No one said babysitting was easy, but I had no idea that it would ever be this hard. Who knew the police would be called on the parents ?
But that’s how crazy this story is. So buckle up to read up about why this happened and make your decision about who was in the right.
Reddit user AITAforgettingmad was wondering whether or not he was in the wrong for calling the police on parents after they dropped of their child at his home.
The user is an eighteen-year-old young man, and when he’s free on the weekend and he’s been doing it since he was young.
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So he’s obviously experienced.
“My town’s pretty small and the people there are very busy sometimes,” he said.
“Combine that with the fact that there aren’t many babysitters and well, news spread (via my mum who wanted me to do this) that I’m a good option.”
He went on to explain his costs, and how that helps him get jobs.
“I voluntarily do my services for cheap, (I’ll use the currency dollars to put it into perspective for most of you) approximately $2-3/hour, sometimes even for free.”
“The parents/carers are always so surprised and amazed when they arrive back to see everything in perfect condition, and even more so when I tell them the price.”
“They often offer more but I reject, because I just enjoy working with kids.”
However, one family took advantage of that very fact, which caused the Reddit user to lose it a bit.
“I live alone with a few roommates, so this family I previously served multiple times called me and felt that they owed me a special Thanksgiving dinner because it was the least that they could do.”
“I drove there and we were having a good time eating and talking.”
“My parents called to check on me so I excused myself to leave the room and go on a quick call with them and left.”
That’s when the surprise came:
“They must seen this as an opportunity of some sort, because the next thing you know they left quickly and left a note on the table saying “Sorry! We’ll be right back and pay you in full.”, and left me with a 4 year old boy and 3 year old girl.”
So obviously, the Reddit user felt like he was trapped and had his holiday ruined.
He attempted to call them multiple times but they didn’t pick up the phone.
So he ended up dialed the “non-emergency police number” and when the cop showed up, he was honest about what happened.
“The parents turned up and the officer demanded their side of the story.”
“They told him they had to attend an emergency community meeting. They were lucky not to get fined, but the officer gave them a strong reprimanding and left.”
The parents ended up being super confused with the young man, and even angry.
“I said “you should have let me know and you practically left your kids with me without my consent. That’s illegal’.”
He even ended up quitting!
“I then told them “don’t expect me to babysit your kids here on out”. They’ve tried to call me numerous times that they need me and they apologise, but I wasn’t having any of it. I told my parents and they thought I was being a little too harsh.”
But Reddit users agreed with him, and that the parents were in the wrong.
“In the interest of safety, it’s never a good idea to leave kids with people who haven’t agreed to take care of them. (Not that you would have done anything to put the kids in harm’s way, of course, but like…THEY didn’t know that.)” one wrote.
Others were pointing out that he should even raise his rate!
“I’d like to offer an alternative reason for you to raise your rates. Clearly this has been fine for you (prior to this incident) but who else watches kids in your town?” one user said.
“And who will fill the slot after you?”
“If you look at it from a market pressure perspective you are devaluing their time as well. Charge a fair rate. Offer discounts on individual basis if you are worried about the family’s ability to pay.”
Now, we want to hear from you.
What do you think about this whole situation? Who do you think was in the right or the wrong?
Let us know down below in the comment section! We would love to hear from you!
