Rebecca Meyer
This stay-at-home mother has two children, including a 1-year-old. Her sister has three children, and while she deeply loves her sister and considers her a best friend, she has become overwhelmed with her sister expecting her to provide childcare.
“She takes advantage of me. Because I am a stay-at-home mom, she thinks she can drop her kids off with me anytime and that I have no other life besides staying home,” she said.
A vicious cycle began when her sister’s children came to her house every day after school, and her sister picked them up when she was done working. Unfortunately, her sister’s children are unruly and poorly behaved. Caring for five children at once is stressful and exhausting for her.
“Sometimes I feel like I barely survive those hours until she leaves work because it is so ROUGH. Not only that, but I am finding that I have to go grocery shopping twice a week now,” she explained.
Since her sister’s children are hungry when they come to her house after school, they eat a lot of her food, and she runs low on groceries quickly.
This week, her sister’s kids were on vacation from school. Leading up to their week off, her sister expected her to care for her children daily. However, her sister didn’t ask if she could before she made this assumption.
When she conversationally asked her sister what she had planned for her children during their weeklong break from school, her sister told her she assumed she’d be caring for her children. She loves her sister’s children, and their children have a strong bond.
But it’s tough to bring five children along when she goes grocery shopping, to doctor’s appointments, and to run other errands. She has to cook and put her 1-year-old child down for naps while caring for four other kids.
The day before a doctor’s appointment, she told her sister she couldn’t care for her children, adding that bringing five children to her appointment would be ridiculous.
Sign up for Chip Chick’s newsletter and get stories like this delivered to your inbox.
