
I said I was being blunt. Things have gone well for the last five years and I want to make sure it still does.
My ex is angry at me and is complaining about the money that has to be spent on a sitter.
She said that I should pay 100% of the babysitter costs if we end up needing one since I turned down an opportunity for a free sitter.
It was nice of the stepdad to offer to babysit.
Let’s see how Reddit responded…
This reader agrees that he should have to pay for a babysitter.
Another reader doesn’t know why the wife and stepdad even asked if it was okay if he babysits.
This person thinks he is “scared” of the stepdad.
Another person agrees that he is probably worried about his sons getting closer to the stepdad.
Another reader thinks he should reconsider the stepdad’s offer.
It seems like the easiest solution is to let the stepdad babysit when the mom has the kids.
Let the dad be responsible to figure out babysitting when the kids are with him.
If you liked that post, check out this story about a guy who was forced to sleep on the couch at his wife’s family’s house, so he went to a hotel instead.