I understand that grandparents (and step-grandparents) babysit their grandkids, and I also realize that every situation is different.

And today we’re going to hear from a grandmother who has been lending a helping hand in the babysitting department for years…and now she wants a break.

Is she wrong?

Read her story below to get all the details!

AITA for not being willing to babysit?

“My husband and I got married in Feb 2020.

We had been in a long-distance relationship for a while, traveling frequently back and forth between our states, so when we got married it was truly the first time we lived together long-term. My husband was a widower and has an adult son, who had an 18 month old baby at the time.

One month after we got married the pandemic lock down started, my husband and I were barely settling into living in a new place, and being married.

His son and wife both had jobs in service, so they did not stop working during the lock down, but the daycare for their child closed down.

They did their best to help out.

Unfortunately, the maternal grandmother was not willing to babysit because “the baby cried too much and it was exhausting”, so my husband and I ended up babysitting, often 5-6 days a week, from 7 am to 7 pm.

It was really tough on me, we were newly married and the uncertain times we were living in with the pandemic made me very anxious. At the time I spoke to my husband and told him that they needed to find more help for babysitting, even for 2 days a week… and that’s when I became the bad guy.

My husband’s daughter-in-law started treating me like I had something against the child, which is absurd.

Here we go again…

Fast forward to the present. Child is now 6 years old, currently in summer vacation, the maternal grandmother unfortunately passed away a few months ago, so my husband and I are, once again, babysitting the child from sun-up to sun-down, 4-5 times a week (for free, of course)…

So I contacted the mother and asked that she find daycare for at least two days a week, because our house is currently being remodeled, and also because my mom, who lives out of state and I only see once or twice a year, is coming to spend some time with us.

I asked that they find a summer camp or daycare for a few weeks… and once again I am the bad guy. My husband agrees with me, but they will text him late at night and ask if they can drop the child off in the morning because they don’t have a babysitter, and he will feel bad for them and accept that.

I’ve told him that he needs to have a talk with them, but he says he doesn’t want to hurt their feelings.

I truly want to know if I am in the wrong, if it is expected for grandparents to provide free babysitting. Husband and I are both retired, but we are remodeling our home ourselves, because construction is so expensive, so we do keep busy.”

Reddit users spoke up.

This person shared their thoughts.

Another reader said she’s NTA.

This Reddit user agreed.

Another individual spoke up.

And this person had a lot to say.

She’s gone above and beyond for long enough!

If you liked that post, check out this post about a woman who tracked down a contractor who tried to vanish without a trace.