Grandma refuses to babysit her 4 and 6-year-old grandchildren on Christmas, so her son and daughter-in-law can go to a football game: 'They want me to watch the kids from noon until they come to dinner.'

Author image for Emmy Pratt
Emmy Pratt • Senior Editor
Dec 20, 2025 11:00 AM EST

They should spend Christmas with their children!

If there is one day a year that you should spend with your children, it is 100% Christmas. For those who celebrate Christmas, missing that holiday with your kids during the years that they still believe in all of the Christmas magic is a genuine tragedy. You literally never get that time back, and it's essential that you enjoy it and live in the moment. Your kids only get so much time off from school, and you only get so much time off from work. If you're going to do something big-ticket for Christmas, like going to Disney World or traveling internationally, you need to include your kids in those festivities. Very few kids want to stay home with grandma while their parents go out and celebrate Christmas without them. If that's how they want to spend Christmas, there might be something wrong within their nuclear family. 

Some grandparents are ready and willing to watch their grandkids at any time and under any circumstances because they want to spend time with them and help their adult children. However, being willing to help babysit doesn't mean they should sit idly by and allow their adult child to be a bad parent. 

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  • The grandma in this story knows it's wrong for her son and daughter-in-law to drop their kids off at her house on Christmas so they can go to a football game, and she's not going to stand for it. 

  • Happy mature lady holding tablet stock photo
    via Getty Images (Unsplash+)

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

  • Am I the bad guy for not babysitting my grandkids on Christmas so they can go to a football game?

    My son and DIL have two grandkids 6 and 4. I babysit them once and while and overall our relationship is good. They were suppose to see us on Christmas for dinner.
    via u/Babysitijgnotfootbal
  • I got a call today about watching the kids on Christmas from noon until they come to dinner. I asked them why and it's because they got football tickets on Christmas.
    via u/Babysitijgnotfootbal
  • A stadium full of people watching a football game
    via Myron Mott

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

  • DIL mother was suppose to stay with them over the Christmas week but canceled bexuase she can't make the drive (6 hours). They don't have anyone to watch the kids
    via u/Babysitijgnotfootbal
  • A little girl and a baby sitting at a table with food
    via Kateryna Hliznitsova (Unsplash+)

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

  • They asked me to do it and I told them no. They said they would be out a lot of money if they can't go and I told them they shouldn't have bought tickets on Christmas in the first place. I told them to spend time with their kids
    via u/Babysitijgnotfootbal
  • They told me not to expect them on Christmas Day. they are not happy and I am. confused if I am in the wrong?
    via u/Babysitijgnotfootbal
  • edit: yes I am a women, yes I am doing the cooking for dinner. my husband has trouble walking and also sucks at cooking
    via u/Babysitijgnotfootbal
  • GardenSafe8519 I'll probably get downvoted as I'm seeing a lot of y.t.a. I say NTA though. I get it. You'll be too busy in the kitchen. preparing Christmas dinner to watch 2 young kids. Sorry the other grandma couldn't go but that's not your problem. The parents should have bought tickets for them AND their kids and not expect anyone to babysit on CHRISTMAS DAY.
    via u/GardenSafe8519
  • hypnosssis NTA, babysitting is appreciated but not expected in my family. Also speaking as a parent, it's a shitty thing to plan a football game on Christmas of all days. Edit: thanks for the award
    via u/hypnosssis
  • CeeceeATL I don't get all the YTA responses. No one, including grandparents, should be obligated to babysit whenever asked. I am sure OP was going to be busy getting the house ready, cooking, etc. I also don't think the parents suck for going to a game (although hopefully this is just a one off and they are not spending every Christmas away from the kids). But I do think they are the AH for trying to force OP to babysit and then using Christmas as a weapon.
    via u/CeeceeATL
  • SnooChipmunks 770 NTA. They shouldn't be surprised when somebody refuses to babysit on Christmas, and ditching their kids Christmas morning for a game is messed up. Especially at the age where kids are usually SO excited about Christmas. It's also just manipulative/petty to pull out of Christmas day because they didn't get the answer they wanted. They won't have any issue finding buyers for those tickets, so that's not really relevant or your problem.
    via u/SnooChipmunks770
  • Is_It_Soup_Season NTA You are hosting the dinner, what should be obvious to your children is that you will be busy cooking and preparing your home for that. Maybe slight yta for what you said about spending time with the kids, but kind of not.
    via u/Is_It_Soup_Season
  • No-Tangelo2039 A lot of people are ignoring the fact that "Grandma " is busy cooking and "Grandpa " isn't mobile. Watching children this age would be very distracting and possibly dangerous. So the parents were just going to come for dinner after football? NTA
    via u/No-Tangelo2039
  • NTA. Aidyn_the_Grey I don't care that you were an AH for how you said it, or that you judged them for it. Only AHs ditch their kids on Christmas for a football game, and this is coming from an atheist with some very mixed feelings on the holiday.
    via u/Aidyn_the_Grey
  • Dragon_Queen_666 NTA. I feel sorry for the kids, they've just learned where they fall in their parents list of priorities.
    via u/Dragon_Queen_666
  • NTA West-Kaleidoscope 129 Being a grandparent doesn't mean you have to babysit whenever you're asked. And now they're using their kids as a weapon to punish you!
    via u/West-Kaleidoscope129

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Tags

christmas daughter in law kids grandchildren parenting babysitting football grandmother holidays son
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