A man has found support online after he refused to babysit his sister again after a chocolate accident involving her children.
The now-viral reddit A post detailing the situation, titled “AITA for telling my sister I’m never going to babysit her again,” has been updated 12,000 times since it was shared on June 28. redditor @Dogloverforeverr shared the post on the “Am I the A**hole” subreddit, saying he is a 37-year-old single man who is “child free”.
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The original poster (OP) has two dogs that are “German Shepherd mixes” and he said they are “very well behaved and super nice”. The man’s “nibblers” or his nieces and nephews, who range in age from 2 to 13, love the dogs.
The man has four sisters and they have a total of 10 children. He looks after the children ‘a lot’ and does it for free while he works at home. He admitted that he is “almost always available to babysit the older” children, as he can work while they are in the apartment. When they need him to take care of the little kids, he shifts his schedule a bit.
The cost of children
Caring for a child is precious, as all parents know. However, that number has been increasing for many recently. According to Care.com’s Cost of Care Survey, 63 percent of parents say childcare costs have increased in the past year. In addition, such spending is also a concern for 59 percent for 59 percent than in previous years.
The cost of taking care of children is rising, and by 2022, 51 percent of parents said they will spend more than 20 percent of their income on childcare. In addition, 72 percent also spend 10 percent or more on it, which is an increase from pre-pandemic data in 2019.
The typical cost of childcare for each type is also more expensive than it was before the pandemic. For example, in 2021 childcare for one child averaged $694 per week for a nanny, up from $565 per week in 2019.
One rule: no chocolate
Yesterday, the man’s four nieces and nephews were at his home, and two of them are 3 and 5, while the eldest, who are 7 and 8, are siblings.
“I only have one super strict rule at my house: no chocolate,” the man explained. “It’s deadly to dogs, I don’t like it anyway, and kids can easily go an afternoon without it. The 7 and 8 [year olds] of course brought chocolate and shared? [it] of [the] 3 and 5 [year olds]† I was in the kitchen making them drinks, they were in the living room. My dogs slept on the balcony.”
Their uncle entered the room and there were “chocolate crumbs everywhere.” The OP asked the kids who had the chocolate, and the older kids admitted that their mom gave it to them and that they “always” have some, but they usually just eat it in secret.
The OP concluded: “When my sister picked them up a few hours later, I told her what had happened, and she said her kids are big enough not to make chocolate pudding. I told her I’m never going to babysit her again.” “She’s furious and says I overreacted. Another sister of mine agrees. My mom thinks I’m wrong for putting my dogs in front of the kids.”
The man revealed in a comment to another user that he gives the kids “a lot of snacks,” but only the kind that don’t harm dogs.
“I know a few crumbs won’t kill them,” he said. “But every now and then a piece of chocolate can cause damage. Also sometimes children simply forget where they put their food. The 3 [year old] once left their granola bar under the couch (I have no idea why Lol), and the dog brought it out and ate it later. That’s why I only allow snacks that don’t harm the dogs.”
Redditor Comments
Over 2,000 comments poured in and people are fully behind the OP given the circumstances. In addition, Redditors were quick to blame the mother of the children. “NTA” [not the a**hole]and what a beautiful life lesson she teaches her children ‘if you don’t like the rules, just lie.'”
Another comment, which got 9,800 votes on its own, voted NTA as their verdict. “In addition, I wouldn’t babysit kids who were taught to lie to me,” the Redditor said.
One user reasoned that the OP had “one simple rule”, and the man’s sister “broke it and let her kids hide it! They’re also clearly not big enough not to make chocolate pudding because there were crumbs on your floor.”
People called out the man’s sister, and one such user admitted they wouldn’t be doing the woman “any more favors”, adding, “NTA. I can’t understand what she thinks she will gain from this? You had one rule, and she’s proven she doesn’t care at all about your feelings about your dogs’ safety.”
Another thinks it is the man’s sister who is at fault and not her children. “She owes you a huge apology,” the Redditor said. “She taught them to be secretive. You’re right, they wouldn’t die if they went without chocolate for a while.”
The danger the chocolate posed to the dogs was also mentioned by some Redditors. “NTA. Will the kids die from not eating chocolate for a day? No,” said one user. “Could the dogs die from eating chocolate? Yes. It’s a simple request that anyone who gets free sitters should have no problem with it.”
news week reached out to Redditor @Dogloverforeverr for comment.
Kids go viral
This isn’t the only viral post involving kids.
The internet hit a father who kept his 10-year-old daughter a secret†
A mother was dragged after she called wife a “child abuser” for cooking frozen food for her son†
In addition, the internet knocked down a father who bought a car for his stepson instead of his biological children†