Woman babysitting her sister’s kids discovers her sister wasn’t actually working while out: ‘She got angry and said I don’t understand how exhausting motherhood is and that I should want to spend time with my nephews anyway’

Author image for Olivia Arocena
Olivia Arocena • Writer and Editor
Sep 26, 2026 3:15 PM EDT

Does what you do while somebody babysits your children really matter?

In this story, I honestly empathise with the mother. I know it's not ok to lie, and I know she should've been upfront about where she was going, but does where she goes really matter?

I think she wasn't honest because she knew how her babysitter would react.  And she reacted just as expected, getting mad at her. She is still getting paid for the job.

This entire issue could be reversed if the two had a really honest conversation. Of course, that wouldn't fix the trust issues that came with the lying, but I think it would help. Mothers are exhausted; we know it because our friends with kids tell us. After all, there's constant internet discourse about it, and if we had kids ourselves, we would know it too.

Motherhood being exhausting used to be taboo and not talked about. Luckily, now that's beginning to change, but some mothers still carry a bit of guilt and are afraid to come clean to their babysitters. Apparently, mothers are paying them only to have a few hours for themselves; is that so crazy?

Maybe the lying could be fixed with extra money, compensating for the plans the babysitter had to cancel, thinking the mother was going to have trouble at work. That way, issues would be repaired, I think. And they could rebuild their relationship without taboos.

The mother would be able to have a babysitter while she runs free, and the babysitter would get extra money and time with her nephews; is that so bad? After all, if it isn't her, the mother can hire another one who doesn't need to know exactly where she goes when she is not home.

What do you think? Was this really so terrible?

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  • Cheezburger Image 10666458368
    via Humberto Chávez

    How much the sister loves babysitting

    Scene shown is a visual representation



     

     

  • AITA for refusing to babysit my sister’s kids after finding out she lied about working?

    My sister has two kids, 4 and 7. A few months ago she started a new job and asked me to babysit some Saturdays because she said she had extra shifts and couldn't afford a sitter.
    via One_Scheme899
  • I work Monday through Friday, so weekends are my only real free time, but I agreed because I wanted to help. At first it was once or twice a month. Then it became almost every Saturday, often with very little notice.
    via One_Scheme899
  • I never charged her. I made the kids breakfast and lunch, bought snacks, and sometimes took them to the park, movies, or for ice cream.
    via One_Scheme899
  • Two weeks ago, my older nephew asked if his mom and her boyfriend were going to "the hotel with the pool" again. Later, the younger one mentioned that their mom had gone out to eat the previous Saturday, even though she
    via One_Scheme899
  • had told me she was working a 10-hour shift. When my sister picked them up, I asked her directly if she had really been working every Saturday. She admitted she hadn't. Some
    via One_Scheme899
  • Saturdays she worked, but others she used the time to go on dates with her boyfriend because she rarely gets time to herself. I told her I wasn't upset that she wanted time away from the kids. I was upset
    via One_Scheme899
  • NE AVITANE on CH 23
    via Usen Parmanov

    The sister while everybody believed she was working

    Still frame for contextual reference only

  • because she lied so I would rearrange my weekends. She admitted she knew I probably wouldn't babysit as often if she told me the truth. I said I would still help when she actually had
    via One_Scheme899
  • work or an emergency, but I wasn't giving up every Saturday so she could go on dates. She got angry and said I don't understand how exhausting motherhood is and that I should want to
    via One_Scheme899
  • spend time with my nephews anyway. Our mom also thinks I'm being too harsh. For me, the issue is the lying. I canceled my own plans several times because I thought she
    via One_Scheme899
  • could get in trouble at work if I said no. AITA for refusing to keep babysitting every Saturday after finding out she was lying?
    via One_Scheme899
  • Dave1957a NTA she lied to get you to babysit her kids so she could have fun. Trust is shattered
    via Dave1957a
  • Solid-Cobbler963 NTA she is! Where are the kid's father? Why isn't he taking his kids? She's lucky she had you of my sister did that crop she'd be paying a babysitter on the Saturdays she worked. She had the kids they're her responsibility.
    via Solid-Cobbler963
  • Ok-Concern-7770 NTA, she lied and is still trying to play the victim against you for finding out she lied.
    via Ok-Concern-7770
  • Cheezburger Image 10666458880
    via Tomáš Petz

    Who will babysit now?

    Licensed media provided as editorial context



     

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