NEWSA 27-Year-Old Woman Says Her 32-Year-Old Sister, a Single Mom, Expected Her to Babysit Her 5-Year-Old Son During a Pre-Booked Trip. When She Said No, Her Sister Called Her Selfish
A woman discussed a family disagreement over a last-minute babysitting request and a pre-booked trip.
Oct. 16 2026, Published 5:19 a.m. ET
A 27-year-old woman refused to cancel a pre-booked trip to babysit her 32-year-old sister’s 5-year-old son, prompting her older sister to call her selfish.
In a Reddit post shared to r/AmItheA--hole, the woman explained that she had often helped her sister, a single mom, but felt her kindness was increasingly being taken for granted.
A 27-year-old woman described her disagreement with her older sister in a Reddit post.
The woman said her sister had been raising her son alone for about three years. She regularly helped with childcare, grocery shopping, and appointments, sometimes canceling her own plans when emergencies arose.
However, the latest request left her frustrated.
The woman had planned a trip with two friends a month earlier, and their hotel was already booked and paid for. On the Saturday they were due to leave, her sister asked her to watch her son because she had agreed to take an extra shift at work.
When the woman explained that she was unavailable, her sister insisted she could reschedule the trip. However, she refused to cancel plans that she and her friends had arranged in advance.
Her Sister Called Her Selfish For Refusing To Babysit
The woman explained how she regularly helped her sister with childcare, errands and appointments.
The woman said her sister accused her of being selfish and argued that she did not understand the challenges of being a single parent.
She stood by her decision and explained that she understood her sister's responsibilities but did not believe they meant everyone else had to rearrange their lives around her needs.
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A pre-booked trip with two friends became the center of a disagreement over babysitting responsibilities.
Her sister was briefly stunned before describing her response as insensitive.
The following day, their mother called to discuss the disagreement.
While she agreed that the woman was not obligated to babysit, she also felt her daughter could have chosen her words more carefully. The woman ultimately went on the trip with her friends.
Reddit Users Support Woman’s Decision To Set Boundaries
Reddit users weighed in after a woman described setting boundaries with her sister over childcare.
Many Reddit users sided with the woman, arguing that she was entitled to keep her plans and set limits on how much she helped her sister.
One commenter supported her decision to stand her ground.
"Nta. You finally drew a boundary. That will always provoke a negative response. Hold firm or you will always be on call at your sisters whim," the user wrote.
Another commenter acknowledged her response but felt the message was necessary.
They wrote, "It may have been a little insensitive but someone needed to say it. Unfortunately part of being a single parent is needing to realize that while it's lovely people in your life are willing to help you out. It's not their child or responsibility."
A third commenter argued that the sister should also consider other people first.
"NTA-if she doesn't want to be in the receiving end of insensitive comments maybe she should be a little more sensitive herself and not call people selfish for wanting to follow through on the plans they made," the user wrote.
