Mom Who 'Blew Up' at Sister-in-Law for Not Babysitting Last Minute Slammed

A woman has been backed online after her brother and sister-in-law berated her for going to the gym rather than looking after their child.

The 23-year-old shared her dilemma on Reddit's popular r/AmITheA****** forum, where it has received over five thousand upvotes and hundreds of comments.

In the post, she asked: "AITA [Am I the a******] for going to the gym first thing in the morning without checking with my sister-in-law first?"

She revealed that her older brother and his wife have moved with their two-year-old son into their parents' house, where she lives, while their home is being renovated.

"I watch my nephew sometimes but I don't know much about kids or taking care of them. I usually go to the gym very early on weekend mornings when it isn't crowded," she wrote.

After her workout and spending some time in the sauna, she returned to her phone in the changing room to find missed calls and texts from her sister-in-law.

"I had a bunch of calls and texts from my sister-in-law demanding to know where I was, saying she needed me to watch my nephew while she and my brother went out and do errands," wrote the Redditor.

"When I came home she blew up on me for not checking they needed me before going to the gym—they had errands to run and she missed her nail appointment. I don't think that's fair but now I'm feeling terrible about it."

But after sharing the story online, Redditors rushed to tell the woman she should not feel bad about the situation.

One comment with over 11,000 upvotes alone said: "NTA [not the a******]. Don't let her turn you into her in-home childcare! If you start making small concessions like this it will blow up in your face."

Relationship coach Ceza Ouzounian told Newsweek: "When adult children return to the family home, it can be quite easy to fall back into the parent/child dynamic, which can create tensions as the child is no longer a child—they are an adult with their own life. This can be true of siblings too.

"There can be a lot of expectations from everyone in the home, expectations of what other people in the house should be doing, how they should be doing something or where they are going."

In the online comments, one user suggested: "I'd be sitting down with them both and reminding them that as much as you don't mind helping out here and there, that he is their kid and not yours."

"So they moved in with you and expect you to be at their beck and call to watch their child? What did they do when they had to run errands before moving in with you?" asked another commenter.

"I think it is really important for the younger sister to set clear boundaries," said Ouzounian.

"It isn't her duty or responsibility to babysit her nephew while her brother and sister-in-law run errands. She is doing them a favor and they need to ask her if they need help. Them expecting her to stop her life for them is unacceptable."

Newsweek reached out to the poster u/gymbabysit for comment. We were unable to verify the details of this case.