Chip Chick
She told her friend she was unavailable because she and her husband wanted to hang out. Her friend said she and her husband could hang out at her house together and care for her children. So, she agreed to the idea and persuaded her husband to go with her to her friend’s house to babysit.
The following day, she advised her friend to look into paid daycare, adding that it’s not fair to rely on her and not give her advance notice to babysit, especially when the reason she needs childcare isn’t due to an emergency.
“I mentioned that it wasn’t respectful to me and my time. This is all unpaid, and it feels so one-sided. She never comes to my house; we never go out for lunch/activities,” she shared.
It felt especially unfair that her friend didn’t give her advance notice when she’d been planning to attend the work meeting for several months. Whenever they hang out, she goes to her friend’s house, and they don’t do anything else.
Once she expressed her thoughts, her friend claimed she would be a terrible friend if she didn’t continue supporting her and caring for her children when she asked. Her friend views her as her kids’ “‘Aunt'” and assumes she adores her children and loves playing a pivotal role in their lives.
While she does love her friend’s children, she doesn’t want to babysit. Her friend also told her she was upset that she’d told her she felt exploited. She was stunned by her friend’s response.
When she’d been expressing her views, she assured her friend that she appreciated her and their friendship, which was why she was being honest.
She hoped they could have a stable, long-term friendship, so she wanted to resolve their issues. Even though she doesn’t have children, she knows that she would never treat anyone like her friend treated her if she did.
According to her friend, babysitting a friend’s children is a normal part of a friendship with a mother, but she didn’t agree.
What advice would you give her?
You can read the original post on Reddit here.
