17-year-old spends the entire summer babysitting her 26-year-old sister's two kids, only for the teen's sister to not pay her the $1500 she is owed: ‘I worked for that money’

Author image for Lana DeGaetano
Lana DeGaetano • "Show me to me please."
Sep 21, 2025 6:00 PM EDT

Mixing family and money is never a good idea, especially if you're heavily reliant on the money they'll owe you at the end of your tenure as an "employee" with them. The teen in this next story learns this the hard way when her older sister fails to pay her the money she's owed after eight weeks of work. The teen decided to take her sister up on the offer because she needed the money and figured it would be a nice gig while also helping out her sister. What she didn't know, however, was that she would only see $500 of the $2000 she was expected to receive.

Everyone struggles with their finances at some point in their lives… The common man's hardship is something most of us experience, so it's not unusual to read about the older sister's financial situation. If the older sister knew that she wouldn't be able to cough up the cash she promised her teen sister, you'd think she wouldn't have hired her in the first place. Now, the teen's older sister is trying to guilt-trip her into waiting a longer amount of time for the rest of the promised payment, using her daughter's birthday party as a scapegoat. Maybe the older sister should have budgeted for both the party and childcare…

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  • "I was relying on that money."|
    via Getty Images For Unsplash+

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

  • "AITAH for demanding my sister pay me the $1500 she still owes me even though she’s struggling financially?"

    I (17F) spent my entire summer babysitting for my sister (28F) in Atlanta. She has two kids, and she originally told me she would pay me $2k for 7 weeks of work.
    via FluffyDog0321
  • Before I left she gave me $500 at first and promised to pay the rest every other week until it added up to $2k. I was relying on that money because I could've spent the summer getting another job back home in New Jersey. This was around August 15th
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  • Fast forward: (September 16th) she still owes $1500. When I asked for an update, she started reminding me about all of her bills, her daughter's birthday party, flights, food, etc. (This
    via FluffyDog0321
  • wasn't the first time she's spoken to me about that.) She said she doesn't have a date for when she can pay me. I told her that wasn't good enough and asked her to figure out a plan, (which sounds
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  • harsh I realize) at least $300- $500 by the end of September and the rest in parts later. She got defensive, said she never promised biweekly payments, and claimed I was disrespecting her by stating I felt lied to.
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  • She ended up calling me and cursed me out, saying things like: "Would you rather have money in your pocket than your niece having a birthday party?" and
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  • that I'm being "disrespectful" for demanding payment when I know her struggles. She said she's trying to spare me $100 right now but after my nieces party she'll only have $100 left to her name.
    via FluffyDog0321
  • children at birthday part, used as a flash forward for the story
    via Getty Images For Unsplash+

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

  • (The $100 she is trying to give me) I calmly told her I wasn't being disrespectful, I was just setting boundaries because I worked for that money.
    via FluffyDog0321
  • What REALLY frustrates me is that she chooses to live in a luxury apartment in Buckhead, drives a Tesla, buys organic groceries and eats out — but -
    via FluffyDog0321
  • then tells me she can't pay me, a teenager, the money I actually worked for. I also kept in mind that she pays her official babysitter (after I left) $590 a week for fewer days than I worked.
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  • I get that I'm young and I don't fully understand adult struggles yet, and I don't want to sound apathetic or as if I don't hear her struggles. But at the same time, I
    via FluffyDog0321
  • don't think it's wrong to expect to be paid what I was promised. $1500 is a lot of money to me as a teenager. I don't want to have to ask my dad for $10 every time I want a drink or $50 for clothes I have money, it's just being withheld from me. -
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  • Now my sister is acting like I'm a problem for "demanding" payment when she's struggling, but I feel like she's making me carry the weight of her responsibilities.I also made it clear I'll never work for her again unless I'm paid upfront.
    via FluffyDog0321
  • So, AITAH for demanding to be paid back and setting a boundary, even though she says she's broke and overwhelmed?
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  • One last preface, she's not single. She lives with her BF/BD so she's not undergoing financial struggles alone.
    via FluffyDog0321
  • Rabt_FTS NTA. She owes you money immediately, and if she won't pay you, you can take her to small claims court. She's obviously trying to avoid paying you. Stand your ground and send her an invoice for your hours. Back up any documentation you have, like texts showing you did the work and anything where she agreed to pay you in writing. Its her job to budget her money, not yours. You did the work, she owes you the pay.
    via Rabt_FTS
  • DMV_Lolli She's not struggling. She just doesn't want to pay you because "family". Demand your money. I would text her al every Thursday asking for my money. The petty in me would agree to do it again next summer and then bail 3 days before I'm set to arrive.
    via DMV_Lolli
  • CoolMaintenance4078 Does she have any valuables she would agree to let you sell to recoup some of what is owed you? or
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  • FluffyDog0321 I truly believe she'd chew me out (again) for offering that idea.
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  • AZCAExpat2024 Tell he it isn't an either/or situation. Her job as an adult and parent is to figure out how to provide birthday celebrations for her kids AND to pay her bills at the same time. Her cell phone company wouldn't accept this excuse and neither should you. Start learning how to call people out on their bs. It's a necessary life skill.
    via AZCAExpat2024
  • FluffyDog0321 She did call me after I sent a last paragraph that stated I needed a date by when she could at least pay me $100. she called me quickly after so I don't have any written proof of that, but basically claimed that I wasn't understanding her struggles, I was disrespecting her because I was demanding money, downplaying her, and that I was being a liar. (about paying me biweekly.)
    via FluffyDog0321
  • She didn't really let me get a say in the matter she raised her voice and is holding my relationship with my nieces over me. or at least their "livelihood" as she also held my privilege of having no bills over me. The call did end with a passionate " k You" and after bearing the weight of her burdens during my last high school summer, I think my bridges are burned.
    via FluffyDog0321
  • I also understand people's perspectives when they say that I was the dumba for not being smarter about my money, but I was truly unaware about this situation I would be walking in and had no idea about my sister's financial situation until I was already in Atlanta and working. on social media, she truly did look rich.
    via FluffyDog0321
  • I have spoken to our father about this and he is not happy though this is actually happening in real time so as of tonight, I have no further updates. I appreciate everyone who came to my defense, the teenager in me really needed it.
    via FluffyDog0321

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family dynamics family drama older sister entitlement sisters work money problems reddit story family feud babysitting entitled family sister reddit thread little sister parent Reddit money entitled people
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