17-year-old babysitter quits after her boss’s husband, Jason, leaves, making her unpaid primary caretaker of their 1, 5, and 7-year-old unruly kids, dealing with their mom, Mina's daily emotional meltdowns: ‘ The 1-year-old calls me mom’

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Etai Eshet • Editor
May 21, 2025 10:00 AM EDT

It takes a certain kind of 17-year-old to handle three kids, an emotional support role in a mansion where the only thing more out of control than the children is the family drama. Oh and the crumbling marriage of your bosses, Mina and Jason. Meet the hardworking teenager at the center of today's story: part-time babysitter, part-time therapist, full-time underpaid junior social worker. What began as a simple gig: get paid, play with kids, maybe enjoy a snack or two, quickly devolved into front-row seats at a domestic meltdown only slightly less awkward than being called "mom" by a toddler who's going to need therapy by kindergarten.

But when Mr. Control Issues left the scene after the world's worst argument and the only thing he took with him was the last shred of adult stability, the real transformation began. Suddenly, the gig came with daily pay cuts, a side order of disrespect, and the sort of emotional manipulation that should earn extra hazard pay. The only thing wilder than the unchecked children was Mina's new routine of unpaid labor, crying, and hurling insults at the only person still willing to keep the house from devolving into Jumanji.

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  • "Aita for telling my boss I’m done babysitting her kids after her husband left?"

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    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • So, when our babysitter finally told boss-lady she was done propping up the remains of this domestic opera, all she got was a growled “You can’t leave!”, as if babysitter also meant contracted servant.

  • I(17F) babysit kids, I've been doing babysitting as a side jobs for a year now and I met a good couple which made me their personal sitter.
    via Pretend_Sleep_9128
  • Jason and Mina have two kids, I'm telling you right now that their house is big like crazy. They both work busy jobs so they never have time to watch the kids,
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  • Jason did make more though and Mina wasn't allowed to use her money whenever. Jason controlled all of it. I luckily came in and helped them.
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    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • Their kids are very wild but when I'm around they know not to do that, I babysit a 1 year old, 5yr, and a 7yr so that can be a lot. I don't watch them all the time, if I'm busy with school then I don't
    via Pretend_Sleep_9128
  • watch them. The kids are pretty cool, the 1 year old calls me mom and is very attached to me but it's weird and awkward for a kid to call me "mom"
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  • Jason and Mina do have trouble in their marriage, the times I was there, they would argue a lot and of course I had to be there to comfort the kids. I think after she
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    via Icons8 Photos

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • lost her baby, Jason has been acting weird towards her, he would tell at her but she would just cry. Or im just too young to understand marriage, anyways this continued.
    via Pretend_Sleep_9128
  • Weeks before I was kinda pulling back on the babysitter thing because who wants to hear arguing nonstop? That's actually tiring and for the first time I didn't want to be at their house. I was
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  • there when Jason left and it was a big fight, he hit her and never came back, not going to lie I was uncomfortable and I think that should've been the day I left.
    via Pretend_Sleep_9128
  • It's been 2 weeks since Jason has been gone, I still babysat but I did see a change in Mina behavior. She was more mean, she would cry daily, she didn't pay me one day and I let it slide but it became consistent, she would pay me but
    via Pretend_Sleep_9128
  • less. She treated me like trash and would say disrespectful things to me, I knew that I shouldn't be allowing that. I babysat for the last time because after that I was out. Mina was home and I nervous but went for it, she was just sitting in the dining room in silence.
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  • I told her the truth, I'm not babysitting for her anymore and if she wants a new babysitter she will have to find one. That was probably the first time she looked at me, she then told me I can't
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  • leave because someone needs to watch the kids. I told her what I said again but I don't think she cared, she actually yelled at me because I'm being a little a hole.
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  • wackycats354 NTA. Good for standing up for yourself. That's important. It's important to not let people treat you like sh.
    via wackycats354
  • yrnspnnr NTA. If you do the work, you deserve to be paid, and be paid on time. You also have the right to stop.
    via yrnspnnr
  • Successful_B....107 Not your kids, not your problem. Write it out clearly in a text so that it is documented:
    via Successful_B 107
  • Mina, I would like to confirm that you understand our earlier conversation. As of my last visit on May I am no longer be available to assist you with your childcare needs.
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  • I wish you the best of luck finding alternate childcare. Keep it short, sweet & to the point but you need to get it all in writing if you do not have it documented already.
    via Successful_B 107

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management boss workplace-stories hr manager bosses work babysitting PTO managers supervisor workplace work-life balance primary caretaker
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