Employee refuses to give up their approved PTO when office parents try to guilt trip them into accommodating spring break: 'I'm not giving up my time off just because I don't have kids'

Author image for Jesse Kessenheimer
Jesse Kessenheimer • Writer and Editor
Mar 31, 2026 5:00 PM EDT

Disorganized parents expect a childfree coworker to change their plans for them, but he says, "No."

Parents receive their kids' school schedule months in advance. Although it's easy to get lost in the hurricane of soccer practices, band rehearsals, and extracurriculars, parents don't really have an excuse if their coworkers request time off during spring break before they do. In an office where PTO is first-come, first-served, early birds are rewarded. Yet, it's the ones with their family schedule pinned to the fridge at home who seem to forget the urgency of a pending PTO request. 

This early bird found that their foresight earned them a quick trip down guilt-trip lane, when every parent in the office realized (too late) that they could no longer get time off during spring break. At the last minute, the parents scoured the employee list to see who'd taken the week off in their stead, hoping to pin their procrastination on someone else.

Lo and behold, the only childfree employee in the office scored the coveted time off during spring break. 

Did he deserve to be badgered by the parents in the office to give up his time off? No. Did that stop his entitled coworkers from attempting to sway his plans for springtime relaxation? Also no. This employee defended his rights to his preclaimed PTO, citing company laws about FCFS and reminding his colleagues that he had dibs on those days. 

They would simply have to deal with it. 

Perhaps this is a lesson and a reminder to the working parents of the world to plan ahead when it comes to school breaks. Although the time creeps up on those with big bustling families faster than it seems for people without children, it's not up to everyone else in their lives to accommodate their last-minute-ness and the chaos of family life. 

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  • Office employee working in a modern workspace.
    via miodrag

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

  • AITJ for refusing to give up my approved PTO during Holy Week because I don’t have kids?

    I'm childfree and work on a team where about 90% of my coworkers are parents. I don't hate kids, I just don't want them. Simple enough or so I thought.
    via Tricky-Past-7468
  • Last month I requested PTO for a random week in April, which also happens to overlap with Holy Week. I didn't book any trips or
    via Tricky-Past-7468
  • vacation plans. I just wanted some time off to rest, step away from work, and also spend Holy Week with my family and observe
    via Tricky-Past-7468
  • it in my own way. My manager approved it without any issues Then the guilt trip started.
    via Tricky-Past-7468
  • Man working in an open concept office with his coworkers.
    via miodrag

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

  • One coworker pulled me aside and said, "Hey... I was actually hoping to take that week off. My kids are on break for Holy Week."
    via Tricky-Past-7468
  • I said, "Oh, that's ks. I hope you can figure something out."
    via Tricky-Past-7468
  • She then looked at me and said, "Well... you don't have kids."
    via Tricky-Past-7468
  • I asked what that had to do with anything, and she basically implied that since I don't have children, I should give up my PTO because it's harder for parents to take time off during that period.
    via Tricky-Past-7468

  • Alas, it was almost immediate that the guilt-tripping comments started flowing in. 

    Disgruntled and disappointed that they didn't get the PTO first, these parents didn't gracefully accept their defeat; they wanted to whine about their lives to the one man who had a plan for his. While I understand it's a bummer that they'll have to work and figure out childcare for their kiddos out of school, it's definitely not the fault of the guy who claimed the PTO first… It's their issue. 

  • Since then, I've been getting comments like: "Must be nice to take time off whenever you want." "I used to have that kind of freedom before kids."
    via Tricky-Past-7468
  • "You'll understand when you have children." For context, I'm not traveling or doing anything fancy. I'm just spending time at home, resting, and
    via Tricky-Past-7468
  • also celebrating Holy Week with my family, which is important to me. Now it feels like I'm being treated like I did something
    via Tricky-Past-7468
  • wrong just for using PTO that was already approved. AITJ for not giving up my time off just because I don't have kids and also want to spend Holy Week with my family?
    via Tricky-Past-7468
  • FingerFuture1367 ntj. PTO is PTO. It's not "parent only time off", if it's first come first served, you did everything right by getting it approved early
    via FingerFuture1367
  • OP Tricky-Past-7468 fr like i kept thinking I was missing some hidden rule where PTO depends on whether you have kids
    via Tricky-Past-7468
  • Hot-Garden9206 NTJ. they always try to guilt trip and say things like "must be nice not to have responsibilities" when you're more responsible than them.
    via Hot-Garden9206
  • OP Tricky-Past-7468 lol right?? like I'm literally just using PTO i earned, not committing a crime
    via Tricky-Past-7468
  • myblackandwhitecat Exactly. If they wanted it so badly, they should have asked for it earlier.
    via myblackandwhitecat
  • ButtermilkCupie_ NTJ!! Your PTO isn't "backup coverage for parents," it's part of your compensation and you used it exactly how it's meant to be used. You planned it, got it approved, and you have your own reasons for wanting that time off, they don't have to be "more important" to be valid It s ks for your coworker, but that's something she needs to work out with management, not guilt you into giving up your time. Having kids doesn't automatically give someone priority over everyone else's life
    via ButtermilkCupie_
  • Lost_Art_8419 the entitlement is wild. everyone has a life outside of work, kids or not. You don't owe anyone your approved time off
    via Lost_Art_8419
  • Blazanar No. It was their choice to have kids, they now have to deal with the responsibilities of having kids, which involves figuring out childcare. They also knew when Holy Week was, they should've booked it off in advance. They didn't. You did.
    via Blazanar
  • Worried_Suit4820 If they wanted the time off, they should have booked it earlier; it's that simple. You may not have children, but you have family and her family doesn't yours.
    via Worried_Suit4820
  • Cranky70something NTJ. They're total a h les. This is akin to parents incorrectly booking seats on a plane flight, and then demanding a single person move to accommodate their family's needs. Their failure to plan is not your problem. Similarly, your coworkers' failure to promptly request time off when their children were on vacation from school is not your problem. You have a perfect right to celebrate Holy Week with your family just as much as they do. If you are concerned about how to respond
    via Cranky70something
  • Sufficient_Sweet_361 Absolutely. PTO is not a reward for reproduction. You requested it, got aproved, end of the story. Their life choices aint your scheduling problem..
    via Sufficient_Sweet_361
  • No-You5550 My answer to it must be nice not to have responsibilities. "I do do have responsibilities. I had the responsibility to file for PTO and that's why I got it. You might want to remember that come Christmas.
    via No-You5550

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employee coworkers PTO spring break parents
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