Have you ever silently tested someone before you entrusted them with your little one? Well, this mom took things to the next level after she admitted she tested her loved ones without their permission to see if they had what it takes to babysit.
The new mama opened up on Reddit’s Am I The A*****” forum. After receiving numerous offers from family members to babysit her daughter, she decided to make them pass a test to see who was actually up for the important job.
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So, what’s the test? This mom would allow a family member to watch the baby while she occupied herself in a nearby room. Things got interesting when she stepped away.
“Sometimes it goes bad, like my grandma turned off her hearing aid so she wouldn’t be bothered by the baby crying,” she shared. “But other times it goes fine, and we’ve got a trusted new sitter.”
Apparently, some family members quickly admitted that they weren’t up for the challenge. Her husband’s siblings even came to ask her for help when they couldn’t hack it.
“I figured that meant they failed for now and just aren’t ready to babysit a newborn yet, but we can try again when the baby is older,” she added.
The Reddit community was quick to defend the woman’s well-meaning family members and called the mom out for being sneaky and a bit callous.
“YTA [You’re the A*****e] for telling them that you tested them and they failed,” the top comment states. “If you do something like that you keep it to yourself. Nothing good is going to come from saying “well we gave you a little test you didn’t know about and you’re not up to snuff”.
That comment continues: “I don’t know what they asked for help on but there are lots of things I’d figure out on my own if alone but no point if a parent is home. I might ask where diapers are or bring a crying baby to Mom if I thought it needed feeding. Doesn’t mean I’m not to be trusted alone.”
“You get to leave your kid with whomever you want,” the comment continues, “and if you want to set tests fine but don’t be surprised when people are offended that you are rejecting their offer of help because you found then wanting.”
Other comments include:
“This whole idea of testing a family member is just weird.”
“Babysitting is not rocket science and you are being extremely demeaning to your family. Of course you can choose who watches your baby and who doesn’t, but this “testing” loved ones without telling them is ridiculous and rude. Just hire a professional if you really feel like your baby is so much more fragile than every other person who has managed to survive infancy.”
Of course, not everybody felt she was in the wrong. A few vocal supporters stepped in to say the mom was well within her rights to test her family.
“You have a NEWBORN and these narcissists are berating you for not being attentive to THEM? Laughable,” one commenter said.
“You’re allowed to vet anyone who will be taking care of your newborn including family,” another said while also adding, “I do think you could have been more open about testing you’re family. There’s no need to try and be sneaky, but it’s clear that some of your family members are NOT prepared to babysit a newborn.”
After receiving this feedback, the new mom edited her post to add: “EDIT: thanks for the verdict, I’ll send them an apology.”
It seems she learned her lesson at least.
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