Oh, my fellow internet voyagers, buckle up because you’re in for a whirlwind tale of familial obligations, boundary stomping, and a dash of law enforcement—straight from the life of a real person! This juicy nugget of drama comes directly from Reddit, the digital coliseum where the modern-day gladiators of moral dilemmas duke it out for the judgment of the masses.
Imagine being the eldest sibling in a sprawling family of raw chaos—I mean, seven siblings, folks. That’s not a family; that’s a small classroom where you’re the unpaid, underappreciated substitute teacher. Our protagonist, let’s call ’em Alex (names have been changed to protect the innocent and the guilty alike), used to be the de facto caregiver until life, as it tends to, whisked them away to greener pastures (read: a better-paying job that didn’t come with unofficial nanny duties).
Then, out of the blue, Alex’s parents decide that a destination wedding (because who doesn’t love those? Ask your wallets) is the perfect excuse to transform their eldest child’s home into a pop-up daycare. No heads-up, no ‘please’ or ‘thank you,’ just a ‘We’re here, surprise!’ kind of deal. Now, I’m not saying what happened to RSVPs, but apparently, they’re as outdated as landlines.
Alex, standing firm in their newfound independence, tried reasoning with what I can only assume are the most optimistic parents alive. „My place is too small, I live far, and have you seen my schedule? It’s tighter than a hipster’s skinny jeans.“ But dear ol’ mom and dad, bless their hearts, wouldn’t take no for an answer. Their solution? Dump the kids on the doorstep and dash off like they’re auditioning for the next ‘Fast and Furious: Family Values Edition’.
Fast forward through some frantic phone calls, a non-vacation for the parental units, and what do we have? Alex, branded the family pariah for having the audacity to use a little tough love—or as I like to call it, the „come pick up your kids or I’ll introduce them to every child’s favorite pop duo, ‘CPS & Police’.“
Was it harsh? Maybe. But let’s not gloss over the fact that parents turning their children into door prizes isn’t exactly a chapter from ‘Parenting 101’.
So, here’s *Roger’s Hot Take*: In a world where boundaries are treated with the same respect as dietary advice on Thanksgiving, Alex did what few dare to do—enforce them. While the method might raise eyebrows, the madness has a method. When you’re pushed into a corner, sometimes the only way out is through. And if that involves a non-emergency call to a „police friend“, then let it be a lesson in consequences, something our dear runaway parents seemed to have skipped.
Was Alex an **arse** for wanting to live their life sans surprise babysitting gig? Absolutely not. The only thing they might be guilty of is assuming common sense was… well, common. As for the parents, let’s hope this little stunt served as a wake-up call that, unlike their children, responsibility can’t be left on the doorstep.
Until the next hot take, remember: setting boundaries doesn’t make you the villain of the piece—sometimes, it just makes you the protagonist of your own story. Ta-ta for now!
Original story
I am the oldest of my 7 siblings. My parents worked a lot when I was a kid so I always took care of my younger siblings. Two years ago I got a better paying job that was far from my parents so I told my parents that they couldn’t drop off the kids anymore. Yesterday they called me and told me that they were going to drop off 3 of my siblings. Now they usually give advanced notice so I thought maybe it was an emergency. Well turns out they wanted to go to a destination wedding and needed a babysitter for 4 days. I told them no because a. my place isn’t big enough for 3 extra people to sleep at, b. I lived far from them now and wouldn’t be able to drive them to school, and c. I didn’t have them time or resources to take care of 3 little kids for 4 days. They respond with oh ill give you money to buy them food and airmats and they can skip school. I then told them no again to which they responded “we are at your house already open up” I wasn’t home at the time and told them that I wouldn’t be home for 20 mins. They said fine that they can wait and I said that im not gonna watch them but we can talk in person when I get there (big mistake). I arrive home and I see my siblings at my doorstep. Worried that they were just left on my doorstep, I looked around for my parents. I spot their car and make eye contact with them. As soon as we lock eyes they, I kid you not, drive away. I take the kids inside to figure out what to do as I can’t watch them. I call them like 20 times (no answer obviously) then I call my sisters (18f and 16f) and explain to them what happened. They were shocked and I told them that I was dropping the kids back off and going to get our parents back. I dropped them off with my sisters and then called my parents from my sister’s phone. My parents picked up the phone and I told them that I was at their house with their kids, I was going to leave them with my sisters and if they don’t come back to watch the kids or arrange for them to have a proper babysitter within 2 hours, I am calling cps on them. As I left I told my sisters to call me if they need anything, give me updates and let me know if our parents weren’t back/haven’t figured babysitting arrangements in the next 2 hours. well anyway 2 hours passed and I got no updates so I texted my sister and asked if she got any response from my parents. She said no and that they aren’t responding to their texts. After no responses, I called my police friend to do a wellness check just to scare them into coming back. It worked and they returned, missing the wedding. Once they got back they started blasting me with messages calling me vindictive.I blocked them so my mom took my sisters phone and started texting me as my sister basically saying “you’re an asshole for blocking mom”
So idk maybe it was a bit harsh to make them come back and then block them?