‘I made an 8yo clean up my bathroom - I don’t know why his parents are so mad’

“He cried and started saying it wasn't fair…”

It’s been a few days since Bec* agreed to babysit for her girlfriend’s two cousins.  

She promised to watch the kids, aged six and eight, for a week and the weekend, agreeing they could spend their time at her house while their parents were away. 

At first, Bec had no issues at all, but after an unfortunate incident in the bathroom, she regretted ever having them there.

Want to join the family? Sign up to our Kidspot newsletter for more stories like this.

Bec made Shaun clean up after himself. Picture: iStock

“He didn't say anything about the mess, so I knew he did it”

Over the first four days, everything seemed fine, although she quickly realised she wasn't the biggest fan of the eldest boy, eight-year-old Shaun*. 

“He’s the most spoiled kid I know,” she said on Reddit. “He doesn't have to do any chores, gets basically whatever he wants and generally doesn't have to do … anything.”

RELATED: My sister sent me an invoice for babysitting my daughter - she thinks it’s fair

On Friday, she decided to give the house a quick clean but paid special attention to the bathroom, making sure it looked beautiful and nice enough for everyone to use. 

And for a couple of days, it stayed that way. So she was absolutely horrified by the state of the room on the final day of babysitting. 

Introducing our new podcast: Mum Club! Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts so you never miss an episode.

“I went to use the bathroom only to find a massive pile of s**t and toilet paper that wasn’t flushed,” she began.

If you thought that was bad, just wait. 

According to Bec, the person who last used the bathroom hadn’t just forgotten to flush; they’d also “smeared” their “s**t all over the seat”. 

Horrified, she immediately started looking for clues (and fresh air) and trying to recall who last to use the toilet. 

Then it hit her: “A few minutes prior” to her grisly discovery, she recalled seeing Shaun leaving the bathroom. “He didn't say anything about the mess, so I knew he did it,” she said suspiciously. 

Once she accused Shaun of destroying the freshly cleaned toilet, she ordered him to clean up after himself, starting by flushing the toilet.

“I … gave him a bottle of bathroom cleaner, mask, gloves and a rag and made him clean up his mess,” she added, which prompted the little boy to burst into tears. 

According to Shaun, it “wasn’t fair” that he was made to clean the toilet since it wasn’t his house. Therefore, it was Bec’s responsibility to clean it. 

Bec ignored his protest and made him continue cleaning, standing close by while he wiped away the revolting sight. 

But it wasn’t until he was returned to his parents that Bec bore the brunt of her disciplinary actions. “He told his parents what I made him do, and they’re both p**sed at me,” she said. 

At first, the parents “refused to pay” Bec for her babysitting services but eventually relented after her girlfriend “convinced” them to change their minds. 

RELATED: 'My mum babysits my kids but leaves my house in a state'

“If they can make the mess, they can clean it”

There was a lot to unpack here, people online decided. First, most Redditors were flabbergasted the child had the audacity to complain about cleaning up his own mess. 

“I'd never babysit for them again. If you can't act properly at another person's house, you shouldn't be coming back there.”

“If they can make the mess, they can clean it,” read a comment. “[The] only excuse would be a kid still learning how to use the toilet … eight is absolutely old enough to know not to do this and know how to clean it.” 

Importantly, others were furious that the kid’s parents responded the way they did.

“I do not understand why parents would not think it’s his place to clean up a disgusting mess,” a person wrote.

“I would have said, ‘Oh, sorry, should I have left it for you to clean up after him?’”

“I would have been appalled at my kid as a parent and apologised profusely,” said a parent. “Damn right, he should clean it up.”

Originally published as ‘I made an 8yo clean up my bathroom - I don’t know why his parents are so mad’