October 28, 2026 at 8:45 pm

Woman Promises To Babysit For Her Coworker, But She Backs Out At The Last Minute Because Her Boss Wants Her To Work Overtime

by Jayne Elliott

two businesswomen talking

Shutterstock

Imagine agreeing to babysit your coworker’s daughter. What would you do if your boss asked you to work overtime when you were supposed to babysit? Would you accept the overtime and tell the coworker she’ll have to find someone else to babysit, or would you stick to your promise and show up for your coworker?

In this story, one woman is in this exact situation, and she chooses to work overtime. Her coworker is pretty upset at her about this, and now she’s wondering if she actually did mess up by prioritizing work.

Keep reading for all the details.

AITA for choosing to work OT instead of watching another co-workers child?

She asked two days ago if I would babysit tomorrow and I agreed. It’s basically for free…I might maybe get $10 to watch her for a minimum of 6 hours, and this is so that she herself can work overtime.

But then I got called into work today and they told me be prepared to also work tomorrow.

And with all my bills I really need the money, so heck yes! If I work 7 days in a row my 7th day is double time…so $36 an hour!

Her coworker isn’t very understanding.

So I explained to her I may not be able to watch her daughter tomorrow because I may get called into work.

She said “you don’t have to say yes…they can’t force you to work 7 days in a row.”

I was like, “but I will because I need the money and that 7th day gets me double time. I just had a $4000 college bill go to collections that I need to pay plus my car should be getting done soon.”

She’s like “well, you should just tell the bill collector to back off.”

Her coworker is guilt tripping her.

So I explained to her that I was planning on paying it, I asked if she had anyone else to watch her. I said if she couldn’t find anyone I would do it, but I could really use the overtime. (She found someone else).

She then started guilt tripping me saying that her daughter was really looking forward to it. Wanted to go get ice cream or something.

And that she told her daughter that I was sick so I probably couldn’t come.

And that I needed to apologize to her daughter. That I needed to talk to her and explain myself, because I skipped out on her, brushed aside a 6 year old.

The coworker had another request.

I said I would talk to her the next time I saw her.

And she’s like “no, you need to call and talk to her.”

I said…”what…she’s a child?”

She’s wondering if she said the wrong thing.

She got mad and drove off and now she won’t come around.

Also, I believe she needs to be straight up truthful to her and not lie and say I’m sick. Explain that adults have responsibilities and that I have to work.

Maybe I shouldn’t have said “she’s a child” but the whole situation and how she is handling it is very annoying.

What do you think?

I can see why the coworker is upset. OP promised to babysit and then bailed, but it’s for a good reason. She needs to work overtime. Did she handle this well or not?

Let’s see how Reddit responded.

This person is on OP’s side.

2026 10 23 at 11.33.36 AM Woman Promises To Babysit For Her Coworker, But She Backs Out At The Last Minute Because Her Boss Wants Her To Work Overtime

Another person thinks the overtime pay is worth it.

2026 10 23 at 11.33.46 AM Woman Promises To Babysit For Her Coworker, But She Backs Out At The Last Minute Because Her Boss Wants Her To Work Overtime

This is a good point.

2026 10 23 at 11.34.01 AM Woman Promises To Babysit For Her Coworker, But She Backs Out At The Last Minute Because Her Boss Wants Her To Work Overtime

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post customer wants a refund for his faulty brakes, but an inspection finds the brakes aren’t the issue.

It’s a non-issue.

2026 10 23 at 11.34.26 AM Woman Promises To Babysit For Her Coworker, But She Backs Out At The Last Minute Because Her Boss Wants Her To Work Overtime

It would’ve been different if the coworker hadn’t been able to find someone else to babysit, but since she did, it really doesn’t seem like a big deal. Maybe the coworker and her daughter prefer OP as a babysitter, but she needs to understand that paying your bills is important too. After all, the only reason the coworker needs a babysitter is so that she can work overtime. She should understand that overtime is important.

I bet her coworker would’ve done the same thing if the roles were reversed.

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Jayne Elliott | Contributing Writer, Life & Drama

Jayne Elliott is a contributing writer and editor for TwistedSifter specializing in human interest stories, internet culture, and family dynamics. With over 12 years of editorial experience in digital publishing, Jayne excels at analyzing complex online communities and transforming viral social debates into thoughtful, highly engaging narratives.

Rather than simply aggregating internet drama, Jayne brings a sharp, empathetic editorial eye to everyday dilemmas. She has a unique talent for unpacking the nuances of pop culture and online conflicts, providing readers with relatable, well-researched commentary.

Based in California, Jayne spends her free time outside the newsroom exploring theme parks with her family or beach-combing along the coast.

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