When her parents decided to take a vacation before making arrangements for their younger daughter, they expected the eldest to step in and help out.
But in this story from Reddit, we see the author set appropriate boundaries and wonder why her family is still upset with her.
Check out the details for yourself!
AITA for not bending over backwards for my parents in order to babysit my 18 year old sister?
My (32F) parents and grandmothers are going on a week long cruise starting on 8/31.
They haven’t mentioned anything about keeping tabs on my younger sister.
They had apparently made some assumptions – that we about to be proven wrong.
Tonight, my mum texted me saying “I really need for you to watch your sister.”
I told her that I’m going back to work 9/2 and will be gone from 530 am and won’t be back in town until 5 pm, then I have a bootcamp I’m dedicated to.
I told her maybe she can stay with me so I can see her in the evenings and check in with her during the day.
She has to work, but is still willing to help. But that’s not enough for her mom.
Apparently that isn’t good enough.
Maybe I was a bit blunt over text, but I honestly don’t understand what she wants me to do. My sister is 18 and I physically can’t be home until 5 pm..
My parents called me and I said she can stay with me so I can see her in the evenings and she won’t have to sleep alone.
My mum said “so she’s just going to be alone?”
And I said “for most of the day, yes”.
She is 18, after all. But the author still feels badly.
And she said “wow, ok”. My dad was in the background yelling at me. I am a people pleaser and my parents put a lot of their responsibilities on me as a child.
They are used to me bending over backwards for them and putting their/my sisters’ needs before mine. This is probably the first boundary l’ve set.
Ultimately, she let her voice be heard.
Anyway, this whole situation pissed me off and I said “This is wild. Make it make sense” which made them more mad.
I got off the phone and blocked them for the night because what I’m not going to do is let them stress me out.
I came a long way with my mental health for this.
AITA for not doing more and snapping at them?
Is there something more I can do?
Let’s see what Reddit has to say about this one.
Top comment says this one is all on the parents, not the oldest child. She can sleep peacefully because she didn’t do anything wrong.
Might be time to put a little distance between herself and her parents, according to this comment.
The author made completely reasonable accommodations. Do they normally helicopter over the 18 year old like this?
Unless they are missing context, this seems over the top by her parents.
Setting boundaries is critical for healthy relationships.
Maybe next time they book a vacation, they should think about taking their youngest daughter instead of pawning her off on her sister!
Or you know, letter her stay alone like the adult she is.
If you enjoyed that story, read this one about a mom who was forced to bring her three kids with her to apply for government benefits, but ended up getting the job of her dreams.