Woman Didn't Babysit Her Niece and Nephew during a Family Emergency

Actions have consequences. A valuable lesson one sister inevitably taught the other when she stood her ground, wanting to avoid a repeat of recent experience.

Wanting a fresh perspective, one sister, called Lara for the sake of the article, explained the reasoning that went into her recent refusal to look after her 7-year-old nephew and 5-year-old niece.

The refusal was met with considerable resistance from their mother, who accused her of being uncaring and "hurtful to [her] personally." However, Lara was not about to get bulldozed into free childcare just because her sister showed up on her doorstep, asking for help with the children in tow.

Lara's firm opinion on the matter formed six months ago when she looked after the two kids while her sister and brother-in-law went on vacation. To begin with, she said they acted like "absolute terrors" the majority of the time they stayed with her.

But the straw that broke the camel's back came after her nephew locked her dog inside the laundry room because he found the idea amusing. Lara's nephew apparently knew that her dog is old and has separation anxiety, but just didn't care.

The dog frantically scratched at the door until Lara went back inside and heard the commotion. Despite finding her dog emotionally distraught, the door and wall had also been damaged. When Lara gave her sister the repair bill, she refused to pay.

Lara's sister accused her of overreacting since her nephew is just a kid being a kid, but that is where she decided never to babysit for her sister again. Lara told her sister of the new resolve, so when she pitched up on her doorstep recently, she said no and reminded her of the earlier words.

The two sisters had hardly spoken since the incident six months ago, and when Lara's sister showed up "frantic" with a long story, she shut the door and went about the rest of her day. Not feeling any guilt, Lara added:

"I don’t think I owe her a single millisecond of free childcare (no matter the circumstance) when she was happy to stiff me with a bill caused by her kid."

What would you do in Lara's situation? Did a similar situation unfold in your family? In another family drama, a woman finally spilt the beans that she didn't ever want to marry and have children after her family repeatedly questioned her life choices.