Mother of Two Wants to Foster Teenager but ‘Horrified’ Sister Warns Social Worker


A woman turned to Reddit after discovering that her sister wanted to foster a teenager for reasons she thought were “horrible.” She advised her sister not to do it, but she proceeded anyway.

The 28-year-old woman was horrified when her sister, Jane, 36, told her why she wanted to foster a teenage kid. It happened after the woman started living with her sister.

She lived there for two years and admitted to spending a “miserable” time at her sister’s place. Other users were shocked to read the mind-boggling details of the time she spent there.

A young woman spending time with two young children | Source: Pexels

The woman revealed her sister had two kids, and she asked her to look after them. She loved the kids like her own, but she couldn’t babysit them all the time. Jane also asked her to hand over half the money she used to earn from a part-time job.

After Jane showed her true colors, OP (Original Poster) moved out and decided not to talk to her. However, she still spoke to her when she complained she didn’t have anyone to help her look after the kids. OP felt terrible for her sister and agreed to babysit sometimes, saying:

“Just cause I am off work, doesn’t mean I want an 8 hour day with my niece and nephew.”

A little girl and young boy looking through the window | Source: Unsplash

As their discussion continued, Jane revealed she wanted to foster a child, more specifically, a teenager. OP was surprised and asked her why she was so particular about only taking in a teenager and not a younger child.

She tried to make her understand what was wrong with her plan but failed miserably.

To OP’s horror, Jane confessed that she wanted to foster a teenager to have a “live-in” babysitter for her children. She planned on allowing the child to sleep in her kids’ room or the garage in return for babysitting, doing the house chores, and helping her with her baking business.

A woman making macaroons | Source: Unsplash

Jane believed the foster child would happily accept her offer because “they will be so grateful for a home and won’t complain.” OP was even more shocked to hear the latter part of the plan. Jane continued:

“And then when they turn 18, I can just sign up for another foster kid!”

OP’s sister was happy she wouldn’t have to pay someone to look after her kids. Providing a foster child with a roof, food, and clothes in return for babysitting her children seemed much more convenient to her.

Two women talking | Source: Unsplash

Worried for the foster child, OP told her sister what she was planning was not correct. She tried to make her understand what was wrong with her plan but failed miserably. “I was horrified! Told her it was a horrible idea! She didn’t listen to me. She went on with it anyway,” recalled OP.

Jane went on to contact foster organizations. Not long after, a lady came to OP’s house and told her she was a social worker. She came there because Jane had put OP’s name as a character witness in her foster application.

OP received a call from her sister a few days later. To her surprise, the organization had rejected her application because they believed Jane and her house weren’t a good fit.

A woman talking on the phone | Source: Unsplash

OP knew the real reason behind the rejection and hid it from Jane until she asked her if she had said something to the social worker. To Jane’s surprise, OP told the social worker why she wanted to foster a teenager. OP explained:

“I immediately told the social worker why my sister really wanted to foster a kid and how she treated me when I lived with her. The lady thanked me.”

Jane was furious when OP confessed she had told the social worker everything. She hung up on her and sent mean messages afterward. She also turned other family members against OP.

A woman sending a text message | Source: Unsplash

After her sister stopped talking to her, OP posted her story on Reddit in July 2020 to ask other users if she was at fault. NothingSinister replied:

“NTA. You told the truth and saved a teenager from a terrible life of being used and dumped for another, which is no way to treat anyone. It is a foster child, not a slave.”

OP read the comment and explained that her sister thinks this is not slavery because she would provide the child with “home, food, clothes and everything else.”

Reddit app icon showing two notifications | Source: Unsplash

The majority of the users agreed Jane needed to understand that kids are not slaves. They believed she was insensitive and was running away from her responsibilities. Most users praised OP for preventing a child from being mistreated.

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