‘Not your kids’: Internet helps 18-year-old boy move out of parents’ house after ‘teen dad’ experience
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: The internet is cheering on an 18-year-old boy who said he left his parents’ home because he could no longer care for his younger siblings. The script was posted by Original Poster (OP) u/AffectionatePeace999 in the popular Reddit group ‘Am I The A**hole?’ where it received nearly 7,000 upvotes and nearly 1,000 comments.
In a Reddit post titled “AITA for moving away because my parents expect me to help take care of my little brothers?” the boy wrote: “My parents have decided to have their children together. There is me and my sister (16F) and our younger brothers (3, 6 months). They had me at 20, and I guess that they wanted more. My brother is a good boy, but he and the baby obviously have a lot to deal with. That’s where my current problem comes in.”
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“My sister and I were basically free babysitters”
OP describes how he and his sister were given the responsibility of caring for their younger siblings. “Our parents told my sister and I once mum was pregnant with the youngest, that they wanted us to help them more with taking care of them. Ok, we both said to each other, but since , it’s been a lot. Once we got home from school, we basically babysat our older brother until my parents got home from work or whatever else they were doing, and then we didn’t had more time for other things than homework before bed. It was most weekdays, keep in mind. My whole senior year my sister and I were basically free babysitters, we only could never do anything because we always had to help with the children. When the youngest was born, it was even worse. Mom was back at work, and both of our parents work around 60 hours a week, so we would basically move into babysitting as soon as school was out until until someone comes home around dinner. My sister likes to joke that she had the experience of being a teenage mother, and I’m done.
OP continued, “I told our parents that I know taking care of my brothers is a requirement of living here, so I moved out. In a week, two friends and I will be sharing a one-bedroom dump. I work part-time and it can be full-time, I take business courses that I can take out loans for, I can do that.” He concluded by saying, “The problem is that everyone is pissed off. My sister is pissed because she will have to do more, the parents are pissed because my sister is pissed at them, and so on. . Now I feel like I’m being selfish about doing this.”
AITA for moving because my parents expect me to take care of my little brothers?
by u/AffectionatePeace999 in AmItheAsshole
“Not Your Children”
Nearly 1,000 people left comments on the post, all supporting OP. One user commented: “NTA – not your kids. I hate it when parents put younger kids on top of older kids because they can’t afford childcare or don’t want to take care of them. People really should stop having kids that they’re going to force their older kids on.”
Comment
by u/Pastellbabe from AITA discussion for moving away because my parents expect me to help take care of my little brothers?
in AmItheAsshole
“It’s your parents’ job to raise all their children”
Another agreed, saying, “NTA. Everyone should be mad at parents, not OP. Older siblings can help out younger ones a bit, but it’s your parents’ job to raise all their children. They need to get their house in order.”
Comment
by u/Curious-One4595 AITA discussion for moving because my parents expect me to help take care of my little brothers?
in AmItheAsshole
‘No is an answer’
A third user argued, “NTA. Be prepared for them to continue their outrageous request. Remember no is an answer, you don’t have to explain. Also remember you don’t have to answer the phone immediately or respond to a text message. You can wait until it’s good for you to answer.”
Comment
by u/Nervous_Hippo8855 from AITA discussion for moving away because my parents expect me to help take care of my little brothers?
in AmItheAsshole
“It’s not fair to you or your brother”
One worried user advised, “I think you are NTA OP but maybe it’s time to have a tough talk with your parents about finances. They might be working hard because the family’s financial situation is not not good and you and your brother look after your siblings allow them to work more hours to make more money It’s not fair to you or your brother but it COULD be the reason. I’m not saying it’s true, but at least it’s an understandable reason to keep you guarded.”
Comment
by u/paisley_life from AITA discussion for moving out because my parents expect me to help take care of my little brothers?
in AmItheAsshole
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