Family disagreements can be especially difficult to navigate when a new baby is involved, because suddenly every decision involves the physical and emotional safety of the child.

In this case, a single mother was relying on her own mother for a few hours of childcare each week so she could finish an essential qualification while recovering from a traumatic dog attack.

When her sister and brother-in-law welcomed their own baby, they wanted their mom to be available to them around the clock.

What followed was a family conflict that left her wondering whether she is being selfish.

Read the full story below.

AITAH for refusing to forfeit 6 hours of childcare from our mum for 5-6 weeks to help my sister and her partner with their newborn 24/7?

I am a single mother completing the last few months of my qualification. Eight months ago my sister “Sarah” and her partner “Mark” had their first baby after several miscarriages.

They are both unemployed and home full time.

It had been two months since my daughter (preschooler) and I were attacked by a dog.

We were trapped and someone had to break in to stop the attack.

It was very serious.

I was recovering from hand surgery following the incident and both my daughter and I have anxiety/PTSD from it.

Our mum has been looking after my daughter for a few hours a week so I could complete my qualification, which was essential otherwise I would fail.

Sarah and Mark wanted our mum to be available to them 24/7 and in “lockdown.”

In the first week, our mum was doing both, picking up my kid from kindergarten and dropping her off at home, then I would drive my mum to their house.

My child and the baby had no contact. We weren’t sick and we are fully vaccinated.

It was tough.

Because of the dog attack, my daughter was struggling with anxiety.

It was vital for her to have consistency in her routine and to be with a familiar caregiver like our mum. I was cooking my sister meals and doing shopping for them.

Our mum told me how Mark was leaving the home to shop up to 6 times a day, so I offered to shop for them to reduce their load.

After a week, Sarah messaged saying I was “threatening her newborn baby’s life.”

Things got worse from there.

I was distressed because it had only been two months since my daughter’s life was actually threatened. A few days later, Mark sent this:

“I’m messaging you today to politely ask you to stop messaging Sarah. The way you have treated her postpartum is disgusting and unforgivable.”

“How selfish of you to deny her the same courtesy you were afforded.. You spitefully rejected “Alice” (their friend) helping.. How irresponsible of you to risk our sons life by forcing your mother to ride public transport and to attend kinder, potentially exposing him to life threatening illness..”

“I draw the line now it involves my son. Your behaviour has been beyond selfish, inconsiderate and cruel.”

Now she’s confused.

This is a snapshot of the message. It was really long and I don’t have enough charaters to include it, so I wont go into detail, but every line was inaccurate.

I blocked them because the communication was not helpful and to manage the distress of being told I threatened their child’s life. It’s now been over 8 months.

Our mum has clarified with Sarah that she had thought she could do both look after my daughter and support my sister, and that I didn’t know my sister wanted to do a lockdown.

As far as I know, they still don’t believe they have done anything wrong. I’d love some perspective on this or if I’m missing something.

AITA??

Never Miss a Story

Sign up to get our BEST stories of the week straight to your inbox.

She is literally a dog attack survivor and a single mom. The woman is a hero, but heroes also need help.

What did Reddit think?

Yup. What the heck, Mark!

It’s sus as heck.

Something to consider.

Another reader chimes in.

True!

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a daughter who feels hoodwinked after finding out the sick father she’s been supporting has plenty of money of his own.

That’s the question.

This is a difficult situation, but honestly, her sister sounds quite toxic.

Imagine being this upset with someone dealing with the physical and emotional trauma of a dog attack while trying to complete her qualification as a single parent. Yikes.