My Mother-in-Law Offered to Babysit for Free — But Her ‘Help’ Came With a Hidden Price

She once told me, “You don’t need daycare — I’m family. Bring him here every morning.”

It sounded generous at first. But her version of “help” meant I’d drop my baby off, get five calls a day asking for updates, and then be guilt-tripped if I didn’t pick him up early.

When I offered to pay her for her time, she waved it off.
“I don’t need money,” she said.
“But you’ll cook for us on weekends, and maybe clean a little.”

So her “free” childcare came with strings attached — ones that basically turned me into her unpaid housekeeper. I politely declined and told her we were enrolling our baby in professional daycare.

That’s when everything exploded.

She accused me of “robbing her of bonding time” and turned it into a full family drama. My husband tried to calm her down, but it was clear she saw this as a personal rejection.

So I handled it differently.

I let her believe we couldn’t find an open daycare spot. Two weeks later, I told her my boss approved part-time remote work, so I’d be staying home with the baby.

She was thrilled — until she realized I never asked her to babysit again.

Now she constantly complains that she “hardly sees her grandchild.”

But honestly, if the cost of bonding is becoming someone’s unpaid housekeeper, I’m happy to pass.