Entitled Father Demands Exclusive Grandparental Attention For His Children, Threatens To Cut Off Contact If They Start Babysitting His Brother's Kids

"Sounds like you are bitter about losing your free babysitting."

Stephanie

• Published in Interesting
• September 16, 2023

When we become parents, it is natural to also anticipate the day when we will inevitably become grandparents. We look forward to watching our children raise their own little ones and revel in the opportunity to play a special part in their lives as they grow up.

But how much is too much to expect from our parents when it comes to them helping out with our kids? Reddit user u/Various-Exercise-816 recently posted about that exact issue in the r/AITA (Am I The A**hole?) subreddit.

The OP explained that he and his wife have two young sons, and his parents have always been very involved in their care. But now the OP's brother is about to become a dad for the first time, and things are set to change.

The OP says his brother has always been the "golden child," and his parents have spoiled him as a child and adult. The Redditor says daycare wouldn't be an issue financially, but he and his wife don't like the idea of their kids constantly getting sick from being around other children.

Recently, during a family dinner, the OP's brother said he and his wife would be needing "all the help they can get" when their baby was born. But the OP argued that he would also still be needing help from their parents.

Their father stepped in at that point and said that it was now time for OP's brother to receive their help and support since the OP already had plenty of help with his two children. The conversation quickly became heated, and the OP said, "Well, if that’s going to be the case, we won’t ask for your help, and it’s sad that my kids won’t be seeing their grandparents anymore.”

The OP's parents were hurt that their son would say something so hurtful, but the OP asked them to leave and hasn't spoken to them since. Keep scrolling to see how people reacted.

The OP asked if he's an a**hole for keeping his kids away from his parents.

He explained that he and his wife have two young sons.

The OP says his brother was always the "golden child" of the family.

The Redditor and his brother argued about who would need their parents' help more with their kids.

The OP said it wouldn't be fair for his parents to "neglect" his two children for his brother's child.

The conversation quickly became heated.

The OP said it would be a shame for his children not to see their grandparents anymore.

The OP then asked his family to leave. Now he's wondering if he is the a**hole here.

Here's how people reacted.

"Where do you and your brother get off?"

"Manipulative, cruel, and entitled."

"You are acting like the entitled brat here."

"That's not fair."

"Sounds like you are bitter about losing your free babysitting."

"This reads like you're two decades younger."

"You always banked on taking advantage of your parents."

"So much entitlement."

"Yeah, YTA."

"This is what you get for relying on family."

"They are people, not the help."

"You flew off the handle unnecessarily."

The OP later responded, expressing that they didn't appreciate being judged so harshly.

What's your take on this situation? Do you think the OP was overreacting by threatening his parents the way he did, or was his behavior understandable?

Either way, surely it isn't the OP's parents' job to take care of his children. After all, they've already raised their kids.

We would love to hear your opinions on this topic. You can share your thoughts with us in the comment section.

Stephanie