AITA?
My SIL has two kids. They’re very young and don’t behave very well. Every time they come over they make huge messes and I have to watch them like hawks.
I personally genuinely don’t enjoy being around other peoples kids. My husband isn’t super close with his side of the family. She and I used to be close, but since we’ve been on very different timelines we just don’t connect very often anymore.
Recently she’s asked me to babysit her kids so she can take my kids out for a fun aunt day.
I don’t really want to. I enjoy my kids. I like my time with them. I don’t really enjoy babysitting because they don’t listen and I end up overwhelmed and on edge. AITA for saying no?
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AITA?
My SIL has two kids. They’re very young and don’t behave very well. Every time they come over they make huge messes and I have to watch them like hawks.
I personally genuinely don’t enjoy being around other peoples kids. My husband isn’t super close with his side of the family. She and I used to be close, but since we’ve been on very different timelines we just don’t connect very often anymore.
Recently she’s asked me to babysit her kids so she can take my kids out for a fun aunt day.
I don’t really want to. I enjoy my kids. I like my time with them. I don’t really enjoy babysitting because they don’t listen and I end up overwhelmed and on edge. AITA for saying no?
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OP has offered the following explanation for why they think they might be the asshole:
> 1. I am not watching her kids while she takes mine out. I am also technically their aunt so I feel like it makes me a bad person.
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Contest mode is 1.5 hours long on this post.
You’re an adult, married, who can’t say no? Why are you asking Reddit something you already know the answer too
NTA. You’re not obligated to babysit anyone’s kids.
NTA but just tell her. You like being around your kids, nothing wrong with that. If she wants time with your kids, suggest doing something altogether instead
NTA. Haha, she wants to swap kids for a day! Yeah, I’d want that too, especially if mine were hard to manage and yours are easier to deal with. Like, a little vacation from my life choices, heh.
Really, just say you’d rather do an activity together with all the kids, maybe a 1-2 hour one, which seems like a good “reached my tolerance limit” time frame. Each set of kids gets Aunt time, but each mom can be in charge of their own brood.
You don’t want to trade your well behaved kids for two badly behaved kids NTA
Why don’t you go out as a group? Or, bite the bullet and tell her you are busy until around 2035?
NTA – why should you have to watch her obnoxious brats so she can enjoy a day out with your perfectly behaved kids.
You can’t say no because that would mean that you don’t really like them. Suggest you all go out.