Woman’s Fear of Water vs. Family Expectations: Who Will Sink or Swim at the Grandparents’ Big Bash?

Picture this: a grand family celebration by a river, marking your grandparents’ 60th anniversary and their 83/85th birthdays. Sounds idyllic, right? But what if you’re expected to play lifeguard to a bunch of kids, and you have a paralyzing fear of water? This is the predicament our heroine finds herself in, as she grapples with the fear of disappointing her family and ruining the party. Let’s dive into her story… ‍♀️

The Grand Celebration

The Unexpected Role ‍♀️

The Fear Unveiled

Family’s Disregard

The Family’s Stance ‍♀️

The Accusations

The Dilemma

The Fear and Concern

To Swim or Not to Swim: The Party Dilemma ‍♀️

Our heroine is caught between a rock and a hard place. She’s expected to play lifeguard at her grandparents’ grand party by the river, despite her paralyzing fear of water. Her family seems to dismiss her fears, insisting the kids will be fine and her refusal to swim could ruin the party. Accused of being selfish and dramatic, she’s contemplating ‘forgetting’ her swimsuit or rendering it unusable. But she’s torn, fearing her actions could spoil the celebration, and worried about the kids’ safety. Let’s see what the internet thinks of her predicament…

NTA. Traumatic incident, rude family. Find other cousins or refuse.

“NTA. Traumatic event, don’t be forced into water. Bring sunscreen!”

‍♀️ Don’t JADE with family. Just tell them you won’t swim.

Family expects free babysitting, downplays fear; find backup support.

“NTA and DO NOT go with the ‘forgot my swim suit’ excuse – you can bet your bottom dollar someone will produce one from somewhere and you’ll be back to square one. Either state as clearly as possible that you will not be getting in the water, or come up with an unassailable excuse (do periods fall into that category?) If there are 9 kids, none of them yours, there are presumably enough adults there that someone else can take responsibility for them.”

Lifeguard warns against taking responsibility for kids without proper training

Parents should take responsibility for their kids in the water.

NTA: Don’t let them ruin your celebration. Enjoy yourself!

“24 is too old to just take orders from family without question. They might think you’re the AH for it, but that’s the way it goes. They can’t make you do something you don’t want to do. Being an adult is accepting the fact that you don’t need to earn people’s approval to make decisions about your life. ‘You ruined the party by not watching my hooligan kids’ is a pretty hilarious claim for someone to make. I would probably still sleep just fine at night despite having lost that person’s high esteem. Also it will be highly unlikely that there will be social distancing at this party and it’s absolutely idiotic that your family is having it. Your bathing suit won’t ruin this party. Covid will.”

NTA: Overcoming fear of water vs. family expectations

NTA – Avoid the river tragedy! Pandemic is another reason.

Stand your ground! You’re not a babysitter, NTA!

NTA. Don’t let them guilt you into being the babysitter.

Family dismisses fear of water, invalidating psychological affliction.

Embrace your fear, stand your ground! You’re not the a**hole!

Honesty is key! ️ NTA, but open up to your grandparents.

NTA. Enjoy your time with family, not as a babysitter.

Family expects NTA to babysit despite trauma. Play along, fake emergency?

Stand up for yourself and enjoy time with your grandparents!

Make them decide: you or a free lifeguard?

Entitled family won’t let you skip swimming, even without suit! ‍♀️

Swimming fear sparks debate on party safety.

NTA: Don’t drown in family expectations, prioritize your own well-being!

Don’t be a doormat! Stand up for your safety!

NTA. Stand up for yourself and enjoy the party!

Legitimate reasons for not swimming at the grandparents’ bash!

Traumatic fear of water vs. family expectations: No swimming compromise!

Don’t let guilt trips sink your boundaries! You’re not selfish

NTA. Stand up for yourself and enjoy the day!

Engaging comment: NTA, but here’s an alternative approach to handle the situation

NTA- Don’t let them delegate you as a free babysitter!

NTA. Prioritize your mental health and safety. Don’t let them guilt-trip you.

Family assumes youngest female is free child care. NTA.

“No” is a complete sentence. NTA, set boundaries and enjoy yourself!

Avoid swimsuit mishaps and sit with Grandma instead.

NTA. Stand your ground and let them deal with the consequences.

Traumatized woman refuses to babysit 9 kids, family gets upset.

NTA: Hire a lifeguard for the kids’ safety!