16-year-old eldest daughter refuses to babysit 7 younger siblings without proper payment, parents claim they pay her enough by providing shelter, food, and clothes: ‘That is all you need’

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Bar Mor Hazut • Senior Editor
Sep 6, 2025 3:00 PM EDT

Do you think kids should always be rewarded for helping their parents around the house? Or is it a requirement, since they live under their parents' roof, to pull their weight?

If your answer is both, then we are on the same page. Some chores should be a mandatory obligation kids simply take part in around the house, while other tasks can be rewarded with money or perks, to keep the kids motivated and content. However, just because we agree doesn't mean that every parent is there along with us. Some parents demand a lot of their children without giving them anything in return, because they believe that is the only way their kids can repay their parents for taking care of them.

That is exactly what happened in the story below. This 16-year-old daughter is babysitting her 7 younger children every single day while her dad works and her mom goes out. One day, she decided she was not going to do it without getting properly paid for it by her parents. They, on the other hand, claim it is her duty to babysit her siblings, and that they pay her enough by putting a roof over her head.

Who do you side with? Keep scrolling to read the full story and let us know in the comments below.

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  • 01
    Cheezburger Image 10549946112
    via oksanashufrych

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 02

    AITAH for telling my parents that I won’t babysit without proper payment?

    I'm 16f and I'm the oldest of 7 kids and I often babysit, my mom will say "I'm leaving to go.." and my payment will be a cup of ice coffee, which I do
    via cj_babe
  • 03
    like to drink it but I don't want that as payment, I said I wanted money. My mom said that they (they as in my parents) won't be paying me
    via cj_babe
  • 04
    to do anything so be grateful they do this, I said that I didn't want a cup of coffee anymore | wanted money as my payment please. My mom said no
    via cj_babe
  • 05
    because they don't have to pay me to do something, I said if I don't get paid properly then I don't babysit.
    via cj_babe
  • 06
    I said I won't babysit if I don't get paid properly, my mom told my dad and my dad yelled at me saying that they don't have to pay me at all with
    via cj_babe
  • 07
    anything because they provide shelter, food, and clothes which is all I need and I will babysit whenever they say. I said if I don't get paid properly
    via cj_babe
  • 08
    I will not babysit. Now, my parents has said that I won't be getting anything for Christmas or birthday because I am ungrateful for what I have. AITAH?
    via cj_babe
  • 09
    thisisstupid- Get a job, then you will get paid for your time and you won't have any time left to babysit so your parents won't
    via thisisstupid-
  • 10
    be able to use you, and you'll have plenty of your own money so you won't have to worry about them buying you anything. NTA.
    via thisisstupid-
  • 11
    Evening Marketing553 How often do they go out? And how old are your siblings? If it's once every month or two with kids older than 10 who
    via Evening_Marketing553
  • 12
    can take care of themselves and help you babysit, YTA, but if it's young children all the time, then I understand your point of view.
    via Evening_Marketing553
  • 13
    cj_babe OP My mom leaves the house almost everyday (she doesn't work) and my dad also leaves everyday for work. My siblings are 12,8,7,6,1,4mo
    via cj_babe
  • 14
    Fine Arachnid2609 Yeah that's not acceptable... even if you were getting paid I would question why your mom is leaving them without an adult so much.
    via Fine_Arachnid2609
  • 15
    Six siblings sitting on the floor together
    via oksanashufrych

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 16
    Spiritual Skirt1760 Kids have chores, what is the big issue about babysitting?. I used to be "in charge" of my brother. I washed up, he dried, I cleaned the bathroom, he cleaned the car. My Dad worked, my SMum did the bulk of the household stuff.
    via Spiritual_Skirt1760
  • 17
    I totally get if you are being made to babysit for ridiculous lengths of time that is unfair but if its so Mum can do the grocery shop or take another sibling to
    via Spiritual_Skirt1760
  • 18
    the dentist type thing its a reasonable ask. i also understand if some of your siblings are very young and it feels overwhelming to deal with 6 other kids at once.
    via Spiritual_Skirt1760
  • 19
    cj_babe OP I totally agree. I don't wanna be paid for them running errands. I used to think babysitting was a big sis privilege and they were gone for 15-20 minutes but now they're gone for hours and I'm stuck with 6 kids alone daily. All I asked my mom was if I could get paid weekly ($5) when they leave for long periods not for runs or errands or anything.
    via cj_babe
  • 20
    mpp798tex How often are they expecting you to babysit? This may change my answer.
    via mpp798tex
  • 21
    cj_babe OP Everyday 4-5 hours and sometimes longer. Day and sometimes night.
    via cj_babe
  • 22
    Thin_Risk7778 Well this is completely unsustainable, as you already know. So where is she going while you are doing this? Is she working? She can't leave so many small children with a minor for hours on end. If
    via Thin_Risk7778
  • 23
    anything were to happen, she'd be criminally liable. You should talk to a trusted teacher/counsellor at your school. At the end of the day, she can't force you to do it, but she's absolutely doing her best to put you in a horrible situation.
    via Thin_Risk7778
  • 24
    cj_babe OP She doesn't have a job. She'll say "I'm leaving to go..." and then shuts the door. Never ACTUALLY finished her sentence.
    via cj_babe
  • 25
    Victoria Too No. Being the eldest shouldn't be a punishment, and free daycare!
    via VictoriaToo
  • 26
    Salty Thing3144 NTA. You should not be left with SEVEN you get children to watch. You do not, furthermore, "owe" your parents for housing, clothing, feeding and providing you with medical care. They are legally obligated to do that for their children.
    via Salty_Thing3144

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family drama aita baby babysitter kids mother siblings reddit story parenting babysitting family sister Reddit women parents children Father
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