I Insisted My Sister Pay for My Children’s Babysitter During Her Time Off, and She’s Furious

I’m Rebecca, 30 years old, and boy, do I have a story to tell about my sister drama! So, here’s the scoop on the rollercoaster with my younger sister, Anna.

Anna’s been staying with us while she studies at university. We made a deal: she’d pay $500 a month to cover her room, utilities, and food. She also agreed to help out with some chores and babysit our two kids occasionally. It was a solid plan, all jotted down on paper to keep things crystal clear.

Now, let me put things into perspective. Anna would’ve paid about $1,200 a month for a shared room at her school. Living with us for the year costs her $6,000 compared to the $9,600 she’d spend at school and then back at our parents’. It worked like a charm for two years. Anna’s been great, both as a student and a sister.

But things got rocky recently. Anna’s got a serious boyfriend now, and understandably, she wants to spend more time with him. However, she’s started to grumble about babysitting every other Saturday night, which sparked a huge argument between us.

I tried to stick to our agreement, given her studies weren’t finished. I even suggested hiring a babysitter instead but said she’d need to cover the cost since that was part of our original deal. That didn’t sit well with Anna. She felt I was taking advantage of her, using up all her money, and now she’s pretty upset.

And as if Anna being mad wasn’t enough, my whole family’s on my case too. They think I’m being too harsh, treating her like an unpaid nanny. Mom’s even said I should let Anna stay for free, and I shouldn’t touch her finances.

I stuck to my guns, reminding them of our agreement. I also mentioned that Anna could live on campus next semester, which seemed like a good solution until Mom blew up and threatened to cut ties with me!

Just yesterday, I found Anna packing her bags. She didn’t say where she was going, wanting to keep it a secret. She threw some harsh words my way, saying I was mean and making her life harder. It’s tough. We had a deal, and I thought it was fair, but now I’m not so sure what to think.