The living room, where we found my mother-in-law sitting on the couch, flipping through a magazine as if nothing was amiss. Anger bubbled up inside me as I confronted her about the note.

“What is this?” I demanded, thrusting the note in front of her face. “You agreed to babysit for us, not demand payment!”

My mother-in-law looked up, her expression unapologetic. “I spent five days taking care of your son and cleaning up after your mess,” she replied casually. “I think I deserve to be compensated for my time.”

I felt my blood boil at her audacity. We had never discussed payment beforehand, and her demand felt like a slap in the face. But instead of lashing out in anger, I took a deep breath and forced myself to remain calm.

“Listen, we never agreed to pay you for babysitting,” I said firmly. “You offered to help us out, and we appreciated that. But demanding money after the fact is completely out of line.”

My mother-in-law’s expression hardened, and I could see the defiance in her eyes. “Fine,” she said curtly. “If you’re not willing to pay me, then I won’t be babysitting for you again.”

I glanced at my wife, who looked torn between anger and disappointment. We had always relied on my mother-in-law for childcare when we needed it, but her behavior had soured our relationship.

As my mother-in-law gathered her things and headed for the door, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of relief. While her demand for payment had caught us off guard, it had also served as a wake-up call.

From that day forward, my wife and I vowed to be more careful about who we entrusted with our son. And as we watched my mother-in-law walk away, I knew that we would never again allow ourselves to be taken advantage of in such a way.