Family emergencies can’t always wait for perfect timing or easy solutions.

So when one mother is forced to rush a sick child to the ICU, her teenage daughter had to step up and babysit instead of going out with her friends.

But her decision ended up sparking a lingering resentment that lasted long after they returned from the hospital.

You’ll want to read on for this one.

AITA for making my daughter babysit

I have four kids: 24M, 17F, 11M, and 7F.

Last week, my 11-year-old had severe food poisoning and had to be taken to the ICU.

This put this mother in a bind when it came to childcare.

No babysitters were able to come on time, and our hospital doesn’t allow children below 14 in the ICU.

I tried to call my father, but he wasn’t available at the time.

She ended up asking her teenage daughter to step up and help, much to the teenager’s dismay.

So I told my daughter to just babysit her sister.

She shrugged and got mad because she was planning on going out with friends, but I don’t think we had another choice.

She ended up babysitting until the night, when my husband came home, while I stayed at the hospital.

Even after they returned home, her daughter was still mad at her.

My daughter has been angry with us and her brother for a few days.

She says I should have just taken her sister to the hospital, which wasn’t possible, and now she’s mad at me.

Now her other kids are turning on her too.

And my oldest is saying I should have put my kids first and that it was my responsibility, not the 16-year-old’s.

So, AITA?

The night demanded help, not personal preferences.

What did Reddit have to say?

The very nature of an emergency means you can’t plan for it.

This seems like an important learning opportunity for this teen.

This situation was clearly an emergency, so this mother had to act quickly.

This teen should count herself lucky she has a mother who bends over backwards for her kids when they’re in need.

With further reflection, this teen may someday see that these are the types of sacrifices that are worth making.

Plans can be rescheduled, but medical emergencies can’t.

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