Woman Demands Neighbor Watch Her Newborn From 5 AM To 5 PM For Free As A 'Favor' Because She Doesn't Work
Not having a job doesn't mean one isn't busy.
Prostock-studio / Shutterstock A woman rebelled against her neighbor after she expected that she would be able to do her a pretty big favor with no compensation.
The neighbor said that her request was fair since the woman “doesn’t work” and should have the time to help her out. However, despite not having a job, the woman said that she was not obligated to take care of her neighbor’s responsibilities.
The woman’s neighbor demanded that she take care of her newborn since she doesn’t have a job.
The woman, Kayla Baker, took to TikTok to share her frustrating dilemma. She explained that her neighbor thought that as a stay-at-home mom, she could watch her newborn four days a week for 12 hours a day — for free!
In the past, Baker was kind enough to lend a helping hand to her neighbor, even driving her to doctor’s appointments before the baby was born. However, when her neighbor asked her if she could watch her newborn from Friday to Monday from 5 a.m. to 5 p.m., Kayla put her foot down.
“I stood my ground and told my neighbor that I could not commit to watching her newborn baby from 5 in the morning to 5 at night,” she said.
However, Monday morning rolled around, and Baker’s neighbor arrived at her doorstep with her baby.
Due to a language barrier, their conversation took place using Google Translate. Baker's neighbor typed “You are home” and that didn't go over well. “This was not a question. This was an accusation,” Baker said.
“I told her, ‘Yes, I am home. I live here.’”
When Kayla’s neighbor asked her if she worked, she confessed that she did not. She then claimed that since Kayla did not work, she should be able to look after her baby, whom she referred to as “girl.”
Photo: Sarah Chai / Canva Pro
“She asked if I could do her this ‘small’ favor,” Kayla shared. “Watching this newborn baby from five in the morning to five in the evening for free is not a small favor. That is a commitment.”
Even though Kayla does not have a job, she has her own children to take care of and other responsibilities to tend to throughout the day.
Still, her neighbor wasn’t having any of it and attempted to negotiate with Kayla, asking if she could instead watch the baby every other week.
“If anyone has a really good link for soundproof, blackout curtains, I’m in the market to buy some because I am about to lock this house down every Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, and Mondays,” Kayla joked.
Others validated her feelings, pointing out that even though she did not have a job, she was not obligated to babysit other people’s children for free.
“I can’t imagine asking my neighbor to watch my newborn for free,” one TikTok user commented. “My biggest pet peeve is when people think that just because I’m a stay-at-home mom, I want to watch their children too,” another user shared.
“You don’t even owe her an explanation. Good on you!” another user added.
Others encouraged the woman to contact social services or even the police if her neighbor attempted to force her to watch her baby again, but honestly, that feels extreme, especially in light of the language barrier.
While the woman’s neighbor clearly needed some help with childcare, she couldn't expect Kayla, who had her own children to look after and her own responsibilities, to drop everything to look after her infant for 12 hours a day, four days a week.
Being a stay-at-home mom and caring for children is a full-time job in itself.
Photo: New Africa / Shutterstock
Newborns require a lot of attention and it is nearly impossible to get anything done when they’re around.
There is nothing wrong with asking for help. However, you must be willing to compensate those who put their lives on hold to offer the help.
Raising children takes a village, after all. The village just needs to be thanked for all of their efforts.
Megan Quinn is a writer at YourTango who covers entertainment and news, self, love, and relationships.