Saying no to family is one of those things that should be simple and somehow never is.

This man turned down his pregnant sister’s request to babysit her four kids during her delivery stay, pointing out that his two-bedroom apartment was already at capacity with his own two kids sharing a room, and his wife would be left handling everything alone while he worked.

His sister wasn’t without options either — she has a paid sitter available, she just didn’t want to cover the cost. What she wanted was a free solution that happened to involve six kids crammed into a small apartment for two days straight.

So when he held his ground, she accused him of abandoning family, pulled out the “family helps family” line, and went completely silent.

Two days of no contact later, he’s wondering if he made the wrong call.

Read on for the full scoop.

AITA for not wanting to take in my sisters 4 kids while she’s in the hospital?

I (29M) have a two bedroom apartment. My wife and I have 2 kids (5 & 7) who already share a bedroom.

My sister and I are the only relatives that live close to each other. Our parents live about an hour and a half away.

His sibling soon came to him with a pretty big request.

My sister is currently pregnant with her 5th child, and had asked me about taking her kids when she goes to deliver, and then for the next day as well.

Her kids are 12, 10, 8 and 2.

So from the start, he was honest with her.

I told her I really didn’t think that would work out space wise, and I work weekdays so it’d be a lot on my wife.

She told me to take the days off, or just let them squish together and that it’d be fine.

I told her no, I really didn’t see how it would work out.

Turns out, his sibling didn’t react well to being told no.

She was upset and said she was getting stressed out because she really needed reliable care.

I asked her what about her sitter (because she does have a sitter) and she said she really didn’t want to have to pay for it, and she wanted a day with her husband and the baby.

I told her I was sorry, but no.

Still, his sibling won’t take no for an answer.

She argued with me a little bit, which was more her trying to persuade me, then when she saw she couldn’t she got mad and said that I was her only option and family helps family.

It’s been 2 days, and she hasn’t reached out. We typically talk daily.

AITA?

“No” means no, lady!

What did Reddit have to say?

Many couples who choose to have a lot of kids often forget how big a logistical challenge child care becomes.

There seems to be a more feasible option his sibling isn’t even considering.

This commenter doesn’t see why this man should have to drop everything to care for someone else’s kids.

A favor is optional, not obligatory.

Standing his ground wasn’t “abandoning family,” and that’s a ridiculous claim.

Unlike his sister, he actually had a realistic view of what he had capacity for, and six kids in a two-bedroom apartment was just not going to work.

The worst part is, his sibling had other options – she just didn’t want to cough up the cash.

And turning around and giving him the silent treatment is just an immature way to cash out. He doesn’t owe her an apology for recognizing his own limits.

The “family helps family” line has a way of getting real old, real fast.

If you enjoyed this post, check out this story about a teen who has spent a decade raising her younger siblings, and thinks it’s time to walk away from her family for good.