"AITA for refusing to babysit after my sister said I was too old to pursue my dreams?'

"AITA for refusing to babysit my sister's kids after she told me I was "too old" to have dreams?"

CommunityFirst4197 writes:

I (28F) have always wanted to be a professional dancer. It's been my passion since I was a little girl, and I've trained hard over the years. I understand that it's a tough field with no guaranteed success, but I've managed to land some gigs here and there. I'm not famous, but I'm proud of what I've accomplished, and I continue to work toward my goals.

My sister (34F) has two kids, ages 5 and 7. She is a great mom, and I admire how dedicated she is to her children. That being said, she often asks me to babysit them, especially when she has events to attend or needs some time for herself. I usually don't mind helping out, but I have my own commitments, and sometimes I just can't.

Recently, she asked me to babysit for a whole weekend while she goes to a music festival. I told her that I couldn't because I have an important audition coming up and need to focus on that.

She got really upset and accused me of prioritizing my "stupid dreams" over my family. That's when she said that I was too old to have dreams and that I should just give up on dancing and help her instead.

That hurt. A lot. I tried to explain to her that I am not "too old" and that people can achieve their dreams at any age, but she wasn't having it. She called me selfish for not wanting to babysit and put her kids in my place, saying that I should be ashamed of myself.

Now, I love my niece and nephew, but I also think they should learn to respect other people's boundaries. Now she's telling our parents that I'm a bad aunt and might ruin their relationship with her kids if I keep refusing to babysit.

My parents are somewhat supportive of my dancing career, but I can tell they think I should help my sister more. AITA for standing up for my dreams and not wanting to babysit?

Here are the top rated comments from the post.

Alarming_Reply_6286 says:

Your goals and dreams have nothing to do with your sister’s life or her kids. Her kids are her responsibility, if she chooses to be pissed off with your choice not to babysit, that’s her problem. NTA - you can have dreams & a great relationship with your sister’s kids. Both things are possible. What is not possible is your sister telling you what you can or cannot do with your own life.

Interesting_You_2315 says:

NTA. Your plans are more important than her plans. She's not working. She's going to a festival - sometimes parents can't do what they want because they have kids. This is one of those times.

PapayaOk4725 says:

You are absolutely not too old to pursue your dreams! Your sister is being unfair by expecting you to put your life on hold for her convenience. Babysitting as a favor is one thing, but she’s acting entitled to your time. Keep chasing your passion—your dreams matter just as much as hers did when she had kids.

Shiny_Drops says:

Absolutely not! You’re not wrong for prioritizing your dreams—28 is not too old to chase what you love, and it’s unfair for your sister to guilt-trip you into being her go-to babysitter.

What do you think?