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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Am I the worst babysitter in the world?

122 replies

kisschase · 24/04/2011 12:46

My BF has three children all under 5 & is in the middle of a messy divorce, so to give her a break, I have been taking the children for her now atleast once a week, so she can run errands and go shopping etc.
As much as I love her, she is very strict about what they can and can't do & has very strict rules where they are concerned i.e. no fizzy drinks, only sugar-free squash on special occasions otherwise water only, everything has to be organic, no sweets or chocolate, I have to keep my cat in a separate room when they are here Confused, minimal TV - we have to do lots of crafty type things to encourage them to use their imaginations . . . the list goes on. I have learnt a lot of these going along, i.e "KC thanks for giving them lunch, but I'd rather you only fed them XYZ" or "I'd rather you didn't let them watch CBBebies for more than 20 minutes - do you think you could read to them instead?"
So, to the point of this thread, I had them yesterday so she could go shopping & have a mani pedi. The kids were happily running in and out of the house, playing in the garden (all supervised and covered in sunblock, hats etc) and when she arrived to pick them up, they were all sitting on the sofa, eating ice lollies (that I had made with the "authorised" sugar-free squash) & watching a Carry On film with my DP. It was the one with Jim Dale coming down the stairs on a trolley and because all 3 had been giggling at that bit and asking for it to be re-wound, we had left it on. To be fair they weren't paying it a lot of attention and were more interested in looking at my DP's fish tank.
Anyway, when we were waving goodbye, she opened the drivers window, called me over and said "Thanks again for having them for me, but I'd appreciate it if you didn't let them watch adult films like that again, I really don't think it's appropriate"

I do find all the rules I have to stick to exhausting and it's almost like the list is never ending - everytime I see them, something else is added that I have done wrong. DP thinks she's being ultra precious and I am being too nice but was I wrong in this case? Are Carry On films "adult films"??

Sorry for the ramble and thank you for getting this far!

OP posts:
EricNorthmansMistress · 24/04/2011 17:34

SofiaAmes - your DS has particular health needs, and he was with the school who had a clear duty f care to him. It's a completely different situation and just because it applied to your individual circumstances, doesn't mean it's reasonable to apply the same rules to everyone!

OP, your friend is a cheeky PITA twat and no, I would never have offered again if my babysitting was criticised. I'm a good parent, don't smoke/swear round kids, encourage playing, nice behaviour, provide good snacks and if that wasn't good enough i'd be seriously offended.

chicletteeth · 24/04/2011 17:50

Flipping heck.
She is a cheeky bitch and you have a heart of gold.

Can you watch my three DS; 6 3.5 and 18 months.

You can even feed cheap ham and fruit shoots on occasion if you like, I won't mind!

Tell her to get stuffed (nicely of course) - she is taking advantage big-time.

Has she ever bought you a bottle of wine or a bunch of flowers to say thanks for this?

femalevictormeldrew · 24/04/2011 18:20

Tell her to piss off with herself. Give her a month without a free babysitter and she will be back on her hands and knees begging you to take them and telling you to give them fags and beer if you feel like it!

BornToYolk · 24/04/2011 18:36

Sofia, from the OP "I have learnt a lot of these going along, i.e "KC thanks for giving them lunch, but I'd rather you only fed them XYZ" or "I'd rather you didn't let them watch CBBebies for more than 20 minutes - do you think you could read to them instead?" "
Kisschase let them watch a bit of Carry On, without knowing it was forbidden, and her friend got snotty with her. She's complied with all the rules (down to making special sugar free lollies!) and her friend doesn't appreciate it at all.
She also said her DP gives them "treats" -that could be anything at all, not necessarily sweets.
Kisschase is not being disrepectful, her friend is by not trusting her to look after her kids adequately and providing an ever growing list of rules.

Clytaemnestra · 24/04/2011 19:06

Honestly, tell her no next time. Say you can't keep up with all the rules and it's stressful so best all round that you don't. Stand up for yourself!!!

MCos · 24/04/2011 19:09

OP - as you stated, your friend is a control freak.
Could you tell her if she wants you to continue to babysit for her that she needs to relax the rules a bit, as she is stressing you out with all her rules and comments?

Most mothers will be happy for their kids to follow 'house rules' and expect kids to have free'er when being babysat than at home. Most will consider it a price well worth paying for a few hours piece and quiet away from the kids!

However, it does sound like your friend might be too anal to relax her rules.

SofiaAmes - are you the friend????

