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20th Jan 2023

Father believes he should be paid for babysitting his own daughter

Kat O'Connor

His wife keeps going for dinner and to watch movies with their single father neighbour

A dad has come under fire after admitting he wants to be paid to ‘babysit’ his daughter.

The dad explained that his 34-year-old wife and his 48-year-old neighbour Walter, who is a single dad, love watching horror films together. He hates them and finds them incredibly triggering so avoids these trips.

Taking to Reddit’s iconic ‘Am I The A**hole’, he explained that he prefers to stay at home and babysit his daughter, as well as Walter’s two daughters.

“Sometimes they go to movie theaters but other times they just stay at Walter’s place watching stuff at his home cinema. They usually have to go to another town in order to catch a specific function of some weird movie so it is normal for them to come back very late.”

Walter and his wife have also started going out for dinner, but they have invited their children and the dad. However, the dad has declined invites time and time again. He said he isn’t comfortable going to the restaurant because it’s too expensive.

He also said it isn’t fair on the kids because he knows they won’t enjoy it.

“I insisted on staying with the kids and let the two of them go be themselves. This has become a regular thing and it is in a way a good deal for me because Walter pays for my wife’s dinner and she can no longer complain about me not taking her to fancy restaurants.”

The dad said the movie and dinner nights have become very common, which means he always has to ‘babysit’ his daughter as well as Walter’s children.

He didn’t mind this at first but it is happening so often now.

“I have grown a little tired of the burden of constantly babysitting the girls.”

However, Walter said he prefers having him babysit his girls because he doesn’t trust anyone as much as him.

Walter also offered to pay him a ‘babysitting fee’ but his wife was furious over the suggestion.

“I thought that was a fair approach to the issue but my wife was fully against it. She says I should not be paid for babysitting my own daughter nor the daughters of a close friend of our family like Walter.”

A number of people commented that the dad was in the wrong here, and criticised him for describing looking after his own daughter as ‘babysitting.’

Others pointed out that he might be neglecting his wife, who seems to be having a great time with Walter.

One person wrote: “YTA [you’re the asshole] for several reasons, two of which are calling taking care of your own kid “babysitting” and not really caring about your marriage.

“Don’t be surprised if your wife ends up leaving you for Walter, if they’re not already having an affair…”

Another said: “I’m sorry, but it looks like your wife has a new husband. And somehow you’re the babysitter. I kept reading thinking this must be a joke.

“YTA asking for babysitting money. But, this whole situation is so bizarre. I think you need to figure out if you want to be married, and if she does. Because right now it doesn’t seem like you are.”

A third added: ” If you put forth 0 effort to do things with your wife, she WILL find someone else that shares her interests and leave you in the dust. Right now you are a convenient babysitter to make this happen quicker.”

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