17-year-old son stops doing chores and refuses to be free babysitter for his 8 siblings after parents announce their having their ninth: 'I protested'

Author image for Isabella Penn
Isabella Penn
Sep 23, 2025 3:00 PM EDT

If you're the oldest sibling, you already know the unspoken rule that you're basically the built-in babysitter. Parents lean on you to help with homework, walk younger siblings to school, or keep them entertained so Mom and Dad can catch their breath for five minutes. It's not fair, but with one or two younger siblings, most teens can grit their teeth and get through it. But what happens when you're the oldest of eight, with a ninth on the way? That's the reality one 17-year-old is living, and he's had enough.

This teen says his parents expect him to handle everything from cooking weekday meals to laundry for the entire family, shuttling siblings to school and activities, babysitting, updating the household calendar, and even picking up takeout. It's a workload closer to a third parent than a high school student. When his parents announced yet another baby on the way, he finally snapped. He went on "strike," refusing to take on any of the extra labor that his parents had piled on his shoulders.

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  • Now the house is in chaos, his parents are furious, and he’s being called selfish. But the teen insists he’s done raising children that aren’t his, and many online are taking his side.

  • Cheezburger Image 10556696576
    via Getty Images For Unsplash+

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


     

  • "AITA for protesting my parents having more kids by not doing as many 'chores' as I did before?"

    My parents have 8 kids including me (17M). In order of age it goes me, Amy (13), Bee (11), Cal (9), Dex (8), Eva (7), Finn (6) and Gwen (2).
    via Elzeenzoo
  • Dex and Eva aren't my parents bio kids. Their bio mom was my mom's best friend and when she dod mom and dad adopted them like mom's best friend wanted.
    via Elzeenzoo
  • It's been a couple of years since my parents adopted them. Last month my parents told me and my siblings they were having another baby.
    via Elzeenzoo
  • This will be kid 9 for them and the bedrooms are already split between a boys room and a girls room. And I'm relied upon a lot for stuff and my parents consider it all my 'chores'.
    via Elzeenzoo
  • I don't drive or have a car but the siblings who go to school I walk them to school and walk them home. I help with homework and any school projects that need to be done.
    via Elzeenzoo
  • Cheezburger Image 10556696832
    via Getty Images For Unsplash+

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


     

  • Twice a week I walk them to the free activity center for kids under 14 because my parents want them to have extracurricular's and can't afford the paid ones and don't want them in school activities.
    via Elzeenzoo
  • If any of them need to go somewhere after school that's my job to get them there. When we don't have school I have to make lunch and dinner Monday to Friday and babysit all the kids.
    via Elzeenzoo
  • I have to keep the house clean which means vacuuming, dusting, cleaning both bathrooms, taking out the trash and picking up after my siblings and putting things back that they take out.
    via Elzeenzoo
  • This is an every day thing. Most of the time I do everyone's laundry too. Mom used to do it more but she started leaving that for me more and more.
    via Elzeenzoo
  • When mom and dad want to grocery shop I either have to babysit or go along and make sure my siblings behave for our parents. My parents make me update the weekly schedule so they know what's going on.
    via Elzeenzoo
  • They never tell me if things change it's all supposed to be on me to keep track of. I have to tell my parents if my siblings need something for school or if we need cleaning supplies at home.
    via Elzeenzoo
  • If we order takeout and they don't want to pay for delivery they'll have me go pick it up. We get takeout a lot unless I'm off school.
    via Elzeenzoo
  • These are all the things my parents consider to be my chores. Not all of them are all the time but more of this stuff gets dumped on me than before and when one of my parents does something off this list they complain that I'm stressing them out worse.
    via Elzeenzoo
  • Whenever mom does laundry now she makes it sound like I had all the kids and expected her to clean up after them. They get really angry when we're late to school and they get calls but I have to walk everyone and not all my siblings behave good.
    via Elzeenzoo
  • My parents were angry at me last year for telling my school what was going on when I was quizzed about college and other stuff. I told the guidance counselor and school counselor everything and they called my parents.
    via Elzeenzoo
  • My parents told me I was ungrateful and they provide so much more for me than other kids my age have in poor countries so I should be thankful I get to take care of my family for them.
    via Elzeenzoo
  • All that stuff made me explode when mom said she was pregnant again. I I was in a total mind because state of ??? We don't have enough room for all of us as it is but they want to add another kid and they expect me to step up more and have two kids not going to school that I take care of.
    via Elzeenzoo
  • It made me feel like they keep having us because they have me so I stopped. They tried punishing me but I stopped. I protested them having more kids by not doing anything.
    via Elzeenzoo
  • I walk to school alone, walk home from school alone, do my own homework, don't clean up or make food or do anything. My parents tried to punish me for it and I just didn't care so they dropped it.
    via Elzeenzoo
  • I talked to my guidance counselor more and we talked about community college or trades since I won't get the grades for a scholarship and don't have the money for other college options.
    via Elzeenzoo
  • My parents ended up really ped off at me because my siblings behavior got worse when I stopped doing everything. None of them ever did chores and don't want to and my parents don't want to fight so they're stuck doing everything and they complain so much.
    via Elzeenzoo
  • I enjoy it. But they saw and told me I should be ashamed for doing this and they said my new sibling will feel like sh when they realize I didn't want them this much and my siblings are the people who'll suffer most for me doing sh
    via Elzeenzoo
  • They said I'm supposed to look out for them as the elder sibling. AITA?
    via Elzeenzoo

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family drama strike kids siblings babysitting chores pregnant Parenting Fail karma son parents children entitled people
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