Woman refuses her mother-of-two colleague’s demands for unpaid, non-work-related errands and babysitting every weekend: ‘Just because I don’t have children doesn’t mean my time is worthless’

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Etai Eshet • Editor
Jun 25, 2025 10:00 AM EDT

The grass is always greener on the other side, and the weekends are always freer on the single side. At least according to coworkers who see your weekends as a blank check for their endless to-do lists. One minute you're the friendly colleague, the next you're the unofficial moving crew, dog sitter, and emergency babysitter, all because your calendar supposedly overflows with luxurious nothingness. 

The coworker in question, armed with two kids and a martyr complex, has decided that anyone without a diaper bag is fair game for unpaid labor. Her logic is simple: no children equals no real responsibilities, and therefore, your Saturday is just waiting to be filled with someone else's responsibilities.

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  • She said my “single life” meant I had no excuse not to help her every weekend.

    "I work full-time too. I enjoy having weekends to just breathe"
    via Kaspars Grinvalds/GaudiLab

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

  • The latest request was for help packing up her garage, delivered with the subtlety of a traffic warden and the expectation of a royal command. When met with a polite refusal and mention of actual plans, she responded with the classic “must be nice” eye roll, as if enjoying a quiet weekend is a personal affront to working parents everywhere. That was the final straw. A gentle reminder that single people still have lives, commitments, and, shockingly, the right to say no, was met with stunned silence.

  • My coworker has two kids. and a full schedule, which I totally get. She's tired, overwhelmed, and always
    via Weary-Admin
  • juggling something. But over the last few months, she's started expecting me to help her with
    via Weary-Admin
  • Cheezburger Image 10521152256
    via Kaspars Grinvalds

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

  • things outside of work errands, moving furniture, babysitting because, in her words, "you don't
    via Weary-Admin
  • really have responsibilities like I do." I work full-time too. I pay rent. I cook, clean, care for my elderly
    via Weary-Admin
  • Cheezburger Image 10521152512
    via GaudiLab

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

  • dog, and honestly? I enjoy having weekends to just breathe. But apparently, because I
    via Weary-Admin
  • don't have kids, my time is automatically open season. Last week she asked me (not asked,
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  • really told) to help her pack up her garage on Saturday. When I said I had plans, she rolled her
    via Weary-Admin
  • eyes and said, "Must be nice to have a life with nothing important to do." That's when I snapped a
    via Weary-Admin
  • little. I told her just because I don't have children doesn't mean my time is worthless, and that
    via Weary-Admin
  • her choices don't entitle her to mine. She got quiet. I haven't heard from her since. Honestly? I'm not sorry.
    via Weary-Admin

  • Now the phone is quiet, the weekends are blissfully free, and the only guilt is for not drawing the line sooner. If the price of single life is occasionally being labeled selfish by those who confuse exhaustion with virtue, so be it.

  • Final-Success2523 Good job for standing up for yourself. She chose to have kids and you didn't sign up to be an extra parent.
    via Final-Success2523
  • omega_razor That silence is the sound of peace.
    via omega_razor
  • Francie Nolan 1964 When someone asks you what you're doing and you say "Nothing," that doesn't mean that you're available, it means that you're doing nothing. And there's nothing wrong with that.
    via Francie Nolan 1964
  • I have a feeling that after a little time has passed she'll be nagging you again. You aren't even friends with this woman or you would have said friend instead of co-worker.
    via Francie Nolan 1964
  • I know that you've been pressured into helping her in the past, but that doesn't mean that you have to continue helping her.
    via Francie Nolan 1964
  • It's not too late to set boundaries with her. If you are willing to help a little, it's perfectly appropriate to say something like, "I'm available to help you on Tuesday between 5 and 8, but aside from that time I'm not available."
    via Francie Nolan 1964

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management boss workplace-stories hr manager bosses work PTO managers supervisor workplace Horrible Bosses work-life balance
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