Wife Wants To Know If She Is In The Wrong For Refusing To Babysit Her Sister-In-Law's Children For An Entire Month
She does not seem to have a choice, as her husband outright volunteered her services.
One woman’s refusal to babysit for a month has turned into a full-blown family dispute. Her husband volunteered her for the job, and she was not on board.
Reddit user Various_Tailor1764 says her sister-in-law needs help after an operation, but the request came with a huge catch, caring for the children for an entire month. Since OP has already said she is not comfortable with kids, she turned to Reddit to ask whether she was wrong to refuse.
The comments did not hold back, and the family blame game got messy fast.
Here is the post by OP on Reddit.
Various_Tailor1764Why would she take care of the kids if her husband is able to?
via: MerliniaWho is he to offer her services without even asking her if she is able to do it?
via: qumayo123
Her husband should stop volunteering things for her. SIL's husband should look after his own kids!
via: Feeling-Chemist-9394
SIL should hire a nanny or babysitter instead.
via: rangerman2002
If her husband wants to play the hero, then let him do it — just himself.
via: sno_boarder
It's not her job at all! Let the husband or grandparents take care of the children.
via: notsowise_nz
They are not her kids; therefore, they are not her responsibility.
via: alpy99
This is similar to the wife who refused to share baby savings with her sister-in-law during a financial crisis.
SIL's husband is the asshole for not taking care of his own kids!
via: HoldFastO2
A month-long duration is taking custody, not babysitting!
via: FargoHat
SIL's husband should be the very person to exercise childcare.
via: Sleepy_felines
Her husband sounds very inconsiderate here.
via: thegtabmx
Should her husband insist on her taking care of the kids, she should inform him that she is staying somewhere else for a month as well.
via: Mishy162
It should be the father who looks after his kids.
via: loopylandtied
She can always refuse. There's a huge difference between her infant cousin and these kids. Her aunt helped raise her.
via: ValkyrieofMercy
Marriage 101: It's not right to volunteer your spouse's time and comfort without proper conversation.
via: DebtEast8602
No one should guilt-trip her into accepting.
via: Mastearchy
There is a significant difference between babysitting a single infant and two children.
via: SystemConfident399
Her husband has already taken care of the expenses by paying for her SIL's operation. Others can take care of the kids.
via: JuliaX1984
This is such an onerous chore for a month.
via: KnightofForestsWild
Her husband has no right to volunteer her for this.
via: teresajs
The overall verdict is: she's not the asshole. The majority of those who commented have said that the sister-in-law's husband should take responsibility for caring for the kids.
Aside from the husband, there are other family members who can also help the sister-in-law, such as their parents. Additionally, OP’s husband should have respected her feelings about this situation.
Wondering where to draw the line with your sister after she lost her job? Read whether refusing to let her move back in after losing her job made her the wrong one.
