I18m live with my older brother27. He has a gf(idk how old) she has two young kids 4 and 2. Their not my brothers kids. She don’t live with us. She does come over often and brings her kids. I like her, and I like her kids.
I worked all day and have worked all week. I’m only off weekends. My brother and his gf asked me if I could watch her children that night so they could go out to a bar and they’d be out really late. I just said I really didn’t want to do that it’s my only days off and I wanted to play my game and just relax. My brother got mad at me and said I was being immature and I could do this for them for a night. I again still stuck to no, I wanted to relax. I’ve also never really watched kids that young.
They got angry at me and said I was the only one who could babysit who had nothing going on. I apologized but still said no. They called me an ah, and ended up not going out. They are here and everytime I leave my room they all get really quiet til I go back in. AITA?
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I18m live with my older brother27. He has a gf(idk how old) she has two young kids 4 and 2. Their not my brothers kids. She don’t live with us. She does come over often and brings her kids. I like her, and I like her kids.
I worked all day and have worked all week. I’m only off weekends. My brother and his gf asked me if I could watch her children that night so they could go out to a bar and they’d be out really late. I just said I really didn’t want to do that it’s my only days off and I wanted to play my game and just relax. My brother got mad at me and said I was being immature and I could do this for them for a night. I again still stuck to no, I wanted to relax. I’ve also never really watched kids that young.
They got angry at me and said I was the only one who could babysit who had nothing going on. I apologized but still said no. They called me an ah, and ended up not going out. They are here and everytime I leave my room they all get really quiet til I go back in. AITA?
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OP has offered the following explanation for why they think they might be the asshole:
> I refused to watch my brothers gf kids so they could go out. My brother called me immature and they called me an ah and we got into an argument. I might be the ah because I didn’t have anything going on
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Contest mode is 1.5 hours long on this post.
NTA. Their lack of planning isn’t your problem
NTA You are not responsible for someone else’s children. And if you did watch them and something bad happened they might try to make you the fall guy.
Dad here. Grown up kids.
Not only are you NTA, your brothers GF is raising all sorts of red flags. Her priority should be spending time with her kids, not staying out late at the bar. She should be dating men that share this priority.
Going out to the bar should be a rare treat, and since its rare, it shouldn’t be cost prohibitive to pay for a baby sitter. Which you wouldn’t neccesarily be you, but if it was, they should pay you.
While I understand it’s frustrating not to be able to go out, the lack of notice is the startling aspect here. NTA
NTA – they can call you an asshole all they want but they’re just being selfish. They aren’t entitled to your time and energy. You deserve to be able to take a break, they need to plan better.
NTA. She needs to find a babysitter instead of expecting one.
Nta. You are not obligated to babysit. No means no. You had plans to relax, therefore you were already booked. Even if it was a game night by yourself.
NTA. If they can go out partying all night, they can afford a paid babysitter or even some of their parents. It is not your responsibility. You have every right to do what you want to do, just like they do, yours doesn’t require anyone else in order for you to do it, unlike theirs.
NTA
I would go sit in a common area. Let them be uncomfortable!
“I’ve also never really watched kids that young.” You did right, by the kids. Their mother should not be leaving the with someone with no experience, in someone elses home.
Daytime would be bad enough, but nighttime, if they wake from a bad dream, not at home, they won’t be wanting you.
NTA, they are capable of hiring a babysitter if they want to go out.
Hell. No. They need to get a babysitter. But even more so…. What is a mother of 2 kids needing to go out for? And then to a bar? Your children are your priority at that point.
Nta. Next time they ask, tell them to offer cash. And tell your brother to start thinking with the head above his shoulder. Dumb as hell messing with a girl with two young ass kids.
Relaxing after working all week =/= “nothing going on.”
Hope this helps people who aren’t entitled to your time!
NTA of course.
You’re NTA
>They got angry at me and said I was the only one who could babysit who had nothing going on.
You did have something going on. You were decompressing after a long work week.
Why do they think their wanting to go to a bar for a few hours was more important than you needing to rest and relax? (Rhetorical question, we all know why.)
>I’ve also never really watched kids that young.
What kind of selfish, disingenuous asshole wants to leave very small children with someone who had no experience watching very small children?
NTA
If you said yes, I can almost guarantee you that it would have been the first of many times, they would soon expect you to do it all the time.
Good on you OP for setting the standard, that you’re not a free babysitter just because you’re around.
NTA the request is ridiculous. It is not your responsibility to watch children of your brother’s girlfriend who are so little. They should be home in their own beds at night Your brother and his girlfriend’s behavior is not considerate those little children and is not considerate of you either
Details need to tighten up – specifically is this a one-off/occasional scenario or habitual?
I get being tired from a week of work & wanting to just crash.
But if all I needed to do was throw on Frozen, Nemo, or Interview with a Vampire to keep them out of my hair … I’d be grumpy but do it.
But if it’s a regular thing where it’s assumed you’ll do it as a built in babysitter … they are the AHs.
Maybe, do you pay rent? Maybe do it a favor once a month because he’s your brother and you do like the kids…
NTA. They want to go out, party, and drink. That isn’t a necessity. If you had said yes, they would always have something they wanted or needed to do. Kids that age can be a handful. They didn’t ask in advance, maybe because he knew you wouldn’t. They aren’t your children. You aren’t responsible t babysit them if you don’t want to.