February 2, 2026 at 1:48 am

Her Sister-In-Law Babysits Her Daughter For Free When She’s Out Of Town, But Now The Daughter Claims That She Only Feeds Her Pancakes

by Matthew Gilligan

woman with a surprised look

Shutterstock/Reddit

Yikes…this doesn’t sound good!

A mom took to Reddit and asked readers if she was out of line for how she reacted to what her daughter told her about the babysitter she hired…who also happens to be her sister-in-law.

Check it out and see what you think!

AITA for being upset that my daughter wasn’t fed properly by her babysitter?

“I (31F) have a one year old and a three year old, both girls. My oldest is very articulate and smart for her age with a good memory.

I’ve been a SAHM since my first was born and it has been a tiring few years. My husband (36) works long hours and isn’t much help with the kids except on his days off.

There’s a lot going on in this household…

He has acquired a lot of debt in the past five years. He had quit his high paying tech job and went back to school to be an ER doctor, (out of the blue, he had talked about it for years but didn’t even consult me when he quit). He has only recently started his residency.

We stick to a strict budget in our household because of all this, but he has always given me something extra every week for myself. I saved up enough from that to afford a cruise trip with my sister, and take a needed break.

My husband didn’t mind me going, but was worried about the cost of daycare for the 2 weeks I would be gone.

They figured it out.

So his sister (25) offers to stay with him for free and watch the kids because she can work from home. I agreed and gave her instructions on what to do.

I got home early from the trip and his sister was asleep on the couch with my oldest next to her and my baby nowhere to be found. I freaked out because of this, (what babysitter doesn’t stay in the room with the BABY) and woke her up.

She was very nonchalant and said the baby was in her room asleep. She was in her room, but the baby monitor wasn’t next to his sister while she was asleep, so if something happened she wouldn’t have known.

This wasn’t good…

The house was a mess, toys all over the living room floor and there were dishes in the sink, and the trash was full. My daughter was also dressed very poorly and none of her clothes matched.

While I’m asking her about all this she’s packing her stuff and leaving, very fast for someone who didn’t do anything wrong. And she leaves before I’m done questioning her.

I assumed she didn’t treat the kids right if the house wasn’t right, and asked my kid how it was without me.

Hmmm…

She said it was fine but she missed my cooking, and I asked what she ate while I wasn’t here. And she said microwave pancakes. And that’s all she said.

I called her and asked her why my kid only ate pancakes while I was gone (my instructions said no microwave food.) and she claims that isn’t true, and my daughter must be “confused” at the question because she made her a lot of stuff, (mac and cheese, chicken nuggets, peanut butter and jelly, all stuff with only a few fruit/veg).

So I asked my daughter again what she ate and she, again said pancakes. So I told her my child isn’t a liar and she hung up.

She then called my husband AT WORK to tell him, and he called to tell me that he had seen his sister cook for her.

This doesn’t sound good…

I said that didn’t mean she wasn’t only feeding our kid pancakes when he wasn’t around. He is always on his sister’s side, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he lied for her.

He thinks I’m wrong for being mad and wants me to apologize. I want him to apologize for not believing our daughter to protect his sister.

AITA?”

Here’s what folks had to say on Reddit.

This person said she’s wrong.

Screenshot 2025 12 23 at 11.00.39 AM Her Sister In Law Babysits Her Daughter For Free When Shes Out Of Town, But Now The Daughter Claims That She Only Feeds Her Pancakes

Another individual agreed.

Screenshot 2025 12 23 at 11.00.49 AM Her Sister In Law Babysits Her Daughter For Free When Shes Out Of Town, But Now The Daughter Claims That She Only Feeds Her Pancakes

This Reddit user spoke up.

Screenshot 2025 12 23 at 11.01.05 AM Her Sister In Law Babysits Her Daughter For Free When Shes Out Of Town, But Now The Daughter Claims That She Only Feeds Her Pancakes

Another individual shared their thoughts.

Screenshot 2025 12 23 at 11.01.20 AM Her Sister In Law Babysits Her Daughter For Free When Shes Out Of Town, But Now The Daughter Claims That She Only Feeds Her Pancakes

And this reader didn’t hold back.

Screenshot 2025 12 23 at 11.01.37 AM Her Sister In Law Babysits Her Daughter For Free When Shes Out Of Town, But Now The Daughter Claims That She Only Feeds Her Pancakes

Seems like there are some unresolved issues here…

If you liked that post, check out this post about a woman who tracked down a contractor who tried to vanish without a trace.