Single mom expects her 26-year-old sister to leave work 15 minutes into her shift so she can help watch her two children, sister refuses and sets strict boundaries: ‘I was yelled at and then hung up on’

Author image for Lana DeGaetano
Lana DeGaetano • "Show me to me please."
May 25, 2025 6:00 PM EDT

When our family members are in need of our help, we provide it out of the kindness in our hearts. At the end of the day, we don't want to see our loved ones struggle through a difficult point in their lives—if a little help allows them to make it through their hardship, that's no skin off our backs. That is, until it is.

Certain family members will make it their mission to take advantage of our kindness instead of accepting what we've given them and being grateful that we even helped at all. Sharing DNA does not force us to help—we want to. Even when you express this notion to your entitled family members, they refuse to admit that moving the planets just for their ease and comfort shouldn't be the norm. We all have lives we need to attend to—it's not just them in the picture. 

In this next story, a woman refuses to leave work after her single-mother sister requests she come back and help with her two children. Scroll to read the full story below.

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  • It's important to note that the woman who the single mom is asking to leave work actively provides financial support to her and her children. So, in demanding her sister abandon her shift only 15 minutes in, she is actively also putting her finances in jeopardy because she is reliant on the cash that comes from the woman's job. Either way, the entitlement is real.

  • Cheezburger Image 10508528384
    via Jonathan Borba for Unsplash

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

  • "AITA for refusing to leave work to help my family?"

    I (26 F) have a job that is fully remote which I am very thankful for! Last year my fiance and I bought a house 5 minutes from
    via lostandconfused252
  • our families. For context my sister (31 F) lives at home with my parents and is in and out of jobs at a rapid pace. My parents (69 F and 72 M) are retired and their only income is SSI.
    via lostandconfused252
  • My sister is a single mom of 2 kids and one of the kids is possibly au tic, they are waiting on an evaluation to confirm. My sister is currently out of a job and fights with my father often.
    via lostandconfused252
  • I try to help out where I can like occasionally picking one of the kids up from school, coming over on the weekend, etc. There was a time where I was almost acting as
    via lostandconfused252
  • a second parent with how much I was helping but my fiance has helped me to recognize what is a normal family dynamic and try to stick to that.
    via lostandconfused252
  • When I help out during the week it's after my assigned work is finished and I can make up time if I leave or count it as my lunch. (30 minutes) I try to only help out
    via lostandconfused252
  • during the week if it is something that time away can be estimated so if it is over the time of lunch I can tell my manager and make up the time.
    via lostandconfused252
  • I just got a call immediately asking for me to come over 15 minutes into my shift. There is fighting and the baby is not cooperating. I advised that I couldn't I'm at work and was yelled at and then hung up on.
    via lostandconfused252
  • Where I may be TA: I called back and left a voicemail explaining my job is serious and if I am not showing up to my job I have grounds for termination. If I'm
    via lostandconfused252
  • Cheezburger Image 10508528640
    via Unsplash+ Community For Unsplash+

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

  • termed I don't have money to give and then they will be f ed. I said I'm not sure where you got the notion that I can always leave but I can't bend over at God's will.
    via lostandconfused252
  • AITA for refusing and doubling down?
    via lostandconfused252
  • MedicinalWalnuts NTA. You need to work to pay your own bills and help out with theirs. They should understand that. If possible, you need to have stronger boundaries to protect yourself from the bottomless pit of these financial and emotional vampires.
    via MedicinalWalnuts
  • Lucky-Effective-1564 Moving 5 mins away was a BIG mistake. Enforce your rules and block their phones during working hours.
    via Lucky-Effective-1564
  • Ecstatic_Possible_70 nta. Only when someone is safe and secure might they think about helping others or don't set yourself on fire to keep others warm.
    via Ecstatic_Possible_70
  • KateFostery Nope, NTA at all. You've got a full-time job, not an on-call button for family chaos. You're already doing more than most would, and they're mad you won't risk your job? Be serious. You set a boundary and they didn't like it-that's on them, not you.
    via KateFostery
  • Alternative-Copy7027 This attitude is possibly why your sister can't keep a job. Don't be like your sister.
    via Alternative-Copy7027
  • Tablessssssss NTA but it seems your family is becoming dependent and entitled for your help, you need to set boundaries and only help outside of your work hours.
    via Tablessssssss
  • SavingsRhubarb8746 NTA. So many people seem to think that working at home means not really working, and you can take time off whenever you want as you've said this is - not the case. Your family needs to learn to understand that when you're at work, you're not available to solve their problems.
    via SavingsRhubarb8746
  • I think your voicemail was quite reasonable under the circumstances, and you might in addition lay down a rule that you will not accept texts or calls, or check your voicemail, during work hours. If they have a problem they cannot handle during that period, they should call emergency services instead of you.
    via SavingsRhubarb8746
  • I'd expect that, after an initial period of trying to get you to respond during work hours, they'll figure out how to deal with the fights and the baby without actually involving emergency services.
    via SavingsRhubarb8746

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family dynamics family drama entitled parents entitlement work reddit story family feud parenting entitled family reddit thread parent Reddit Parenting Fail parents entitled people Parenting FAILS
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