September 11, 2026 at 6:15 pm

He Spent Four Miserable Nights Chasing a Kid Who Refused to Sleep—So When He Declined Night Five, the Parents Lost Their Minds

by Benjamin Cottrell

kid misbehaving in red sweater

Pexels/Reddit

Being asked to babysit once in a while is normal, being repeatedly relied on to manage a kid who won’t listen or stay in bed is not.

One teenager had already sat through four exhausting babysitting stints for his dad’s girlfriend’s 7-year-old son, each one marked by defiance, nonstop noise, and having to physically hide an iPad just to get any control over bedtime.

When his dad and his girlfriend planned yet another weekend getaway and expected him to watch the nightmare child once again, he said no, especially after being promised a real babysitter would be hired next time around.

But instead of understanding, he got accused of being ungrateful and reminded of everything they supposedly do for him.

Keep reading for the guilt trip of the century and what redditors had to say about it.

AITAH for saying no and being fed up when asked to babysit my dad’s girlfriend/wifes son?

My dad’s girlfriend has a kid (7M) who won’t do what he is told and is always loud. I’ve babysat him 4 times before.

This wasn’t just any standard babysitting job.

Three times only for one day or one night, and once for two nights, all times were a nightmare and he wouldn’t go to bed and stay there.

I (16M) don’t want to do it while they’re away in Helsinki for a night and like half a day probably.

So when he stood his ground, it didn’t go over well at all.

I said I don’t want to, and they got mad at me and said they do so much for me and I can’t even return them a favour.

Last time they said they were going to hire a babysitter next time too, and this is next time.

He doesn’t think it’s fair to expect him to step in and act as another parent.

I argued back, and I feel like I’m not in the wrong, because no one I know is forced to look after a kid who won’t stay in bed, and I had to hide his iPad so he wouldn’t keep going on it.

Crazy idea: What if these parents actually… parented their child??

What did Reddit have to say?

This may just be too much responsibility for a teenager.

Screenshot 2026 09 07 at 1.00.55 PM He Spent Four Miserable Nights Chasing a Kid Who Refused to Sleep—So When He Declined Night Five, the Parents Lost Their Minds

Parentification is no joke.

Screenshot 2026 09 07 at 1.02.31 PM He Spent Four Miserable Nights Chasing a Kid Who Refused to Sleep—So When He Declined Night Five, the Parents Lost Their Minds

The guilt trip is totally out of line.

Screenshot 2026 09 07 at 1.03.06 PM He Spent Four Miserable Nights Chasing a Kid Who Refused to Sleep—So When He Declined Night Five, the Parents Lost Their Minds

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a niece who takes down her aunt’s legacy after she steals her entire inheritance.

The least these parents could do would be to actually pay him a buck or two.

Screenshot 2026 09 07 at 1.03.56 PM He Spent Four Miserable Nights Chasing a Kid Who Refused to Sleep—So When He Declined Night Five, the Parents Lost Their Minds

Saying no after four nightmarish babysitting shifts is just knowing your limits, plain and simple.

This kid hid an iPad just to survive — that should tell the parents everything about how misbehaved this kid is.

These parents promised to hire a real sitter then just went back on their word, which makes matters even worse.

Some babysitting shifts call for a real professional, not an exhausted teen.

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Benjamin Cottrell | Assistant Editor, Internet Culture

Benjamin Cottrell is an Assistant Editor and contributing writer at TwistedSifter, specializing in internet culture, viral social dynamics, and the moral complexities of online communities. He brings a highly analytical, editorial voice to his reporting on workplace conflicts, malicious compliance, and interpersonal drama, with a specific focus on nuanced stories that lack an obvious villain.

As a published author of rhetorical criticism, Benjamin leverages his academic background in human communication to dissect and elevate viral social media threads. Instead of simply summarizing events, he provides readers with balanced, deep-dive commentary into why the internet reacts the way it does. In addition to his cultural reporting, he is an experienced fine art photography essayist and video game reviewer.

When he isn’t analyzing the latest viral debates, Benjamin is usually chipping away at his extensive video game backlog, hunting down the best new restaurants, or out exploring the city with a camera in hand.

Connect with Benjamin on Instagram and read more of his essays on Substack.