Every kid deserves to have a joyful childhood free from the stressors of adult life, which is what their parents have to make sure of. Unfortunately, some children are expected to step up to the plate very early on, mostly because the adults in their lives aren’t responsible enough.
This is what happened in one family that had ten children, so the eldest girl had to always look after her younger siblings. She couldn’t take it anymore when her parents planned a week-long trip to Austria and decided to leave her in charge.
More info: Reddit
Sometimes, irresponsible people put their parenting duties on their kids’ shoulders and expect them to do more than they can physically manage
Image credits: freepik/ Freepik (not the actual photo)
The poster shared that since she was the oldest and had nine other siblings, her parents had always expected her to take care of the other kids
Image credits: EyeEm / Freepik (not the actual photo)
Since the parents always made the poster babysit, when they had to attend a funeral in Austria for a week, they put her and her brother in charge of all the kids
Image credits: rawpixel.com / Freepik (not the actual photo)
Even though the week-long babysitting would be a huge burden on the poster and her brother, their parents refused to hire anyone or get help
Image credits: AdvanceJaded8211
The 19-year-old eventually decided to tell her parents she wouldn’t be taking care of her siblings, even though she felt guilty saying that
It seems like from a very young age, the OP had to be very responsible and spend a lot of time looking after all of the other kids in the house. Since she had nine siblings, and her parents didn’t seem all that involved, she had to somehow manage, regardless of how difficult it was for her to do so.
The experience of this eldest daughter is something called parentification, wherein a child is regularly expected to be a source of practical or emotional support for their parents. According to research, nearly 1.4 million kids in the United States have experienced this kind of parentification.
Unfortunately, the burden of babysitting didn’t end for the OP once she got older; instead, her parents decided to leave her and her 16-year-old brother in charge while they travelled for a week. They didn’t once think about how such a big responsibility would disrupt their children’s education or school life.
It might seem reasonable to expect a teenager to babysit their siblings once in a while, but as many mom bloggers point out, kids shouldn’t be burdened with parenting responsibilities. They should be allowed to enjoy their lives, instead of having to sacrifice their childhood so that the adults can take a break.
Image credits: freepik / Freepik (not the actual photo)
Even though the poster and her brother tried to appeal to their parents about hiring a babysitter or asking friends for help, all of their suggestions were turned down. Since both adults were quite reclusive, they didn’t want anyone else to help out and were okay with their kids stretching themselves to their limit.
Eventually, the poster realized that she had to put her foot down or else she’d end up facing burnout. So, even though she felt selfish saying it, she told her parents that she would not be babysitting her siblings for the week while they were away.
It is definitely difficult for kids to set boundaries with their parents due to the power dynamics at play, but it’s important to do so. Saying no to them doesn’t mean turning down all of their requests willy-nilly; it just means recognizing when exactly you should protect your time and mental energy.
It must have taken a lot of courage for the teen to finally stand up to her parents, but hopefully, it teaches her that she also deserves to take a break. Although her parents might not change their behavior overnight, this situation might make them realize the unfair load they had been putting on their daughter.
What would you have done if you were in the poster’s shoes? Let us know what you think about this situation.
People were shocked by the entitlement of the poster’s parents and were glad that she finally stood up to them
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