Would you be upset if your sister-in-law were babysitting your kids on her farm and actually decided to have the kids do a few farm chores while they were there?
That’s what’s happening in this story, and the sister-in-laws don’t see eye to eye about the situation.
Let’s see how the story unfolds…
AITA for expecting my niece and nephew to help out on the farm while I watch them?
I’m a 34 year old woman and am currently watching my niece who is 10 and my nephew who is 7 for my Brother and SIL over the Spring Holiday so they can go on on a kid fee holiday.
I run the family farm as my older brother wasn’t interested in taking it over when our parents got too old to keep up with the demands it has.
As the kids are staying with me for the time being, I decided they’d help out on the farm in age appropriate ways, nothing too taxing and honestly far less than what my brother and I did at their ages.
If they do this in the morning they’re free to spend the afternoon as they please.
Her sister-in-law is furious.
I think it’s a good way to teach them responsibility, and besides, I don’t have kids so the farm might end up being taken over by one of them one day if they take an interest in it.
My Brother and SIL phone the kid each night to say goodnight/check how they’re doing and they mentioned how they were helping out on the farm.
When I talked to my brother and SIL after the kids said goodnight, my SIL was angry and demanding to know why I was forcing her children to work and how they were here on vacation and it wasn’t right of me to do that.
My brother asked what they’d been doing, and when I told him it was mostly mucking out the stables and feeding the animals he tried to talk her down but she was even more upset to know her children were doing something so “dirty.”
She sister-in-law won’t listen to reason.
I was rather bemused by this as it’s honestly not that bad. It’s not like they’re rolling about in the dirty stables.
I told her how they were having fun and it’s honestly not that bad and did no harm to me and my brother growing up.
She has told me she doesn’t want my kids lifting a finger for the rest of the time I have them and it’s their holiday so they should be treated as such.
My brother clearly thinks she’s overreacting but he also tends to defer to her in most things, so i’m getting no support there.
She’s not sure what she should do.
Honestly I don’t know what to do.
I’m running a business not a resort so I can hardly wait on them hand and foot while my brother and SIL are on holiday.
Is it truly so bad that i’d expect them to help out in the mornings while staying?
If the kids are enjoying the farm work, there really isn’t a problem here. The sister-in-law definitely seems to be overreacting.
Let’s see how Reddit reacted to this story…
This reader is on the aunt’s side.
This is a very good point.
The kids are probably having a blast!
This reader was expected to do chores too.
The kids’ mom might change her mind when she finds out how much they enjoyed the farm work.
Helping on the farm is probably like playing to these kids.
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.