Did Teen Sister Go Too Far When Calling Out Brother-in-Law's Parenting?

When 17-year-old's sister asked her to watch her kids while she rushed off to an emergency at work, the teen expected to find her brother-in-law, the kids' father, taking care of them. Instead, he was locked in his game room playing video games. Unhappy with the way he was parenting, the teen snapped and called him out for not understanding how hard it is to be a parent. This action caused a lot of drama between the teen, her sister, her mother, and her brother-in-law. The teen is now questioning whether she was the a**hole for speaking up or if her brother-in-law deserved the criticism. With such a complicated situation, it can be hard to determine who is in the wrong. Read on to hear what people have to say about the situation and join the conversation on Reddit.

The comment criticizes the brother-in-law for considering watching his own children 'babysitting', and the replies state that this is not acceptable behavior and that the OP is NTA. Censor any curse words like "a**hole" using asterisks in the output e.g: a**hole or a**hole or f**k.

OP's sister is burdening them with unnecessary duties and not standing up for them when her partner rudely orders OP around. People might suggest she's being abused, but it sounds like she's just being crappy. The replies suggest she is probably conditioned to tiptoe around her partner and that her partner is a horrible role model for their children.

The commenter believes NTA (not the a**hole) and says not to apologize as it reinforces the belief that the BIL did nothing wrong and is able to get away with being an absent father. A reply to the comment says that the threat of being cut off from the family for not apologizing is an empty one, as the BIL will surely "forgive and forget" when he needs help with snack time.

Sis is NTA for calling out her brother-in-law for not taking care of his own kids. One reply suggested the possibility of being paid for labor, while another brought up the idea of dads playing video games with their kids.

The commenter thinks the brother-in-law is 'too useless to parent his own children' and that is why the sister had to come home from work. The replies agree and suggest the husband is 'deserving of being called useless', and that it's possible for a parent to 'need time off from parenting', albeit in a different context.

The commenter declared "Not the A**hole" (NTA) and noted that they knew everything they needed to know about the brother-in-law's parenting from the "he doesn't want to babysit" line.

The commenter is not the a**hole (NTA) and expresses disbelief that the brother-in-law considers looking after his own kids as babysitting. The commenter suggests that the mother should be madder at her daughter for having children with a lazy a**hole.

The comment says that the brother-in-law is NTA for trying to take a 'day off' from parenting. Replies agree that even if the kids are not his, he is still their stepfather and has agreed to parent them. They further explain that parenting is like being a manager and that taking a day off doesn't mean being an a**hole to the people who are watching the kids.

The commenter questions why the sister is with this man who has a part-time job and refuses to watch his own children. They suggest the sister should refuse to babysit for him in the future. Replies suggest he is not only useless, but destructive, and that he should find time to spend with his family.

The section's comments and replies highlight the importance of being a parent 24/7 and how not to treat the people around you like villagers. The replies also point out how the lack of a snack may have been a sign of not being a part of the whole parenting experience.

The comment argues that parenting isn't a job, and suggests that the poster's sister should show this post to her brother-in-law to show that "even Reddit says he's useless."

The comment states that the sister and her husband 'used' the person, who is not the a**hole (NTA). The replies further explain that the husband is the a**hole here (AH) and the sister had a legitimate need.

The comment says NTA, short for not the a**hole, and encourages the commenter to stand their ground against enablers. It also suggests looking into CPS for neglect if the kids are showing any signs of neglect.

OP states that gaming used to be a central part of their life, but since their daughter was born, they have cut back their gaming time to 4 hours a week, understanding that parenting is always the priority. They also affirm that their BIL is a deadbeat and that OP is "NTA" (not the a**hole).

The commenter is Not The A**hole and believes that it's not babysitting when it's your own kids. They express their frustration about the guy and the sister for the ridiculous situation.

The comment suggests that the brother-in-law is threatening to never let the teen into the kids' lives unless they apologize and help out with the kids. The replies agree with the comment, suggesting taking him up on his offer.

The commenter declared that the husband was 'useless' and the commenter is not the a**hole (NTA).

The comment suggests that the adult sibling in their 30's is taking advantage of free labor from a teenager and that the teenager's brother-in-law is being disrespectful. The comment concludes that the teenager does not owe anyone an apology.

The comment applauded the father's parenting, saying 'NTA and give your dad a high five for me.'

The commenter is 'Not The A-hole' and is suggesting that the teen sister ask her why she lied about no one else being able to watch the kids and then ask if it's reasonable that her husband plays child games while the commenter takes care of the kids. The commenter suggests to tell her husband he's not useless.

The commenter declares NTA and expresses sympathy for the wife in her situation, saying it's not babysitting if it's your kids. The commenter advises her to stick to her guns and not apologize.

The commenter declared that the teen sister was not the a**hole (NTA) for calling out her brother-in-law's parenting. They agreed that her husband sounded like a deadbeat and the commenter would've left the instant they saw him home.

OP's sister is enabling her husband by demanding her 17-year-old sister take time away from school/work to take care of her kids, so her spouse can play video games. Dad is right and the rest of OP's family is taking advantage of her for free babysitting. OP is in the right for calling out this ridiculous behavior.

The commenter advises the OP to let her brother-in-law follow through with his threat and wait for the kids to ask for her help, as the brother-in-law will become overwhelmed. The commenter concludes that the OP is "NTA (not the a**hole) here. Not even close."

The comment questioned whether the commenter was paid for their help and expressed that they should be annoyed for being used as a free babysitter given that a capable parent was at home. The comment concluded that given the limited context, the brother-in-law deserved disrespect and was NTA. One of the replies agreed that the brother-in-law doesn't sound "capable of shit."

The comment asserts that the brother-in-law shouldn't be given a "nicer" way of being told off, and that "babysitting" one's own kids is called "parenting".

