in , ,

Redditor Refuses To Babysit Sister’s Kids After She Called Them ‘Lazy’ For Working From Home

Woman working from home with a baby
J_art/Getty Images

Work-from-home jobs have always been misunderstood by a large portion of the population, even after more people worked from home during the pandemic.

It’s as if they suspect that the workload and demands decrease alongside the commute.

Friends and family seem to be uniquely capable of disregarding a work-from-home person’s work hours, cringed the people in the “Am I the A**hole?” (AITAH) subReddit.

Redditor Zharuai had a high-paying job they enjoyed that they also completed from home, and they were regularly accused by their sister and other family members of not working a “real job.”

But they decided enough was enough when the family went so far as to accuse the Original Poster (OP) of being “selfish” for not babysitting their sister’s kids to eliminate her childcare costs.

They asked the sub:

“AITAH for refusing to babysit my sister’s kids after she called me ‘lazy’ for working from home (WFH)?”

The OP’s sister did not respect their work-from-home (WFH) job.

“I have a full-time job that I do from home, which requires a lot of focus and deadlines.”

“My sister has two young kids, and she recently asked me to babysit them during my work hours because daycare is too expensive.”

“At first, I tried to take care of them when she was busy with something, but when she goes to work and leaves them with me, it becomes exhausting, and I can’t focus on my work.”

“This is my job and my livelihood, but she refuses to see it that way.”

When the OP tried to refuse babysitting, the whole family shamed them.

“When I told her I couldn’t do it because of my work commitments, she got upset and called me ‘lazy’ for working from home instead of having a ‘real’ job. She said that since I’m home all day, I should have no problem helping her out.”

“I earn a higher salary than she does, yet she and the rest of our family still believe that working from home isn’t exhausting, so they don’t consider it a ‘real’ job.”

“Now, my sister is mad, and some family members think I’m being selfish for not helping her.”

“They say they’re also at work, and I’m the only one at home, so I should take care of the kids.”

“It’s strange, and just thinking about it is exhausting. I feel like I have the right to prioritize my work.”

“AITAH?”

Fellow Redditors weighed in:

  • NTA: Not the A**hole
  • YTA: You’re the A**hole
  • ESH: Everybody Sucks Here
  • NAH: No A**holes Here

Some empathized with the OP, knowing that WFH jobs are often undervalued.

“NTA. Your sister has no concept of what WFH means. Some people get this fairy tale idea that you don’t do any work and just watch TV or play video games all day.”

“Sure, some people may have a lot of downtime, but that’s not every WFH job. A lot of people have deadlines to make, meetings to attend, and clients to speak with. You just do your regular job, from home.” – Wondercat87

“I don’t understand why people think that remote jobs are not a ‘real job’ and that we have lots of free time just because we work remotely.” – shygirl_222

“Your sister is ignorant and entitled as f**k. WFH is just that, working. I work from home a few days a week, there is NO WAY I can do that while being responsible for two little ones. It would be wildly irresponsible.”

“And even if you were staying home and doing nothing, unless she’s planning on paying you, she’s not entitled to your time as her free babysitter.” – Independent-Summer12

“NTA! Working from home doesn’t mean sitting on your a** watching TV and eating bonbons. The boss expects you to actually WORK! You don’t have time to be running around after somebody’s kids. The ones who say you should help out should be the first ones to volunteer to watch them.” – Unlikely-Strain-3399

“Tell her you’re too LAZY to be trusted with looking after her kids, lol (laughing out loud).” – Skoguu

Others also cautioned the OP against watching the kids because of work agreements.

“NTA. Just because she doesn’t have the mental capability to concentrate on her work at home doesn’t mean that others can’t as well. The only difference between you and someone who works in the office is that your office is in your house. Your job still requires you to put in the same amount of energy as any other worker.”

“Tell her that she’s welcome to watch a day of your work and see how having your office in your own house doesn’t mean that you aren’t busy.”

“Your job still expects you to concentrate on the work and not do other stuff. They are asking you to risk your job so they can get free daycare.”

“Ask her if she’s willing to cover your wages if your work finds out that you’re also looking after kids when they expect you to be working. This is why some companies are so stringy on letting people work from home.” – Mechya

“NTA. ‘No’ is a valid answer, and reply to anyone complaining that you’ll let your sister know they are offering free childcare.”

