A young mom’s request for free babysitting from her retired mother has sparked a fiery debate about unpaid family labor. After giving birth, the 29-year-old turned to her 64-year-old mom for help, only to be told she’d need to pay $20 an hour—plus extra for late pickups.
The daughter, juggling 39,000instudentloansand20,000 in other debts, hoped her mom would provide relief. But the grandmother, a longtime homemaker, refused. “I raised my kids. I’m not doing it again for free,” she argued. She even insisted on having her own car seat and stroller, refusing to babysit at her daughter’s home.
Frustrated, the new mom weighed daycare costs against her mother’s fees, realizing neither option was ideal. Reddit users clashed over the issue—some accusing the daughter of entitlement, others blaming the grandmother for lacking empathy. “Childcare is work, whether it’s family or not,” one user noted. The story reflects a broader generational divide, where financial strain reshapes traditional family support systems.
