Being the oldest sibling with a big age gap often comes with some big responsibilities.

One young woman had been watching her younger sibling pretty much her whole life.

But when resentment started building, she began questioning whether unpaid weekly childcare counted as “pulling her weight” or simply being taken advantage of.

Keep reading for the full story.

AITAH For not wanting to consistently watch my younger sibling?

I (21F) have a little sibling (9) who I’m very close with.

For most of my life, it’s been expected of me that I watch them once a week for a couple of hours — sometimes more — so our parents can have some downtime without them.

The kids are well-behaved, but the constant obligation is starting to weigh on her.

They’re a very good kid, and mostly just want to play video games or play with the neighbor kids when they come home from school.

My issue is this: I adore my sibling, but I am also the default person who does childcare for my parents when they’re out of town or just need someone to watch them.

She’s always felt a heavy responsibility for her siblings, even growing up.

When I was in eighth grade (14), our mom left the country for three weeks and I was responsible for watching my sibling (2 at the time) every day after school.

Since then it’s been the norm that I am the only person trusted to consistently watch them.

She knows some people have it worse, but still, she can’t help but feel the resentment start to creep in.

Now, don’t get me wrong — I know this is practically nothing compared to other people who have to watch their siblings for much longer and practically raise them.

But I’m not a fan of having their help held over my head and having this viewed as “pulling my weight in the family.”

She thinks there’s a better way to solve this childcare problem.

I know an 11-year age gap is going to mean I watch my sibling when my parents need it, but I wish they’d hire a nanny or pay me to watch them like a nanny would.

AITA?

It sounds like her parents are putting an unfair amount of pressure on her.

Did Reddit agree?

If her parents are going to expect so much of her, the least they could do would be to reward her for it.

This commenter doesn’t seem to think this is a big deal.

If this young woman found a way to be a little less available for her parents, it would likely make a world of difference.

The alternative would be a good, firm “no.”

Her parents either need to start paying her, or start finding another sitter.

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.