“Their lack of understanding that WFH is still working with commitments, meetings, and responsibilities is their problem.”

“As a director-level manager who works from home, if I found out an employee was running a daycare from their home during work hours, it would be their new full-time job, effective immediately.”

“I am very open and flexible to allowing employees to set their own schedules and deal with their own parenting issues during work time, but this is not a viable WFH arrangement. Babysitting two kids is a second job.” – maybe-an-ai-or-not

“NTA. WFH is a real job. Your sister sounds entitled and honestly jealous. If she’s trying to rally family to support her in this, and they’re siding with her, they’re just as out of touch as she is.”

“I work from home full-time. I am on calls or meetings sometimes more than I would be if we were in the office; I have to be available when I’m not, and have work product, a team, and projects I’m responsible for.”

“If my boss found out I was babysitting all the time, and people would find out, because kids are needy and loud, I would be fired or at the very least reprimanded and told it had to stop.” – the__moops

“Working from home isn’t lazy, it’s a choice. If you are blessed to be able to work from home, it’s no different than working in an office, except the commute is shorter. Every company I have worked from home with has insisted on a private workspace with no distractions as part of the employment contract.”

“So no, NTA. Kids are a huge distraction, and caring for them would affect your work performance. If your sister can’t understand that then she shouldn’t be breeding, we don’t need more stupid in the gene pool.” – Optimal_Lavishness40

“NTA. My brother-in-law’s company fired a guy who was working from home because his wife couldn’t understand that when he was working, he was expected to work despite being at home. His wife was a SAHM but would schedule spa days, lunches with friends, or other outings and leave the kids with him.”

“His productivity dropped, and he was given the option of either returning to the office or finding another job. He tried to claim it did not affect his performance because he forgot they could track it. He got fired because he refused to make a choice.”

“Are your sister and family members willing to compensate you for lost income when you lose your job because you are watching her kids? If not, then no, you don’t have to watch her kids.” – naranghim

Some quipped that if the mother found WFH jobs so easy, she should make money while home with her own children.

“NTA. If it’s so easy to work from home and care for her children, what is stopping her from doing it?”

“Even if your job was not demanding, it’s not your responsibility to watch her children.” – peace_love_sunflower

“She should take her kids to work with her so then maybe she can see how much of a distraction they are. She’s being ridiculous and so are the other family members.” – woodysmama

“Let the family members who think you are being selfish take the kids. You are not required to babysit your sister’s kids, whether you are WFH or sitting at home scrolling Reddit all day. Her kids, her responsibility.” – TurnoverObvious170

“NTA. No is a complete sentence. They are not your children. Those family members who criticize you can take care of these kids. It’s so much easier for people to point fingers at somebody else. They should put up or shut up.” – Snowland-Cozy

“What a joke. You have zero obligations to alleviate her daycare bills. She should find a ‘not real job’ so she can care for her own kids for free. I wonder how long it would take until she started feeling burned out. Asking you to do that for your NOT-YOUR kids is insane.” – Brazilian_Rhino

“I wish the work just got easier because I work from home. I don’t get why people think, the work is easier because it’s from home.”

“Does my home environment lessen the difficulty of my work? Do I get extra brain cells? A brain boost or what?”

“Babysitting and working don’t work well. She needs a daycare or a real babysitter or find a work-from-home job HERSELF, since it’s so easy and lazy. NTA.” – NefariousnessLost708

The subReddit was quick to applaud the OP for sticking to their boundaries and respecting their workplace, knowing that their sister had other options for caring for her children.

If she really wanted to lower the cost of childcare, she could ask someone else to babysit or look for a work-from-home job for herself.

If she thought it was such “lazy” work, it shouldn’t be a problem to do it alongside her parenting duties.

Written by McKenzie Lynn Tozan

McKenzie Lynn Tozan has been a part of the George Takei family since 2019 when she wrote some of her favorite early pieces: Sesame Street introducing its first character who lived in foster care and Bruce Willis delivering a not-so-Die-Hard opening pitch at a Phillies game. She's gone on to write nearly 3,000 viral and trending stories for George Takei, Comic Sands, Percolately, and ÜberFacts. With an unstoppable love for the written word, she's also an avid reader, poet, and indie novelist.