Babysitter Called Police After Parents Didn't Come Home Or Answer Their Phones

What would you do if you were babysitting an infant and a toddler, and the parents didn’t come home? If they weren’t answering their phone for several hours and it was the middle of the night? If you’re anything like this babysitter on Reddit, you would call the police.

A 23-year-old babysitter took to the sub-Reddit forum “Am I The A**hole” recently to share a serious issue she had when she was asked to babysit a 13-week-old baby and a 2-year-old from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. After a smooth evening with the two little ones, the parents called at 10:15 p.m. to ask her to stay until midnight and she said that was fine. Until midnight came and went.

“12:15 rolls around, and I haven’t heard from the parents. I sent a text asking if they’re close and didn’t get a response. I can be pretty anxious, so my mind started thinking they got into an accident or something bad happened,” she wrote on Reddit. “I didn’t hear from them after 5 minutes and then decided to call, but got no answer.”

The babysitter waited another two hours, explaining that “2 a.m. rolls around, and I kid you not, I have called around 15 times and received no answer from either parent. I wanted to call the police at that point but also didn’t want the kids woken up and taken out of the house at 2 a.m. I was hoping that the parents would walk in, and although I’d be angry, at least they’re fine, but again, that didn’t happen.”

They did not walk in. And the babysitter was left to sit with her anxiety, and their two small children, for three more hours, until she couldn’t take it anymore and called the police at 5 a.m. “At this point, the neighbors are outside, and the woman directly next door told me she could stay with them, but I didn’t know their relationship to her, so I told her I’d wait with the kids for a bit,” she explained, adding that finally the parents arrived “at fu**ing 5:48am” and “greeted by the police.” They said both of their phones had died and they didn’t know how to get home, but understandably that did not cut it. With the babysitter, who called them irresponsible, or with anyone on Reddit.

One person noted that their excuse didn’t really hold water, “Also it’s 2024, who in this day and age doesn’t have either a portable charger or car phone charger? They are parents. They should have been prepared for their phone dying. Also they got lost for THAT long?”

Another person pointed out that there was a simple solution if they didn’t know how to get home. “If you don’t know how to get home, get the venue to call a taxi, surely even they know their own address?!”

In the world of babysitters struggling with parents, whether it’s a single dad who wants the babysitter to be the “new mom” or another babysitter in a similar situation who called the police on a late mom, this situation feels very cut and dried. Keep your phone charged, come home when you say you’re going to, and all will be well.