Man Says He Stopped Babysitting for Free But His Brother Dropped Off The Kids Anyway: ‘He Said I Should Be Grateful That He Trusts Me’

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A post shared on r/AITAH on Sept. 24, 2026, asks whether a man was wrong to refuse to babysit his brother’s children. The post drew about 4,300 upvotes and 528 comments at the time of publication.

The poster says he is 26 and his brother is 30. “My brother was always spoiled,” he wrote. The poster describes himself as the sibling who liked books and IT. His parents favored his brother, a high school football player.

He says he started programming at 15 and sold a project to a large company at 19. He moved out soon after and never told his parents how much he earns. He now works in cybersecurity.

The poster says his brother later had three children and little money. His brother and parents repeatedly asked him for financial help, but he declined. He told them his brother had not treated him well and objected to how his brother spent money.

About six months before the post, his brother and sister-in-law found new jobs. His brother asked him to babysit, and he agreed to care for the children during three-day stays. The poster and his wife are expecting a child, and the stays began to disrupt their plans and cost them money.

His brother refused to pay. “He said i [sic] have money so hes [sic] not giving me anything." The poster told him he would stop babysitting. Four days before the post, his brother called to say he was dropping off the children. The poster refused. An hour later, the three children arrived at his door with backpacks. He called his brother and said the children could not stay.

“He said i [sic] should be grateful that he trusts me,” the poster wrote. His brother then hung up. The poster called his sister-in-law’s sister, who was out of state and gave him her mother’s number. The mother agreed to take the children. “i [sic] drove 2,5 hours there and back to get them to their grandma,” he wrote. He says his brother dislikes his mother-in-law.

The next day, his brother called him five times. “He started screaming at me saying how i [sic] dare put his kids to his mother in law,” the poster wrote. His brother threatened to press charges but ultimately decided not to.

His parents have since called twice and told him to apologize and take the children whenever his brother asks, but he refused. “AITA for not taking care of his kids and refusing to apologize? I dont [sic] want to ruin my family but this is too much,” he asked in the thread.

A commenter recalled a different post in which a relative left a baby on a doorstep. “I saw one where the OP’s cousin left her baby in the car seat on OP’d [sic] front step, texting OP to tell her,” the commenter wrote.

The commenter said the person in that story had no phone service and did not know about the plan. “The problem was OP was out of town camping, and had no cell service […],” the commenter explained.

“Fortunately, their mother stopped by mid afternoon and found the baby,” the commenter added.

Another commenter asked why relatives who criticize posters in these situations are not asked to step in. “See what I never understand about these posts, why is it that the Op never suggests that the busybody family members […],” they wrote. "The ones who criticize Op, take the kids in…”

One commenter suggested a response for the next time the children are left at the door. “I’d tell him, ‘OK, next time I’ll call Child Protective Services instead. Tell them there are 3 abandoned children on my porch,’” they wrote.

The Daily Dot was unable to independently verify the events described in this thread. The details above reflect the original poster’s account as shared on r/AITAH. The poster’s identity and those of his brother, the children and the commenters have not been confirmed.

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