Helping family feels good until it starts feeling expected instead of appreciated.

So, what would you do if you’d spent a year stepping in to support your overwhelmed sister, but still find yourself being asked to wake up early on your one day off, even though she has a weekend nanny? Would you keep helping? Or would you try to set a boundary to reclaim some sleep?

In the following story, one aunt finds herself in this situation and wonders if she’d be wrong for the latter. Here’s what happened.

AITAH for wanting to set a boundary with my sister? She brings a nanny on weekends and I’m still required to help.

First of all, I’m aware that my sister has been overwhelmed by all the demands that come with being a “two under two” mom since last year, plus her husband’s frequent work travel.

I love her and those babies, so I really try to be understanding.

For the past year, I’ve stayed over some nights at her house to help her, even though they live kind of far. I’ve also been very accommodating when she’s needed emergency babysitting or something similar.

She thinks her sister needs additional nannies.

My niece, her oldest, stays over at my mom’s, an apartment downstairs from mine, almost every weekend, and I tend to her on Sunday mornings while my mom tries to do some chores.

My relationship with my parents, especially with my dad, is a bit strained right now, and also, Sundays are basically the only day I can rest, but I push down any feelings of discomfort for that sweet little girl.

Here’s the thing: both my sister and her husband have great jobs, so they can afford two nannies during weekdays, one for each toddler, and one for the weekend.

Now, she wants to draw the line.

Still, my sister has felt the need to stay at my parents’ apartment some weekends lately, bringing over the youngest baby and his “weekend” nanny. The nanny sleeps at my apartment, and she goes downstairs early in the morning to help with the baby.

But even with four adults down there (both grandparents, my sister, and one nanny), they still ask me to wake up early those mornings to take care of my niece.

So, I’m wondering if I’m wrong for getting a bit upset, speaking up about my discomfort with this whole situation, and deciding to sleep late when they come over?

AITA?

Yikes! That’s quite an ask on her sister’s part.

Let’s see what the people over at Reddit think about this situation.

This person thinks she should stand up for herself.

Here’s someone with a lot of questions.

For this reader, it’s about how she approaches it.

According to this comment, the kids don’t need that much care.

She should calmly talk to her sister and just let her know how she feels.

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.