‘I said no’: Stepmom tries to force her 16-year-old to babysit and she refuses, when her deadbeat family members leave the newborn unattended, the teenager gets wrongfully punished

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Jesse Kessenheimer • Writer and Editor
Sep 17, 2024 2:00 PM EDT

Not all stepmoms are evil, but the lady in this next story is giving movie villains a run for their money. 

Of course, there's a certain amount of family obligation that comes with being the oldest sibling. Naturally, the eldest gets jilted with responsibilities like involuntary babysitting all the time, but when the teenager in this next story was asked to watch her newborn half-brother, she refused. The teenager had plans to meet with friends from out of town and was indisposed, so her stepmom's last-minute (and apparently irrefutable) demand to watch the baby was not well-received. 

Even with her 22-year-old brother and her father in the house, the stepmom still insisted that the teenager cancel her plans to care for the baby simply because she said so... But after the 16-year-old flat out refused to watch the baby, the stepmom pulled the 'my house, my rules' card. Nothing persuades a teenager to be altruistic quite like brute force.

Read on for the dramatic plot twist to a babysitting request gone totally wrong, where this evil stepmother did the unthinkable just to prove a point. Perhaps after this mishap, this teenage girl will be counting down the days until she turns 18…

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  • 01
    "You are NOT the built-in nanny"
    via nicoletaionescu - Getty Images via Canva
  • 02
    AITA for not babysitting my newborn brother? My(16f) stepmom (middle age f) had my step brother(4months) recently and I've been paid to babysit him here and there.
    via Last-Bite-621
  • 03
    However yesterday I had planned for a run in the evening. Basically verbatim "Take care of your brother for a bit I have an important work errand"-stepmom "No I'm going for a run"-me "You don't have a choice, it's not even that important. my house my rules"-her "I said no"- me
    via Last-Bite-621
  • 04
    I just put on my headphones again and ignore her after that. Later on when I eating with my friends after the run I got bombarded by my dad for leaving my brother alone the whole evening. Apparently my step mom came home to my brother screaming and starving and his diapers full.
    via Last-Bite-621
  • 05
    I argued I didn't know she was actually leaving him behind and I had plan this run with my friends for a month since one of them is coming out for town. But they aren't speaking to me or giving me allowances.
    via Last-Bite-621
  • 06
    They said the instructions were given and I should have checked either ways before leaving the house. So AITA? 1. My friend is visiting me for the first time in a year and I did inform them.
    via Last-Bite-621
  • 07
    2. No my stepmom do not pay for me at all. This house was passed on to my dad by my grandpa and mom. Most of the money my dad gave me are from the heritance my grandpa left me. I can't access it myself though. My stepmom do not pay for my utilities or anything. Maybe babysitting and it's usually very little
    via Last-Bite-621
  • 08
    3. Since everyone kept asking who left first I went back to check the camera. Btw I was very excited to see my friend so I didn't check. So yes I did leave before my stepmom. But my step brother (entirely my step mom son 22) was at home the WHOLE time. He usually only comes home at midnight and game so I'm going to confront them and him.
    via Last-Bite-621
  • 09
    4. My dad was home too. He left after both me and my mom left. I thought I heard the TV on before I left. Update: I'm too tired to argue with them. They kept bringing up I was 16 and responsible enough to check
    via Last-Bite-621
  • 10
    every room in the house before leaving and jumping back to I'm only 16 and I should listen to the adults. As for my step brother, he said he was gaming with his headphones and couldn't hear anything and my parents deflect it back on saying I was the one who was told to get the job done.
    via Last-Bite-621
  • 11
    Either ways I'm not in a position to refuse their orders, so yeah. But I will check on my half brother the next time I got to leave. It's just that I don't have that habit of checking and I was really excited for the meeting.
    via Last-Bite-621
  • 12
    CanadaHaz Don't know about the brother, or even care. Because the father of the baby couldn't be asked to care for his own baby.
    via CanadaHaz
  • 13
    Over-Distance8726 Unacceptable of their part. Up the ante, tell them this child isn't your responsibility and threaten to call CPS if the next time they leave him unattended.
    via Over-Distance8726
  • 14
    Tal_Tos_72 Why wait? Child was abandoned. CPS should already be involved Baited Breaths The baby's father and adult brother were home, they just didn't do So, yeah, you're right, the baby was abandoned.
    via Tal_Tos_72
  • 15
    noveltea120 Jfc your family I'm sorry. THEY chose to have a kid but still willingly left the baby alone without making sure he would be taken care of. Could you have taken care of him? Sure, if you wanted but it's still not your responsibility to make sure someone was home before leaving. That's on them, not you. Tell them next time you'll call the cops for knowingly being irresponsible for leaving a newborn alone at home. Should change their tune pretty quick. NTA.
    via noveltea120
  • 16
    Remote Broccoli "Look, dad, name of stepmom, I will NOT babysit unless given 72 hours notice before, and a hourly rate of at least 15 dollars, and that's that. The KID is NOT my making, hence, II don't take care of it unless booked and paid to do so. I will not work for more than 6 hours at one stretch, and this is final. " ΝΤΑ
    via Remote Broccoli
  • 17
    mnth241 ???? Your brother and father were both home listening to the baby cry and this is still your fault!? Sounds like you were pretty clear about your refusal. Nta. But your family . Guess your stepmother doesn't think you can say no.
    via mnth241
  • 18
    Forward Nothing5979 NTA Why didn't the baby's mom make sure the kid wasn't alone when she left?
    via Forward Nothing5979
  • 19
    SweetieGrace NTA You're not in the wrong here. You made it clear to your stepmom that you had prior plans and were not available to babysit. While it's essential to help out with family responsibilities, it's
    via SweetieGrace
  • 20
    also necessary to maintain boundaries and be allowed to have your own plans. Your stepmom should have respected your "no" and made other arrangements for your brother's care. It's not fair to assume you'll drop everything and babysit whenever she needs you to, especially when she didn't make it clear that she was actually leaving the baby alone
    via SweetieGrace
  • 21
    laxnut90 Also, the father and 22 year-old brother were both home. What were they doing the whole time?
    via laxnut90
  • 22
    Pretty 865-Artwork NTA your step mother is crazy! If she ever walks out the door and leaves the baby alone call the cops for abandonment. You are NOT the built-in nanny. You said no. No is a complete sentence. If she can't respect you then let her FAFO. She sounds like a neglectful parent.
    via Pretty865-Artwork

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