I felt my stomach drop. My son heard her and instead of defending me, he just shrugged and said, “Mom, it’s not a big deal. You love spending time with them. We can grab dinner tomorrow and plan stuff after we’re back from scuba diving, since we can’t take the kids along.”
That’s when it hit me. This whole “invitation” wasn’t about family bonding. It was a setup to get a free babysitter.
Wow just wow!!!! I don’t blame you one bit for feeling this way. Your son and DIL obviously conned you into thinking that you were going on a family trip for family bonding time. Only to end up finding out that they only wanted you there for free babysitting detail. That’s so rude and very disrespectful. Why couldn’t they just be honest with you from the very beginning???? There’s absolutely no justification let alone no excuse for that kind of irresponsible behavior.
I was so humiliated. I did stay with the kids for the night, but the next morning I packed my bags. I told them I “don’t want to be a burden” or “freeload off them” and was flying home. My DIL rolled her eyes, my son said I was “overreacting,” and the poor kids didn’t even know what was going on. I left anyway.
When I got back, I saw my DIL had texted me that I ruined their vacation and should’ve been more “understanding”. Am I really to blame here? I love my grandkids, but I am not a free babysitter.
Families are complicated. Read the previous letter we received from a reader: I Refuse to Take Care of My Sick Brother—I’m Not His Mom.
