Doing favors for neighbors can sometimes lead to uncomfortable tension.

Imagine having a neighbor who constantly asks you to babysit her kids for free? Would you do it, or would you refuse?

This woman is a full-time stay-at-home mom to her kids.

Her neighbor asked her once to look after her son and nephew, and she agreed.

But it became a constant request, and now she’s not okay with babysitting for free anymore.

What should she do? Read the story below.

AITA for not babysitting for a neighbor?

I have a neighbor whose kid is the same age as my oldest kid, 7, and they’ve been friends since they started kindergarten together two years ago.

She (the neighbor) also has her sister and her nephew living with her and her husband.

Her nephew is 5, about the same age as my youngest, who will be 5 in September.

This woman stays at home because of her health problems.

They’re not so well off (not that we’re in a much better boat), but they’re all working full-time jobs on different shifts from each other. So, three adults in one house working full-time.

Meanwhile, my husband is the sole income earner in our household because I have a couple of health problems that cause chronic pain. So it’s easier for our household if I stay at home with the kids, saving us the cost of childcare.

Her neighbor asked her once to look after her son and nephew.

This neighbor asked me if I could watch her son and nephew for a few hours one day.

This was a few weeks ago, to which I said, “Sure, no problem.”

Then, she asked again that same week, this time for longer, pretty much the entire day, which meant snack and lunch for an additional two children.

She didn’t mind feeding them once, but frequent request is a different story.

Money has been tight this year, so we make sure there is enough for the kids to eat well, but that’s pretty much it for food in the house.

I didn’t mind feeding the extra kids just the once, though.

But this is where the problems have started.

Suddenly, she was bringing her son and nephew to me every day.

The neighbor also started calling her late at night.

She never explicitly asked, “Hey, could you watch my kids for the summer?”

Nor has she offered to send snacks and lunch with them.

Or to maybe even throw five or ten bucks my way, so I can buy the extra food for them.

And she’s started to call me late in the night, even calling at 9:30 last night, while I was out at the city’s fireworks with my kids and my husband.

She decided to ignore her calls.

I ignored the call last night, and I didn’t pick up when she called this morning.

I feel guilty, but at the same time, I never agreed to this, and days like today are why.

I’m sore and I’m over-tired.

It’s enough just to handle my own kids on flare-up days, let alone two extras who are very high energy and destructive.

Her neighbor kids had broken some of their things.

They’ve ripped the insulation off my back door.

They’ve broken my kids’ things.

They are always messing with stuff I tell them not to.

She feels like ghosting her is the only option.

AITA for refusing to be a free babysitter?

I know it’s a bad move to ghost her, but I’m also a high-anxiety person, and I don’t do well with confrontation or letting people down even if I am being taken advantage of.

Nobody should feel bad about not wanting to be a free babysitter.

Let’s read the responses of other people on Reddit to this story.

This user shares their personal thoughts.

This person suggests having a conversation with her.

Set some boundaries with her, advises this person.

Here’s a valid point from this person.

Finally, short and simple.

Silence means no… especially if it’s about asking for free babysitting.

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.