In a recent Reddit post, a user found herself at odds with her mother’s newfound dedication to her local Catholic community. Here’s what happened.
Her Parents Joined a Catholic Community
Anna, a 21-year-old, and her parents recently joined a Catholic community in their local church.
Although she was initially happy for her parents, she feels increasingly suffocated by the constant talk of religion and the prioritization of church events over family gatherings.
In the midst of this, she faced a challenging situation when her parents invited a friend from the church over for a bible study, and Anna was unexpectedly tasked with taking care of the friend’s 4-year-old child.
Living with her parents, Anna leads a busy life, tutoring children, delivering food, and babysitting for family members.
She Loves Children and Babysits Often
She willingly babysits for her family without receiving any payment, driven by her love for children.
However, when her parents’ church friend expected her to look after her 4-year-old child during the bible study, Anna felt overwhelmed and trapped.
The pressure was intensified when the mother of the child remarked about having nine kids and insinuated that a woman’s purpose is to give birth.
Then the woman went on to say, “Now why aren’t you On The Path? All my daughters are on The Path, even my 22-year-old!”
She Felt Cornered Looking After Someone Else’s Child
Anna, who desires only two children in the future, felt uncomfortable and alienated by these comments.
However, her brief moment of respite was short-lived, as the child suddenly woke up, and her mother called upon Anna to care for him.
Caught off-guard and unfamiliar with the child, Anna felt conflicted.
On one hand, she sympathizes with the child who had developmental delays, but on the other, she simply wished to enjoy her own personal time playing The Sims rather than being burdened with the responsibility of watching someone else’s child for hours while her parents partake in their bible study.
So She Retreated to Her Room
Feeling cornered, Anna devised a plan to retreat to her room, attempting to lock the door to create some distance from the situation.
The child, determined to be by Anna’s side, resisted, leading to a brief struggle between the two.
Eventually, Anna managed to lock the door, and the child responded by banging on it vigorously.
Once the bible study concluded, Anna discovered to her dismay that the child had managed to peer through the door crack and had left a distasteful mess in the form of smeared poop on her door.
Feeling Distressed
The incident left her feeling distressed and uncertain about her actions.
In the aftermath of this chaotic situation, both Anna’s mother and grandmother approached her with criticism, asserting that she had abandoned the child, deeming her actions inappropriate.
They implied that Anna had not shown the compassion and understanding expected of her in their religious community.
Anna’s mother went further, stating that showing kindness and conformity, even if fake, is a small price to pay in exchange for everything they provide her, including a roof over her head.
Was She in the Wrong?
As a result, Anna felt bad about what happened and she took to Reddit to ask whether she was in the wrong.
One Reddit user wrote, “NTA. No one should be told to babysit. Next time they have a gathering at the house, head on out the door and do some food delivery. At least you’d have some peace and quiet. And get paid.”
Another Redditor commented, “NTA. I’m a Catholic, and their treatment of you isn’t very Christian.”
He’s Going to Miss the Birth of His First Child So He Can Extend His Next Business Trip
Heartbroken Mom Decided to Get Her Revenge on Her Ex Who Had an Emotional Affair
The post She Felt Religiously Suffocated and Conflicted About Not Wanting to Look After Someone Else’s Kid. Was She in the Wrong? first appeared on The Net Worth Of.
Featured Image Credit: Shutterstock / Medvid.com. The people shown in the images are for illustrative purposes only, not the actual people featured in the story.
Source: Reddit