18-year-old son refuses to babysit his dad's girlfriend's 5, 7, and 10-year-old kids after she tries to guilt him into it: ‘I stood by my answer’

The concept of a chosen family definitely exists, but when someone tries to force you into choosing them as family, that's when things get unnecessarily complicated.

At the end of the day, we all want to have loved ones by our sides, proudly holding up figurative signs signifying how much they support us in everything we do. Warming up to new, potential family members is a bit nerve-racking and often prompts a negative response from us simply because we aren't ready to welcome another person into our lives. Do we owe our parents' new arm candy our time for under-market babysitting pay rates? No, and the new beau is a fool if they think they can guilt us into it.

Such is the case with the 18-year-old in this next story, who stands his ground after his dad's girlfriend tries to play the "bonus child" "we will be a family soon" cards just so he'll cave and watch them for chump change.

There could always be a gentler way to handle things… But when our needs and feelings aren't being listened to and understood, why should we tread lightly? Scroll below to continue reading the story and gain more perspective into the teen's family life.