View Single Post
DBug 10:41 AM 10-12-2011
I have a few friends in my circle that feel entitled like this. For awhile, while our kids were all young, we'd trade babysitting back and forth. I'd watch one friends kids on a Friday night, and she'd watch mine the next Friday night. Well, one of the moms in this circle was constantly asking "Who's free to babysit tonight?", never ONCE thinking to reciprocate! For awhile we all did it because we felt like she had money problems (with two incomes??) or then when her husband messed up big time and ended up in jail. But then we started to realize that no, she didn't really NEED our help. She was just so used to getting "special" and "free" that she didn't have any reservations about asking for it.

It really sank in for me finally when she ended up buying a nasty house (because that's all she could "afford", newly single again) and the local church sent teams of volunteers over for weeks to renovate her house for her. They used donated materials and totally donated their time. They were there at least 8 hours/day, 5 days/week. They even had pizza delivered for themselves and the family to enjoy. They did an amazing job, and I was so proud of them for reaching out to her like that. But, after a couple of months, she met someone and married him, and SOLD the house, making a tidy little profit .

Thing is, I don't think she got it, or ever will. But we stopped helping her, because we no longer wanted to be part of enabling the entitlement syndrome!

The only thing you can do, unless you're okay being used as a doormat (and there is a time and a place for that), is to cut off the "free" and the "special" completely. Book evening plans that can't be changed so that you're no longer available. Give mom the names of some trustworthy teenaged babysitters .

Good luck!
Reply