Blog: Is Extended Babysitting a Dealbreaker?

Are they on their way to divorce?

After a hiatus, the Mom of None podcast is back with a brand new season, and in this episode, I talk about a hot topic for childfree couples: babysitting. What happens when one partner agrees to babysit a young family member, and the other sees it as a threat to their decision not to have children?

Focusing on a post from the Am I The Asshole thread on Reddit, where a husband threatens to divorce his wife for agreeing to babysit her 3-year-old niece for a week and a half while her sister recovers from surgery. The wife sees it as a temporary situation and helping her sister in need, while the husband fears that babysitting the niece will change her mind about having children.

The episode is a reminder that being childfree doesn't mean that you can't or won't take care of children, but it's important to establish clear boundaries and expectations. It's also important to respect each other's decisions and not use babysitting as a way to test or change those decisions.

For childfree couples who may face similar situations, now and in the future; communication, compromise, and mutual respect are key to maintaining a healthy and happy relationship, regardless of whether one wants children or not.

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