Watching over kids is a full-time job. Unsurprisingly, not everyone is equally excited about looking after them, especially when the little ones are not their children.
Redditor u/No_Writing9686 told the AITA community about having to babysit her sister’s kids whenever she visits. That was the reason she got out of a family vacation to Disneyland when she learned her sister’s family was also going. The OP found a way to dodge the babysitting, but received comments from the family that made her wonder if she was being a jerk.
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Looking after someone else’s children is rarely how one wants to spend their vacation
Image credits: David Guerrero (not the actual photo)
This young woman got out of a family trip to Disneyland so she didn’t have to babysit her sister’s kids
Image credits: Vinta Supply Co. | NYC (not the actual photo)
Image source: No_Writing9686
Disneyland is a popular destination for a family vacation, attracting tens of thousands of visitors each day
Image credits: Tyler Nix (not the actual photo)
Going on a vacation with the entire family can be challenging for numerous reasons, from accommodating everyone’s needs to finding the right activities to enjoy together. For the OP, another somewhat off-putting thing about the family trip was the idea of having to watch her sister’s children. That’s why she found a way to get out of the Disneyland trip and enjoy some peace and quiet at home instead.
For those seeking peace and quiet, Disneyland might not be the best choice, considering the sheer number of visitors there. Gitnux uncovered that on a peak day during the holiday season, Disney World attracts roughly 155,000 people. It also revealed that the destination is a rather popular one among families, as back in 2017, 42% households in the US with children under 18 had visited one of the Disney theme parks.
Whether it’s a trip to Disney or staying at home, most parents would likely appreciate a little help watching over their little ones. That’s why they often turn to friends or relatives for such assistance. According to Pew Research Center’s survey, 39% of parents in the US receive at least some support from friends or extended family, while an additional 44% believe they receive quite a lot of it.
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It is common for parents to ask for help from their friends and relatives
Image credits: Marisa Howenstine (not the actual photo)
Friends and family helping out with child care is not as uncommon as one might think. Known as Family, Friend and Neighbor (FFN) Care, it is arguably the most common type of child care for infants, toddlers, and school-age children before and after school.
The National Women’s Law Center reports that grandparents are the typical choice when it comes to relative care. Data revealed that out of roughly 5.2 million children under six years of age, 79% were watched over by grandmas and grandpas. An additional 13% were looked after by aunts and uncles and 9%—by other relatives.
Parents’ siblings are often among the aforementioned 9% of FFN care providers. As the OP’s example showed, they are sometimes used as unpaid babysitters, mostly just because they are family. And while some would agree that the time spent with their nieces and nephews is something they wouldn’t trade for the world, it might get tiresome nevertheless. Especially when the responsibility is placed on one’s shoulders without discussing it beforehand.
That might have been one of the reasons the redditor skipped the vacation when she saw her sister’s family at the airport. All of the sudden, the Disney trip that was supposed to be just herself and the parents became a much bigger event, which is why she pretended to have lost her passport. Fellow redditors didn’t consider her a jerk for doing so, as they stated in the comments.
The OP answered some comments providing more information on the situation
Quite a few redditors thought the young woman wasn’t being a jerk to her family
The post Teenager Hides Passport In Her Sock When She Realizes She Will Have To Babysit During The Trip first appeared on Bored Panda.
Source: boredpanda.com