Today, I found out our eight-year-old son lied about his former babysitter beating him. The babysitter's already thrashed us on social media for believing our son, and now no one in town is willing to babysit for us. Looks like date night is cancelled. FML
Collection
Fall
Dead leaves, the first cold of the season and an umbrella flipped inside out: fall, the season of grace.
Today, I babysat the brattiest and most foul-mouthed 8-year-old I've ever met. After I survived three hours of it, his parents finally came home. He claimed I'd invited a boy over and that we did "stuff" on the couch all evening. They believed him. I didn't get paid, to say the least. FML
Today, I found out that my son (17) lied about not being able to get the time off from his job for our family vacation and has been partying and screwing his girlfriend while we're thousands of miles away. FML
Today, I found out that when my room-mate agreed to babysit someone's two year old kid for money, what he really planned on doing was dumping it with me. The kid won't stop crying and screaming. FML
Today, I found out that while my mother-in-law claimed to be babysitting my son, she was actually dropping him off at an unlicensed “day care” in a shady part of town so she could go out. How did I find out? The house was raided by police. FML
Today, I found out why the parents whose children I babysit use me so often and on such short notice. It's not because they have abrupt nights out; it's because their kids hate me, and me being around is their way of punishing them. FML
Today, I called my usual babysitter, one of the few people who can handle my difficult kids, to ask her to watch them for a night next week. She refused. It turns out my wife has been repeatedly underpaying her and she's fed up with it. So long date nights, I guess. FML
Today, when I got home, my child had three bruises. My babysitter's excuse? "She hit me first". FML
Today, I grounded my son after finding out that he's been bullying other kids at school. He got mad and screamed at me, calling me a "bastard". Instead of defending me, my wife got pissed and accused me of having taught our son to swear like that. I can never win. FML
Today, two days after losing my temper with my smart mouthed 7 year-old son and slapping him across the face, I tried to apologize by buying him a treat and telling him if anyone found out, I would get in trouble. Today, I got a call from social services about the "bruise" on his face. FML
Today, after much debate, my husband convinced me to let his scumbag brother babysit our seven-year-old son while we went out to a restaurant. When we got home, we found him teaching our son how to pick the lock to our liquor cabinet. My husband is unapologetic. FML
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Top comments
TeacherTeacher 11
This makes a great teaching moment. Make sure your child understands the gravity of what he did and apologize to the babysitter. You should also find out why he lied. Does he want more time with you? Does he not like the babysitter because she enforces rules? A nice reading of The Boy Who Cried Wolf might be in order too. Careers have been ruined this way.
Viewerv 2
Parents are in an impossible situation. Kids do lie and lives have been ruined when kids lied. This babysitter could have been in jail over this kids lies. I wouldn't babysit this kid again either. However, if parents don't believe kids, that can cause issues to. So many kids were abused and were not protected by parents who didn't believe them. It's a no win situation!
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Comments (49)
Mynxie 26
Comment moderated for rule-breaking.
Of course you would believe your son over her. Any good parent would. Those who would punish you for wanting to protect your child are obviously not parents themselves. I would believe my child over someone who is not of the family.
ShinnamonBun 7
True but kids can be mischievous so OP probably should've made at least an attempt at getting proof
Viewerv 2
Parents are in an impossible situation. Kids do lie and lives have been ruined when kids lied. This babysitter could have been in jail over this kids lies. I wouldn't babysit this kid again either. However, if parents don't believe kids, that can cause issues to. So many kids were abused and were not protected by parents who didn't believe them. It's a no win situation!
Alexandria79 22
I babysat 3 kids down the road. the 3 yr old took a kiddie golf club and started beating her brother so I took it away. she told her mum that I beat her with it. I nearly cried. I asked the brothers to tell what happened and they laughed. the parents said nothing and asked me back a week later.
Mynxie 26
*over Can't edit my comment.
TeacherTeacher 11
This makes a great teaching moment. Make sure your child understands the gravity of what he did and apologize to the babysitter. You should also find out why he lied. Does he want more time with you? Does he not like the babysitter because she enforces rules? A nice reading of The Boy Who Cried Wolf might be in order too. Careers have been ruined this way.
Kurliez408 32
following up on that maybe have your kid (with you) apologize to the babysitter? great teaching moment, she deserves it and maybe she'll agree to correcting her mistakes as well.
mariri9206 32
Kurliez, they mentioned apologizing to the babysitter
Moerighan 23
Careers and lives, especially if a touching comment is thrown in.
carlosbsi70 1
That sounds like a great time to a deserved spanking and real consequences about lying, because a book reading is not going to change the fact the little monster lied. In your eyes teacher teacher the best thing is price the kid for that behavior, that will not help , look around you and see how many poor kid are entitle to do whatever they want for nothing.
sophiehelen 32
lives have been ruined this way unfortunately, not just careers
Charlie Coffman 14
make a "public" apology, and make sure it's heartfelt and seen, then maybe you'll have a chance
mouth666 6
a whole huge generation of cry babies and do gooders.. this is all of the parents. believed there was a beating? how does a 8 year old fake a real ass whooping for being bad itch? should have been clear the kids a spoiled lying shit
foxesntea 22
My mom's friend's sons would actually start beating themselves and then call social services on her claiming she beats them. Some kids are truly terrible.
goodread2200 10
If missing out on date night is what you're taking from this then maybe it's a good thing you now need to spend more time with your son.
acmariner99 25
Of course your first instinct is to protect your kid. But you should do some basic investigating like checking for bruises or taking him to a doctor. Kids can do some cruel stuff to get out of things.
Bearsmomma 30
It would depend on the timing of telling. There wouldn't be visible bruising if the kid was telling something from the past.
Emmereen 29
OP, you were in the right to take your child's allegations seriously. I certainly wouldn't expect a young kid to lie about something this serious. Now that the truth is out, I would look into why your son told this story and take steps to apologize to the sitter.
Viewerv 2
O.o I hope you don't have mischievous kids because kids can be manipulative psychopaths who don't have enough empathy or knowledge to understand full relocations of their lies. All they see is the immediate benefit to themselves. So yes, kids do lie about serious stuff like abuse!
HylianBadger 21
Sometimes parents need time away from their children, and date night is a good opportunity not only to get a way for a bit, but spend quality time with your significant other. He probably gets enough attention, but he feels they need to be around 24/7 regardless. Kids can be really selfish at times.
ElizaWy 25
Your son made a false accusation of child-abuse to get his way (they usually tell the sitter 'do this or else' when this happens) and your main worry is your date-night? Your priorities are seriously screwed up.
TheyCallMeDamien 18
Making him publicly apologize. He attempted to besmirch someone's name. This reaction is one of the reasons we have a serious teacher shortage. Always try to verify. And is this really the first time he's has lied?