Working from home may look flexible, but that does not magically turn someone into the neighborhood babysitter.

One woman is asked to watch two kids during her workweek simply because she happens to be home during the day.

Her refusal gets stranger once neighbors start suggesting her house, schedule, and free time should somehow make the arrangement easy.

Check out how it all went down.

AITA For Not Watching My Neighbor’s Kids?

“My neighbor asked this morning for people to watch her kids (7 and 9) this week.

It is spring break, so they are out of school. She had a sitter lined up but things fell through at the last second, and she cannot take time off work all week at the last second without being fired.

A number of our neighbors agreed to watch them for certain periods of time, ranging from a few hours to a couple of full days, so it seems like she’s mostly covered but just has Friday afternoon left to go.

Thanks a lot…

My immediate next door neighbor, a retiree who is watching the kids today, chimed in that “PolkaDotPenguins1945 works from home on Fridays. You should ask her to watch them.” She tagged me in the comment, and then the mom replied by tagging me again and saying that would be great and she’d really appreciate it.

I said, “I’m sorry, but I can’t watch them.” It quickly turned into the Inquisition–Why not? Am I going into the office that day? If I’m going to be home, what’s the problem? If my house isn’t child proofed, I can watch them at hers, so what’s the problem?

Well…

Firstly, I don’t want to. It isn’t just that I know nothing about kids (which I don’t!) but also I am actively uncomfortable around them. More importantly, I will be in my home office actually working. I can’t supervise them. I don’t know how much active supervision 7 and 9 year olds need, but my house is full of expensive things.

I also have zero child proofing and couldn’t even tell you for sure where all my chemicals and rat poison are kept. I have an enormous dog who is clumsy, excitable, and has never been around kids except from a distance on walks.

And I can’t just watch them at her house instead, because I NEED to be in my home office working. It isn’t the kind of job I can easily do on a laptop screen. (I use a 45-inch monitor at home.)

I explained this all briefly in response to questions (“My house is the opposite of child proofed”; “I can’t go to her house because my job requires the set up I have in my home office”). I didn’t mention the I don’t like kids part.

These people need to mind their own business.

The neighbors are all piling on and commenting negatively. Saying it’s “just excuses,” that if they worked from home / wouldn’t be at Disney World / didn’t have a softball game / whatever they’d absolutely watch her kids for her.

I am tempted to comment “What’s stopping you from taking her kids with you to your softball game, if it matters that much to you?” but I haven’t.

I’m not going to watch her kids either way, but I need a sanity check here.

Am I really that big of a jerk for not stepping up and watching a neighbor’s kids for a few hours, or have I just accidentally moved into a hive of mama bears who all have the same mass delusion?”

Reddit users shared their thoughts.

This person said she’s NTA.

Another reader agreed.

This individual shared their thoughts.

Another person said she’s NTA.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a couple who is sick and tired of their neighbor’s kids dumping trash on their patio.

And this reader shared their thoughts.

She was working from home, not sitting around just freely available for childcare, and she had never volunteered to take responsibility for the neighbor’s kids.

The neighbor kept searching for workarounds, including suggesting the children stay at their own house while OP supervised them there.

Being home during business hours does not make someone the block’s complimentary daycare center.

The post Her Neighbor Voluntarily Signed Her Up to Babysit Without Asking—So She Refused to Take the Kids appeared first on TwistedSifter.