For years, I dropped everything to babysit for free—until I finally set a boundary. One text was all it took to shatter the unspoken agreement, and before I knew it, my sister was furious, my mom was involved, and Sunday dinner turned into a silent battleground. Was I wrong for saying no?
I stared at my phone, and the glow of the screen was casting a dim light over my hands. Another text from Lauren. The same kind of text I’d gotten dozens of times before.
Lauren: “Hey, can you watch the kids this weekend? Just a few hours. You’re a lifesaver!”
But those few hours added up—whole weekends spent wrangling kids while Lauren and her husband went out, made plans, and lived their lives. And me? I was the reliable one—the one who never said no.
I glanced at my planner lying open on the counter. Saturday was already packed—brunch with friends, finally catching up on laundry, and maybe even some time to myself for once.
But I knew how this would go. If I agreed, I’d cancel my plans. If I refused, I’d be the bad guy.
I sighed, my fingers hovering over the keyboard. I typed:
Continue reading…
