Childfree woman takes 6 hour trip to see 3-year-old and 2-year-old nephews, gets chastised by sister for not loving them the same way as she and her husband: ' I have to tap out and recharge'

In spite of being easier than having kids in numerous ways, being childfree is not without its challenges. In a world where there is still a tacit expectation that most people will start a family someday, there can be a lot of pressure to accept kids into your life to a degree that isn't comfortable. While it is of course important to be kind to children and even help out friends and family where appropriate, it is not wrong to have certain limits.

Unfortunately, some parents believe that such limits are made to be pushed. They find it difficult to see past their own feelings about their kids, and the tolerance that they develop by virtue of parenting them 24/7. It is something that most non-parents are going to find overwhelming, and they can't be expected to have the exact same reactions that a mom or dad might to the same situation.

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This was something that one childfree woman struggled to explain to her sister, who is the mom of three toddlers with her husband. She traveled to visit them recently.
While she was happy to spend some time with her nephews, she occasionally became overwhelmed by their behavior and had to excuse herself from the room when things became too much.
Her sister took this as an opportunity to accuse her of not loving the kids like she and her husband did, something that the woman felt was not unreasonable. However, she also wanted to know if she had backup.
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AITA for not loving my sister's children the way she and her husband do?

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Outsiders felt her perspective was reasonable, and that her sister was expecting something unrealistic.

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The woman was grateful for the validation.

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