Woman Forces 13YO Brother To Raise Her Kid, Refuses To Provide Payment, He Snaps After 3 Years

That’s basically what one Redditor went through for 3 years, all thanks to his sister’s questionableparentingchoices. For him, this wasn’t a one-time favor – it was an actual job, except he wasn’t getting paid for it.

More info:Reddit

Woman sitting on grass playing with a toddler, surrounded by autumn leaves.

Image credits:prostooleh / Freepik (not the actual photo)

A toddler playing with a wooden toy house set inside a cozy room.

Image credits:Tatiana Syrikova / Pexels (not the actual photo)

Teen brother with towel stands at the window, preparing to shave, illustrating his role as a free babysitter over the years.

Image credits:Freepik / Freepik (not the actual photo)

Image credits:Novel-Heron-2297

Monday through Friday, the OP was clocking in at 3:30 PM, right after school, and not clocking out until 9PM. You’d think he still had his weekends for himself, but nope. Those were also up for grabs, if his sis decided she wanted to enjoy a child-free day. No compensation, no gratitude, no freedom. Just endless diaper changes, toddler tantrums and canceled plans with friends.

Teen brother in green sweater and cap, looking thoughtful against a metal wall.

When someone constantly takes advantage of you, it’s like signing up for a lifetime subscription to a headache, or in this case, diaper duty. The first step?Expertsrecommend setting boundaries and actually enforcing them. It’s not enough to just say “no”; you have to mean it.

Sure, it’s awkward, especially if the person is a family member or someone close to you, but your peace of mind is worth the temporary discomfort. Communicate your limits clearly, and don’t feel guilty for protecting your time and energy. If they continue to push, remember: it’s okay to distance yourself from people who refuse to respect you. After all, saying “no” doesn’t make you selfish, it makes you sane.

But the OP was clear: he’s not the kids’ parent, and it’s not his job to sacrifice his high school years for someone else’s mistakes. After all, it’s hard enough being a teenager even without having to parent some else’s kid.

When a child, or teen, is thrown into adult responsibilities, like caring for siblings or handling household tasks, at an age when they should be focusing on their own growth and development, they might be parentified. It might sound like some fancy psychology term, but trust me, parentification is about as glamorous as doing someone else’s dirty laundry—and I mean that literally.

Theprossay that, when a kid is handed a full-on parenting job instead of just being allowed to just exist as a kid – think diapers, tantrums, and school drop-offs – it’s usually a product of parents who are overwhelmed, absent, or just plain irresponsible.

And the side effects? Oh, just lifelong stress, anxiety, depression, people-pleasing tendencies, and a nagging feeling that you’re responsible for everything. Let’s just hope our OP got out of there in time. But, if not, there’s alwaystherapyto help with the healing.

Reddit comments discussing experiences with siblings used as babysitters.