Offering your time and effort to someone and noticing they’re taking you for granted is discouraging.

In this case, a woman noticed her sister didn’t appreciate her availability to babysit her kids even though she was also very busy with college and working a part-time job.

So she decided enough was enough… and family drama ensued.

Let’s see what happened.

AITA for refusing to babysit my sister’s kids for free anymore?

I’m a 21 year old female and I’ve been helping my older sister (28, female) by babysitting her two kids (4 year old boy and 2 year old girl) for almost a year now.

She works full-time, and because I’m currently in college with a flexible schedule, I’ve been the go-to babysitter.

Ok…

Initially, I didn’t mind because I love my niece and nephew, and I wanted to help out my sister since I knew she was struggling with money.

But here’s the thing: I was doing it for free. No compensation, nothing—just the “thanks, sis” at the end of the day.

I didn’t mind because family helps family, right?

But recently, my classes have gotten harder, I’ve taken on more hours at my part-time job, and I’m just tired.

Taking care of two small kids is no easy task, and her sister seems to think it’s ‘no biggie’.

I approached my sister and told her that I was happy to continue babysitting, but would need some sort of payment or at least a more manageable schedule.

She FLIPPED out.

She told me I was being selfish and that family shouldn’t charge each other. She said she couldn’t afford a sitter and relied on me to keep working.

I told her I was not trying to hurt her, but I needed to focus on my own life too. Her response?

“If you loved your niece and nephew, you wouldn’t be asking for money.”

Wow.

That hurt, a lot. Now my parents are involved, saying I should just help her because “that’s what family is for.”

But none of them are offering to step in to babysit themselves. 🙄

AITA for setting this boundary, or am I being selfish by asking for payment for my time and energy?

Maybe tell them that ‘if they loved you, they would put themselves in your shoes for a change’.

Let’s see what Reddit has to say.

A reader shares their thoughts.

Someone asks a question.

Another person suggests a question for the parents.

A commenter chimes in.

Another commenter shares some strong feelings about the situation.

True.

I agree!

Taking someone for granted is a dangerous game.

One you’re bound to lose.

If you liked this post, check out this story about an employee who got revenge on a co-worker who kept grading their work suspiciously low.