When you’re a teen, your priorities should be finishing school, building independence, and getting ready for the next chapter of life, not saying yes to being treated like a free, on-call babysitter.
But that’s exactly what this teenager is dealing with. His dad and stepmom expect him to drop everything, including his job, to watch his younger half-siblings. And when he refused, the fallout was ugly.
On Saturday, this 17-year-old guy had to work, but when Thursday evening rolled around, his dad’s wife, Heather, demanded that he call out to watch his three half-siblings, all of whom are three years old or younger.
Apparently, Heather had a doctor’s appointment and thought that was more important than his job. He responded that he would not call out of work, so Heather had to find another last-minute babysitter.
His dad works on Saturdays and argued his career is more of a priority than his in an effort to force him to comply. His dad also expressed disappointment in how focused he is on school and work.
Heather and his dad still expected him to babysit, and on Saturday morning, his dad left the house extremely early. Heather then said she was leaving at 8, and he had to babysit.
“Instead, I skipped breakfast and left for work early, and ate breakfast somewhere else. Heather was getting ready when I left. She tried calling me, but I kept walking lol,” he explained.
“I got 10 calls from Heather before those stopped, and then around lunch, I got 5 calls and 4 texts from dad saying I was supposed to babysit and did I realize I cost Heather her appointment. I ignored his calls and texts.”
“I got home around 3, and Heather was yelling and cussing me out, saying I knew she had the appointment. My only response was she knew I wasn’t calling out of work. She tried to take my phone, but I refused to hand it over.”
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Later on, when his dad came home, he was furious with him and gave him a lecture on how he had to step up to care for Heather’s kids.
His dad stated that he may not be interested in being around the kids, but he owes them all to contribute to babysitting when they need.
His dad accused him of being spiteful over the fact that he got married to Heather. Yesterday, Heather and his dad asked him for an apology, but he didn’t say sorry to them, as he doesn’t feel any remorse.
“The reason I focus so hard on work and school is [that] I do not want to live with them a second longer than I have to. I’m saving to get out and go no contact, and I work every chance I get,” he continued.
“My dad’s aware of what I’m up to, but I don’t think he really believes I’m serious about it, but I am.”
He shouldn’t be forced to raise kids that aren’t his, and it’s sad that his dad and Heather are trying to dump their responsibilities on him. I think he should stay focused on saving money and moving out, and shouldn’t let their guilt trips pull him back in.
Do you think he was wrong to refuse to call out of work to babysit?
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By Bre Avery Zacharski
Hi, I'm Bre, Chip Chick's CEO! I have a degree in Textile/Surface Design from The Fashion Institute of Technology, and... More about Bre Avery Zacharski