IloveJudgeJudy · 24/04/2011 23:00

OP, I agree with Colditz and what she said you should say to your friend. It's very passive-aggressive what your friend is doing. She seems to be making the rules up as she goes along to ensure that you never do a perfect job.

You need to stop looking after her DC in these circumstances. I don't think she realises how lucky she is. We have three DC and it was exceedingly difficult to get people to babysit for us. I think the way your "friend" is treating you is appalling and not the actions of a friend at all.

I hope you find the courage to say to her that you either look after the DC how you want, or she doesn't trust you at all so shouldn't leave them with you.

I wish you good luck.

hairfullofsnakes · 24/04/2011 23:23

Wow - I am genuinely surprised at many of the replies here. Here's how I see it but then that's me...

you offered to babysit and you know her rules which are fair enough (why are people being so bitchy about her rules?!) and if you don't like her rules dont offer to babysit!

Carry on films - of course they are not appropriate for under 5's! Ok,
They are not 'adult' as such, but they are cheeky and feature saucy scenes. Why would you let kids watch them?!

So yes, yabu as you know what she is like so if you don't want to follow her rules dont babysit! Why should she not be able to impose her rules on her kids if they are in another house?! If she was a vegetarian with vegetarian kids for example, you would expect to follow her rules so why not on anything else?! What happened to respecting people's ways?!

hairfullofsnakes · 24/04/2011 23:28

I also find it very disrespectful to 'sneak' treats in to the kids. Mine have a very limited access to sweet things and if someone gave them stuff behind my back I would find it rude.

When/if you have children you may be more underatanding to why she does things the way she does.

FriedEggyAndSlippery · 24/04/2011 23:31

Wow. One word to describe your 'friend' ANAL

Retentive personality that is. Not bumsex.

Actually, 3 words to describe her. The other 2 being Cheeky Moo.

yousankmybattleship · 24/04/2011 23:39

You sound lovely and your friend is totally out of order. I think she has a few control issues!

ZhenXiang · 24/04/2011 23:52

You do sound lovely, well meaning and a good friend, but just because you offered to babysit (no charge, I assume) it does not mean that her rules should not be respected. Think the food stuff could be relaxed slightly especially as you would have to buy in organic food especially at extra cost. No sweets, fizzy and only sugar-free squash I would have no problem with enforcing especially as some kids react badly to sugar, she may just not want them to be hyper when she gets them home. She could relax a bit on the amount of TV watching, but I would not be happy with my young child watching Carry On as like hairfullofsnakes said it does contain saucy scenes.

hairfullofsnakes · 24/04/2011 23:53

But the op knows what said friend is like so if she has a problem with her rules just say?! If the op keeps nodding and saying ok them of course friend is going to think it's ok. I say, if you don't like someone's rules on how they bring up their kids don't offer to babysit for them!

hairfullofsnakes · 24/04/2011 23:55

Exactly zhen!

kisschase · 24/04/2011 23:57

SofiaAmes - I am a little bit pissed off taken aback by your posts.
Where does it say in my post that I don't stick to her rules???? I have NEVER deliberately ignored them and I do absolutely everything I can to make sure I do as I am told.

Those 3 children have no health issues whatsoever and I would never do anything to deliberately endanger them. I buy in the food/drinks they are allowed, I use all "authorised" products (sun cream, baby wipes, soap etc) I stick to their bedtimes, yes they do sometimes watch more than 20 mins of CBBeebies but you know what, I have also become bloody brilliant at keeping them amused with games, making anything out of old toilet rolls and bits of card board and silver foil and DP does a good turn at all the voices when we read to them.

As for the supposed "impertinence" of my partner giving them treats - WTF!!!! Where does it say it was "candy"???? Those treats are buying them silly kids magazines (Peppa Pig etc), stickers, felt tips, allowing them to go on those stupid ride things you sometimes find outside of shops, letting them go on the roundabout at the park and just generally trying to get them to relax and enjoy being kids. Oh yes, here's one you can shoot me over - the odd non-organic strawberry Shock with a tiny (less than 1/2 a teaspoon over 500g of stawbs) bit of sugar Shock. Perhaps sneak was a bad word to use, BUT we have certainly never or would ever say to them "Don't tell mummy"

If you had read my OP correctly, I was actually surprised at her reaction to the kids seeing a Carry On film. I was completely UNAWARE she classed them as adult. That was my actual question, did any other mother feel that they were classed as adult films???

I didn't sit them down to watch the film, DP had the film on whilst he was doing something to the fish tank. I knew she was due to come and collect them and she likes to find them calm when she calls, so I got them to sit down with their ice lollies, whilst I packed up their stuff. They started giggling at Jim Dale coming down the stairs on a trolley and because they were being so cute, I naively left them watching the film with DP.

