Dad forces 17-year-old son to babysit his fiancée's 3-year-old and 6-month-old, son walks out of the house to avoid the unwanted duty: 'Their mom was home'

Author image for Emmy Pratt
Emmy Pratt • Writer and Editor
Aug 14, 2025 8:00 PM EDT

I've never understood the impulse to baby-sit trap someone. Baby trapping is when you lie about being on birth control to a partner so that you get pregnant and ensnare him with the responsibilities of fatherhood. Babysitting trapping, a term I coined just now, is when a parent leaves their kids with a random adult at the last second, ensuring that they'll have a babysitter because they're relying on that person's innate desire not to leave a child unattended. This sometimes works, but it's not without damaging the relationship between the parent and the adult they're babysit trapping. There are times when a parent is having an absolute emergency with childcare and needs to leave their kid with a sitter at the last second. However, there are times when they have oodles of time to plan their kids' care, and specifically decide to force someone without power, usually a teenage sibling, into watching the kids for no money. 

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  • The mom in this story is a real winner. She left her kids with her fiancé's teenage son and got upset when he refused to babysit for them. She was literally at home, and nobody asked if he was cool with this arrangement. 

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    via Getty Images (Unsplash+)

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

  • AITA for leaving when I was asked to babysit forcing my dad's fiancée to cancel her plans?

    I (M17) lived with my mom until a year ago when her dis lity got to the point where she was placed in a care home that's like a hospice. My dad wasn't ever a big presence in my life and he's still not. I live there but I need to be self sufficient and I pay for my own sh or have help from my maternal grandparents to pay for it. It's all kinds of messed up but
    via u/IglossTovon
  • he was always that way. His reason for having me here is no child support because he had to pay for 16 years before that. My grandparents even promised they wouldn't ask for child support but he was like no and he was smug about him being my dad and he'd win over them anyway.
    via u/IglossTovon
  • My dad's engaged to some woman who has a 3 year old with someone else and a 6 month old with my dad. I moved in around the same time her and her kid did and she was pregnant then. I don't know much about her and I don't spend time around her or the kids.
    via u/IglossTovon
  • Last Saturday I had a day off work and I wasn't planning on doing anything when dad and her said I needed to babysit the kids because they had stuff on. Dad left first and she told me she'd be gone for about 6 hours and she was trying to tell me schedule stuff for the 6 month old and the 3 year old but I just said no way
    via u/IglossTovon
  • and I left the house. I didn't have anything planned but I was not willing to babysit and I dipped before she could leave. She tried yelling after me but I kept going and I didn't go back to the house until it was late.
    via u/IglossTovon
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    via cashoyboy

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

  • Dad was back by then and the two of them started yelling at me and saying I had no right to walk out and leave the kids without a sitter. I pointed out their mom was home and they said it wasn't the point but I said it was the point and I did not want to
    via u/IglossTovon
  • babysit and I did not have to babysit. I told them I won't ever babysit so they better find someone for when they need it because it won't be me and I will leave every single time.
    via u/IglossTovon
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    via IIONA VIRGIN

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

  • She was trying to guilt trip me about canceling her plans and I asked her why it was my problem that she didn't prepare a sitter for her kids before her plans. She even got her sister (who I don't think I met before) come over and tell me I was a person and I took my daddy issues out
    via u/IglossTovon
  • on her sister and her niblings. I rolled my eyes, packed my sh and I left after that. I'm hoping he doesn't try taking this to custody court and if he does I hope he gets a date after I turn 18 and it's a waste of time.
    via u/IglossTovon
  • AITA? Asking because I know she didn't do sh to me and she might have appreciated it or something idk.
    via u/IglossTovon
  • Shadow4summer NTA. This is why your dad wanted you at home instead of your grandparents. They wanted a built in babysitter. They are takers and users. Since you're out already, never go back, never give in. Sorry you're going through this.
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  • Raptor007 NTA, if your matenal grandparents are close enough to you make sure you keep anything you truly want there for safe keeping . He will escalate and if he does have your grandparents go to court and explain why you want to live with them. He doesn't want his son he wants staff to watch the kids. I would have walked out too.
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  • Katja 1236 Also point out to the court that he is neither paying child support for or providing support (beyond a roof over your head) to you at all, despite claiming authority over you as a minor "in his care". He can't treat you like an adult roommate when it comes to feeding and supporting yourself and like a child when it comes to requiring you to do chores for his family.
    via u/Katja1236
  • 2ndBestAtEverything 100 why they wanted him there. His stupid, smug face was because he thought he'd just solved his own problem and, not only was it not going to cost money but the solution would save him money on child support. Dad is a loser and I'm glad OP dipped. NTA, OP.
    via u/2ndBestAtEverything
  • Curious-One4595 NTA. They didn't ask you to babysit. They didn't offer to pay you. They just told you that you were going to. Then when you refused, they dogpiled you. They are in the wrong. They behaved badly. You should not need to be self-sufficient in your dad's house when you are seventeen. He still should be meeting all of your needs.
    via u/Curious-One4595
  • Icy-Foundation-2333 NTA Her sister can babysit if she wants prepare your exit !
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  • Capt Wholesome What kind of mother leaves their toddlers with a stranger they just met for 6 hours to begin with
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  • Icy-Foundation-2333 A mother who made a baby with someone she knew was a deadbeat dad ...
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  • matureebonysuckles Even if he's awarded custody, that doesn't mean you are awarded babysitting duties. Watching over children is a huge responsibility. If I had kids I wouldn't want a halfhearted coerced baby sitter watching over them. Quite the coincidence that she moved in around the same time you did. She really is a presumptuous little so and so.
    via u/matureebonysuckles
  • Amazing-Wave4704 And planning to leave a toddler and a six MONTH baby for six hours? that's crazy.
    via u/Amazing-Wave4704
  • According Pizza8484 Came here to say this. Who in their right mind would even want or trust an unwilling 17 year old to watch their 6 month old baby? Like wrong with them? is
    via u/According_Pizza8484
  • Martin Aurelius NTA. You're 17, you can literally just move in with your grandparents if you want. No court is going to force you to move back.
    via u/Martin_Aurelius

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parents of teens teens family drama baby babysitter toddler kids toddlers teenagers bad parenting babysitting dad little kids family fiancee son Father
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