My Parents Used Me as a Free Babysitter—I Had to Fight for My Freedom

Parents are supposed to be our strongest defense in the world. They are the people we assume will protect us, and always have our best interests at heart. Some parents may turn out to have feet of clay, as this teenager recently discovered, and shared on Reddit, asking other adults for advice on how to get back on his feet (edited for clarity).

This young Redditor ended up taking a big decision

My parents had me when they were teenagers. They were just 19 and 20. When I was 6, my mom got pregnant. We were living with my mom’s parents, then my parents moved the three of us into another house.

In the last decade, they have had 5 more kids. They don’t know how to parent. Obviously, my siblings always act out.

They spit, mess with people’s food by like slobbering all over it or putting it in their own mouths and spitting it back out, they leave leftover food everywhere to rot, and they’ll throw food on the floor. Like if my mom gets frozen pizzas for dinner and there’s something my siblings don’t like on it, the topping goes on the floor. They have tantrums in public and break stuff all the time.

My parents put my youngest sibling in my room when she was a baby. I had to wake up at night and deal with the dirty diapers. It was very stressful. Plus, they always made me babysit.

Last week, my mom and dad announced that they were pregnant again. I’m 17 now, and I called my grandparents so fast my head was probably spinning. I begged my grandparents to let me move in, and they agreed.

They were so mad when they heard mom was expecting another kid. I packed up my essentials (including my passport and other papers) and I left. I didn’t tell my parents because I knew they would have tried to stop me. My parents were not only angry, they lost all the free help. So, my grandparents dealt with them, but it doesn’t stop there.

My furious parents called the cops on my grandparents twice already, and are threatening to sue them now. What do I do now?

Advice and love poured in from Redditors.

• At 17, you’re legally able to decide where you live in most places, and the cops aren’t going to drag you back into free babysitter hell. © dhjetmilek / Reddit
• OP, piggybacking off this comment to say, make sure you stay in school until you’re 18! Your parents could potentially argue the grandparents are unfit guardians if you become truant from school. Don’t give them the ammunition. Study, prepare for college or work life, and try your best to learn from their mistakes. Good luck! © SierraSeaWitch / Reddit
• Let them threaten to sue. I mean, sue for what, exactly? Removal of the unpaid nanny service? Getting a life and an education?
  They’ve called the cops twice, and obviously, that didn’t work, so now they’re trying another tactic. Newsflash: that won’t work either. No court is ever going to look at this.
  Tell them that if they don’t back off, you’ll report them. (The way your siblings are being reared is certainly not good parenting.) © ZookeepergameWise774 / Reddit
• Coming from a mom of 4 kids (1 teenager and 3 adults) YOUR parents are lazy disrespectful parents to lazy disrespectful kids. You leaving at 17 is a good thing. Their children are NOT your problem.
  Help your grandparents while living there. Keep a clean house and keep good grades. Go live your life! Always protect yourself and your grandparents. You got this!!! © Senior_Hall_1989 / Reddit

All of Reddit supported the teenager, and his bid for freedom.

• I have 5 sons, the oldest is 13 and the youngest are 6.5yr old twins, with one being nonverbal autistic. My oldest has NEVER changed a diaper or got up in the middle of the night with his brothers. © Glittering_Bug_6630 / Reddit
• You did good. Keep standing up for yourself. The fact that you took your Birth certificate AND passport says that you were planning to get out for quite some time.
  Stay SAFE. Stay in school and make your grandparents proud. Update us when you know something new. © IamLuann / Reddit
• Parent here... sorry, but your parents are crappy, especially for making you the caregiver of your baby sibling. You had every right to call grandparents for help and get out of there. Glad you have some support.
  If you are still in school, talk with a guidance counselor and have them document the living situation at your house. Your grandparents are going to need protection and documentation if parents are making claims enough for the police to show up. © Icy_Anything_8874 / Reddit
  
  The OP also commented further:
• I won’t be going back unless I was forced to, but since the cops didn’t take me back with them, it’s looking good that it won’t happen. And you’re not wrong about the two houses. My grandparents always kept a nice house, but my parents’ house wasn’t anything close to nice.
  The kitchen is gross most days, and so are the bathrooms and the living room. My parents don’t really care since my siblings just make it worse, and I wasn’t going to do it on my own. © ParaKidszol / Reddit

Parents are human too, and end up making mistakes, some worse than the others. But what happens when the dynamic is between an adult stepchild and a parent who feels awkward and creeped out? Read on to know more.