AND just for record, I am being drip fed rules - when I had them at the beginning of the week I had fed the youngest too much banana, the time before that I gave them jam sandwiches, which contained both spread and jam - and was told that she didn't want them having both, spread is for savory only. That's not ignoring them. That's me being unaware that she doesn't like that, so another 2 rules to add to the growing list - and yes, I do find that exhausting. Could anyone honestly say they wouldn't????

I am sorry your child has health issues and your friend was unable to comply with the rules that made him ill. I would rather harm myself than do anything to harm those children. She is their mother and what she says goes. If she told me they could only eat marmite on toast, then I'd probably think she had gone mad, but that's what I would feed them & nothing else.

To everyone else - thank you for your posts Wine
I could tell her feck off but I love those children and her, even though she can be a nutter at times. She has been an exceptionally good friend to me and I know she would drop everything in a heart beat if I needed her. BUT I am going to have to speak to her about the constant add on rules - I have been trying to put it off, but it appears it's going to have to be done.

P.S apologies for the long post, but I have OD'd on mini eggs and vino! Oops, naughty!!

OP posts:
pigletmania · 25/04/2011 00:03

You sound lovely, what a great friend you are and she should appreciate you more, not everyone even close family would contemplate doing this. She does sound like she takes you for granted and does not appreciate you. I have a very close friend (consider he like a sister to me) who used to and still takes dd 4 to give me a break. I appreciate the time that I have to myself and trust that she will do what she sees fit with dd, if I didntt trust her I would not let her take dd. My friend is very strict anyway, and only feeds dd homecooked food, minimal tv, lots of arty crafty stuff and going out to parks etc, but even if she did feed dd some junk big deal its only once a week. If your friend carries on like this, I would cut back on how much you look after her children.

Wabbit · 25/04/2011 00:03

Your friend is very upfront about her wishes but doesn't allow you the time to put forward your case... (lol at winding window down, typical act of someone who doesn't like to be answered back!)

She's a bit of a control freak

Sounds like she's a bit of a bully (nothing every quite good enough)

She's actually getting wonderful free care for and sharing of her lovely children, which you both enjoy, and she gets the benefit of being able to shop without children in tow and have a bit of 'her' time - but she's taking the piss by failing to see what a gift of a friend you are.

Is she a real friend or a toxic friend?

What realistically do you think you can do or say to re-set the balance? If you don't this will end with you pulling out of the informal arrangement and then her dc will miss out.

pigletmania · 25/04/2011 00:04

I was told by the Ed psych that sugar free is bad as it has aspartame (sp) that affects behaviour, and that the sugar version is better like high juice.

hairfullofsnakes · 25/04/2011 00:06

There is no need to be pissed off - if you post in aibu then you need to expect a host of replies. Your further explanations are good and of course you are being a great friend to her by helping her but you must talk to her about how you feel about things and how exhausting it is to not know where you stand as rules are constant!
Carry on films are fab, but not for kids! Grin

Talk to her!

cat64 · 25/04/2011 00:06

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

pigletmania · 25/04/2011 00:09

Everytime she picks them up, he says to me, "So, come on then, what did you do wrong this time?"

Just to be clear, she isn't paying me & I offer to take them for her to give her a break. I don't have kids of my own, so it's quite nice for me (& DP) as they really are lovely kids and seem to enjoy being with us.

Some friend she is, with that attitude that would be the last i look after her kids, you are too nice, you have to be assertive, and make her realise its YOU who are doing her a BIG favour. What an absolute piss taker, her children will probably grow up with food ishoos. Jeese the mentality of some people.

nbee84 · 25/04/2011 00:12

Well said cat64 Smile

pigletmania · 25/04/2011 00:17

Sorry kisschase I would not be looking after her kids ungrateful cowwoman. Like another poster has said when somebody looks after her child its their rules, if she does not like it than she should not ask you to babysit. You sound fantastic, could you take my dd pleeeease Smile

EricNorthmansMistress · 25/04/2011 08:56

She's treating you like a co-parent or employee not a friend/babysitter. Her rules are insane (no spread with jam? Twat) and also ignorant (sugar free squash is vile and full of chemicals. Sugar much better)

Tarenath · 25/04/2011 09:21

We had the carry on films in the background all day yesterday while at grandmas. My kids are 4 and 21 months. Not that they were paying any attention to it. Too busy playing outside in the sun.

OP you sound like a lovely person and I do think your friend is taking the pee and doesn't sound very grateful at all.

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