NTA (not the a**hole). Commenter suggests that the teen sister shouldn't apologize for calling out her brother-in-law's parenting, as it is not normal and should not be tolerated.

The commenter praised the father, and criticized the brother-in-law's childish behavior, and sister's enabling of it.

The commenter declared that the brother-in-law's behavior was inappropriate and NTA (not the a**hole). As there were no replies, the commenter's statement stands as the final verdict on the matter.

The commenter is not the a**hole in this situation and they expressed their opinion that the brother-in-law is not taking care of his own children, but rather, babysitting them. This could lead to his kids growing up resenting him due to his lack of care.

The comment says NTA (not the a**hole) and that the first husband was a dud, suggesting that the sister should look for a better option in her second husband.

The commenter emphasizes that the sister's brother-in-law needs to take responsibility for parenting his own kids and suggests that the sister should "get a grip and grow a spine".

The commenter believes that the sister is not the a-hole and that her self-esteem must be in the toilet if she tolerates such foolishness.

The comment said NTA, in reference to the sister calling out her brother-in-law's parenting for not getting off the video games to watch his kids.

The comment suggests that the teen is being taken advantage of by their brother-in-law's parents. The comment suggests that the teen should refuse to babysit unless they are being paid a market rate and should not let them blackmail the teen into not having a relationship with their child.

The commenter deems the brother-in-law's parenting useless and states that the sister had to leave work due to the brother-in-law's inability to parent his own kids and the kicking out of the unpaid babysitter.

The commenter believes that the brother-in-law is not the a**hole (NTA) because he should have been helping rather than relaxing.

The commenter believes that the brother-in-law should not have had a day off from parenting and deems him not the a**hole (NTA).

The comment states that the brother-in-law's parenting is not the teen sister's responsibility and that it is wrong of him to impregnate someone if he can't take care of his own children. It is hoped that the sister will leave him or he will seek help.

The comment suggested that if someone does not want to take care of their kids, they should not have any in the first place. It also argued that the commenter is Not The A**hole (NTA), even if they are related to the person they are calling out, and that they would not think twice about calling them out if they were strangers.

The comment says that the brother-in-law is an irresponsible person and that the commenter feels sorry for the sister for having children with him. It also sounds like the sister has enabled his behavior.

Commenter advises the teen sister to follow her brother-in-law's advice of not watching his kids, as it will help her stay away from more stress. They also urge the teen to give their Dad a hug & kiss to show their support.

The commenter declared NTA (Not The A**hole) for the teen sister, as it was the brother-in-law's decision to not take care of his own children that had crossed a line. The commenter also admitted that they might have snapped too in the same situation.

The commenter calls out the brother-in-law's parenting as "backward ass, sexist, ridiculous bullshit", pointing out his misogynist attitude and lack of interest in parenting. The commenter expresses disgust at the brother-in-law's selfishness, apathy, and misplaced sense of superiority. Everyone else is embarrassed, and OP's father is the only one with a "firm grasp of reality" in the situation.

The comment says that the brother-in-law should reevaluate his stance on his priorities and responsibilities, and understand that sometimes the kid needs to come first. The comment also states that NTA, meaning not the a**hole.

The commenter declared that the brother-in-law was *not the a**hole* for his parenting, describing it as high key immature and hella rude of the sister.

The commenter declared that the teen sister was 'Not The A**hole' and suggested that the reader not accept babysitting requests from her in the future. They also offered praise for their Dad.

The commenter claims that the brother-in-law's parenting needs to be addressed and it is not the commenter's fault (NTA).

The commenter believes that the teen sister is in the right and should not apologize to the brother-in-law, instead the brother-in-law should apologize to her.

The commenter suggested that the teen sister was not the a**hole in the situation, and expressed disbelief.

Single father stands by the teen sister and confirms that she is Not The A**hole in this situation. He expresses his anger and frustration towards her brother-in-law, calling him "useless" and a "joke."

The commenter declared the brother-in-law 'NTA', meaning not the a**hole, and called on him to 'man the f**k up' and take responsibility for his young children or get out of the way so their mother can find a 'REAL dad'.

The commenter is NTA for calling out the brother-in-law for not parenting his own child. They suggest he needs a reality check and a priority adjustment.

The comment says that the brother-in-law's behavior was wrong and that he needs a reality check that he doesn't get days off from being a parent. The commenter also wonders what the teen's mom would say if she had to start babysitting her son-in-law while he's gaming nearby.

The commenter believes the teen sister was in the right and should not apologize. They suggest billing her brother-in-law's parents for babysitting and expressing exasperation.

The commenter suggests sending a Reddit post to the OP's sister and brother-in-law to see what others think of them, labeling the brother-in-law as a "waste of air" and a "completely useless sub life form", and suggesting that the sister isn't doing her children any favors by keeping him around. NTA.

The commenter asserted that they are not responsible for babysitting their own kids, and that they only did so because they thought no one else could.

Commenter says the brother-in-law's parenting is so bad that it needs to be re-evaluated. They urge the commenter's sister to not apologize and reinforce the idea that his behavior is okay.

Commenter states that the brother-in-law's statement is ridiculous and that he needs to "grow up" and take care of his kids.

The commenter declared 'NTA' (not the a**hole) and encouraged the teen sister to keep doing what she's doing.

The commenter is not the a**hole and says that watching your own kids isn't babysitting. Yikes!

The comment suggests that the teen sister was not the a**hole for calling out her brother-in-law's parenting. It further questions the legality of marrying someone who is "functionally helpless".

The commenter is not the a**hole, as their dad works 12-hour night shifts and is still willing to help if they or their brother need anything, even if their mom isn't home. He is tired, but still happy to help.