‘My brother dropped his kids off at my office unannounced because he had a date planned’

The woman tries to support her brother with baby-sitting duties, but told him that she couldn’t help while she was at work – he didn’t listen

A woman is seeing red after her brother took advantage of her good nature and dropped his kids off at her work place unannounced – all because he wanted to go on a date. Most people are willing to help out when it comes to babysitting nephews and nieces, but this brother went a step further with his demand.

So incensed was his sister that she took a course of extreme action and called the police. She wonders if he was abusing her willingness to help and took her concerns to Reddit, as she explained: “My brother is a single (widowed) dad of two kids (my nephews), both under the age of 10.

“He used to have babysitters but ever since he met his new girlfriend he stopped hiring any help because his girlfriend claimed that she wanted the kids to warm up to and get used to her as the only woman in their life.”

Frustrated by the set-up, she continued: “I’d help if I’m able but I work a demanding job and need to cover full-time. He for whatever reason refuses to acknowledge that.”

With a lunch date beckoning with his new girlfriend, he asked his sister to babysit the boys. “I told him I had to work but he begged me to take the day off. I refused and went to work.”

That, she assumed, was that, until mid-morning at her job a co-worker entered her office: “I was flabbergasted to see behind him were my nephews. He told me my brother dropped them off so they could stay with me.”

“I was in a state of disbelief but also furious. I felt stuck and terrified my boss would see this and I get in trouble. I couldn’t even take time off because of how busy I was.”

What she did next was to cause a rift between her and her brother, but she feels she had no choice: “Out of frustration I called the police and explained what happened. They got ahold [sic] of my brother and he was forced to come take them off me as well as get into trouble with the authorities, who spent hours talking to him.”

Her boss was unimpressed and sent her home early. The woman’s troubles were not yet over for her brother called in the evening ranting and raving at her for shopping him to the police.

“He started screaming at me calling me names of all sorts and saying that I not only ruined his meeting with his girlfriend and her friends, but caused him to get in trouble with the police.

“He called me a vile SOB and said that I could’ve had the kids with me for a couple of hours or even took them home and took the rest of the day off.

“We haven’t been speaking but his girlfriend is constantly shaming me for what I’d done saying she treats the kids better than I do and that I should be ashamed for this.”

Many Reddit users were furious on the woman’s behalf, and criticised her brother’s actions.

“That’s child abandonment, plain and simple,” said one commenter.

Another agreed: “If he didn’t arrange it with you beforehand, both of you consenting to it, it’s abandonment. He expected you to make your stuff work around his social life, which you didn’t have the leeway for.”

A third person wrote: “Your brother needs to understand that being a parent is priority over his personal life. Just because you’re family is not an automatic built in babysitter.”