Woman refuses to babysit her sister's kids because she never returns the favour: ‘Now she's upset and says I'm punishing her children for something that has nothing to do with them’

Author image for Olivia Arocena
Olivia Arocena • Writer and Editor
Jun 13, 2026 9:45 AM EDT

What's the politically correct way of taking revenge?

Sisters have a way of making us way angrier than anyone else when it comes to any random fight. A sibling is not only interacting with who you are today, a small comment that would feel harmless coming from a friend suddenly takes on a whole other dimension when it comes from family. For example, you can start to notice you always become smaller when you are talking to that specific family member, or embodying a role they used to give you in early family dynamics. I remember I used to always forget stuff at certain relatives houses because subconsciously, I think, I was still playing the character they gave me in my early adolescence (reckless, disorganised, distracted, etc.). This Redditor's post tells a story about that, and about the times we take petty revenge over these minor issues and make innocent people pay the price.

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  • two babies and a woman sitting on a sofa watching a tablet
    via Alexander Dummer

    Image is representative of the woman in this story babysitting her sister's kids

  • AITH for refusing to babysit my sister’s kids after she repeatedly cancels on me?

    I have a sister with two young kids. Over the past year, I've helped her out by babysitting whenever she needed someone. Sometimes it was for work, sometimes for appointments, and sometimes just so she
    via Littleh52
  • could have a night out. I never charged her because she's family and I genuinely wanted to help. The problem is that whenever I ask her for help with something, she
    via Littleh52

  • She surprised me there with the ‘I never charged her’; I assumed that was obvious, the fact that she makes the effort to point it out makes me a little suspicious of a possible grudge that could have been building around the topic for a long time. I get that, it’s been like that with my sister, for example, none of us have kids, but she cancelled last minute on me so many times I simply stopped relying on her for anything, and if she actually went where I invited her, I took it as a pleasant surprise, but I never, ever expected her; that was to avoid getting disappointed.

  • almost always cancels at the last minute. She's done it so many times that I've stopped relying on her for anything important. A few weeks ago, I rearranged my schedule to help her watch the kids for
    via Littleh52
  • an entire Saturday. The day before, I asked if she could help me the following weekend with a small favor that would take less than an hour. She agreed.
    via Littleh52
  • When the time came, she canceled on me less than an hour beforehand, saying she was tired and wanted to stay home.
    via Littleh52
  • A few days later, she asked if I could babysit again. I told her no and explained that I was tired of constantly helping her when she never follows through for me.
    via Littleh52
  • Now she's upset and says I'm punishing her children. for something that has nothing to do with them. My parents think I should just let it go because she's busy raising kids.
    via Littleh52
  • girl in blue does the 'talk to the hand' gesture to another girl
    via Obie Fernandez

    Two models representing the petty fight the sisters in this story are having

  • I feel bad for the kids, but I'm also tired of being treated like my time doesn't matter. AITH for refusing to babysit anymore?
    via Littleh52

  • I think the defining factor here is the children; it is probably true that the sister is tired of all the responsibilities that come with being a mom, and because of that, she has less capacity for helping. Even if that’s not the case, punishing the kids to get revenge on your sister is not the way to go [I think]. Don’t people talk these days anymore? Something like: I didn’t like what you did. Are you capable of doing something different next time? Idk, just saying.

  • I don’t think the kids are going to suffer that much, though. Maybe she can find another babysitter? The angry sister seems tired of taking care of the other’s kids, and she probably needs a break. It’s ok to say no if you can’t do it, and if you then see they are struggling too much as a family, you can always offer your help again.

  • two female hands with linked pinky fingers
    via Womanizer Toys

    Illustrative photo representing the sister's future reconciliation

  • Sometimes, when we’re angry, we look for more trouble instead of looking for solutions, because we’re moved by a feeling rather than a conscious decision. The sisters in this case, I believe, should try to focus their energy on sorting out their relationship issues instead of trying to win an argument, but they are probably not going to read this or even consider my opinion important. What are they going to do now!?

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