Helping out a new mom is one thing, but being expected to take on a responsibility you’re not comfortable with is another.

What would you do if a close family friend asked you to babysit their newborn, even after you made it clear you weren’t comfortable caring for a baby alone?

Would you give in to the pressure?

Or would you stick to your boundaries, even if it made you look unsupportive?

In the following story, a young woman finds herself in this very predicament with her sister’s best friend.

Here’s what happened.

AITA for not babysitting my friends newborn?

I (18f) have an older sister (25f). Her best friend (26f) just had a baby two months ago.

I’ve known her since I was a baby, and she’s like my sister.

I have regularly visited her since she gave birth, brought her groceries, helped her with the baby while she cleaned, and I even drove her to a couple OBGYN appointments when she was pregnant.

Her son is so adorable and honestly incredibly well-mannered.

Yesterday she asked me if I could babysit him for a couple of hours next week so she can go to a friend’s birthday party.

She tried to explain it to the new mother.

I have explained to her prior that I do not feel comfortable looking after her baby alone (I’ve heard too many horror stories and do not want to be in charge of such a fragile life by myself).

That I’m always happy to help with supervision or with someone more experienced in proximity in case something goes wrong.

So when I reminded her of this, she begged me.

I asked about possible payment, and she told me she wanted a favor for free.

Apparently, she doesn’t know anyone else who can help and because she wants to go out on a Saturday, most babysitters in our area are booked (at least the ones in her price range).

Now, everyone feels she’s not being supportive.

She told me not to worry about it and has brushed off every text I’ve sent her since.

When i asked my sister she said she felt like I wasn’t being helpful or supportive to a new mother.

For clarification, her boyfriend is in the military and is currently not in the country.

I asked my sister if she could do it, but she’s also supposed to be going to this birthday party.

I obviously want her to go but I genuinely do not feel comfortable looking after the baby alone in case something went wrong.

AITA?

Never Miss a Story

Sign up to get our BEST stories of the week straight to your inbox.

Taking care of a newborn is a big responsibility, especially if you’ve never done it before.

Let’s check out what the people over at Reddit have to say.

This person thinks the mother should be more concerned about who is watching her baby.

Here’s a possible solution.

As this person mentions, it’s responsible to say no.

According to this person, the mother is immature.

There’s nothing wrong with saying no.

When it comes to caring for a newborn, you should never be forced to watch one if you’re uncomfortable.

If you thought that was an interesting story, check out what happened when a family gave their in-laws a free place to stay in exchange for babysitting, but things changed when they don’t hold up their end of the bargain.