I thought joining my dad and stepmom on a family cruise would bring us closer. Instead, I found myself stuck in a tiny cabin with two kids and a long list of responsibilities no one warned me about.
It started with a phone call. I was cleaning my tiny apartment when my phone buzzed. Linda’s name lit up the screen.
A woman talking on her phone at home | Source: Pexels
“Hey, sweetheart,” she said, sounding tired. “I’m calling with a big favor.”
I tucked the phone between my ear and shoulder. “Sure. What’s going on?”
“We’re just… overwhelmed,” she sighed. “Your dad’s exhausted. I haven’t had a break in years. We need to get away.”
“A vacation?” I asked.
A woman talking on her phone | Source: Pexels
“Yes! A cruise. Something easy. Family-friendly. Relaxing. You’re so good at planning trips — would you help us put something together?”
I smiled. “Of course. I’d love to.”
She laughed softly. “Knew I could count on you.”
A smiling woman talking on her phone with her back facing the camera | Source: Pexels
I hung up feeling good. My dad remarried Linda a few years ago. Things had been… okay. Not perfect. She had two young daughters from her first marriage — Lily and Sophie. Sweet girls, but I never quite felt like I fit in.
Still, I wanted to try. This cruise could be something special. Something we could all share.
I opened my laptop that night and got to work.
A woman writing while working on her laptop | Source: Pexels
I spent the whole week researching. I read reviews. Compared cruise lines. Checked kid clubs and menus. Looked up excursions, water parks, quiet spaces. I even called the cruise line twice to ask about child care and cabins.
Everything was planned around them — Linda, my dad, and the girls.
When I emailed Linda the itinerary, she called right away.
“This is perfect,” she said. “You really thought of everything. You’ve always been so responsible.”
A smiling mature woman talking on her phone | Source: Pexels
I felt warm inside. Then she added, “You should come with us! It’ll be a great family memory. And after all the work you’ve done, you deserve it.”
I paused.
“You’re sure?” I asked.
“Of course! We’d love to have you.”
A happy woman talking on her phone | Source: Pexels
I was touched. I hadn’t had a real vacation in years.
So, I booked my own ticket. Paid for everything myself. No expectations. I was just excited to be included.
The day of the cruise arrived. I rolled my suitcase into the terminal and spotted them waving near the check-in line. My dad smiled. Linda wore a floppy sunhat. Lily and Sophie had little backpacks with dolphins on them.
A smiling girl on a cruise ship | Source: Midjourney
“There she is!” Linda called. “Our planner! Our lifesaver!”
I laughed. “I’m just glad we made it.”
The ship was beautiful. Huge. White and shining in the sun. I could already smell the ocean.
As we stepped on board, I felt like this was going to be something good. After check-in, Linda pulled me aside.
A serious woman looking to her side | Source: Midjourney
“Here,” she said, handing me a keycard. “This is your room key.”
I looked down. It had my name — and Lily and Sophie’s.
“Oh,” I said slowly. “I’m in a cabin with the girls?”
She smiled wide. “We made a last-minute change! They’re SO excited to have a big sister all week!”
A smiling woman talking to her stepdaughter | Source: Midjourney
I glanced around. “I thought maybe I’d have my own cabin? Even a small one?”
Linda’s voice was sweet, but firm. “Honey, it didn’t make sense to get another room. Richard and I need a little privacy. You’re so good with the girls. This way, they’ll be comfortable.”
My dad nodded behind her, distracted by the luggage. “Thanks for being flexible, kiddo.”
I swallowed my disappointment. “Sure. No problem.”
A serious woman on a cruise ship | Source: Midjourney
I told myself not to make a big deal out of it. Maybe it was just the first night. Maybe tomorrow would be different.
Maybe…
Day one started at the pool.
Lily didn’t want to wear sunscreen. Sophie wanted a different float. Within minutes, both girls were crying. Linda and my dad handed me a towel and disappeared toward the adult deck.
A girl in a pool | Source: Pexels
“You’re the best with them,” Linda said cheerfully. “We’ll just be an hour!”
It turned into three. By the time I got the girls dried off and back to the cabin, I was sunburned and exhausted.
Day two, I was supposed to join a snorkeling trip. I had even packed my bag early.
A smiling woman ready for her trip | Source: Midjourney
At breakfast, Linda leaned over with a cup of coffee in hand. “So, the girls didn’t sleep great. They’re crabby. Could you keep them in the cabin this morning? They need a nap.”
I looked at her. “Wait, what about the excursion?”
She smiled. “Richard and I booked a wine tasting. I figured you’d understand.”
A smiling woman talking to her stepdaughter on a cruise ship | Source: Midjourney
So, instead of snorkeling in clear blue water, I spent the day trying to calm a fussy nine-year-old and a tearful seven-year-old while everyone else got to unwind.
Day three, same story.
They left for a couples massage and a kid-free lunch. I stayed behind again, playing board games and cleaning up juice spills.
Any time I tried to sit alone or breathe for a second, Linda would appear.
A smiling mature woman on a cruise ship | Source: Midjourney
“Sweetie, can you take the girls to the arcade?”
“Do you mind skipping dinner tonight? Richard and I just need a little quiet time.”
By that night, something inside me broke. At dinner, I watched them laugh and sip wine while the girls argued over crayons beside me.
I finally said it out loud.
A serious young woman | Source: Pexels
“Linda… I thought I’d get some time to myself, too. I paid for my ticket. I just—”
She didn’t let me finish. “You’re not a child,” she said, smiling tightly. “Why wouldn’t you help out? That’s what family does.”
I blinked. She went right back to her drink.
That night, after the girls fell asleep, I lay in the narrow bunk bed and stared at the ceiling.
A sleepless woman lying in her bed | Source: Midjourney
The hum of the ship filled the room. I could hear Lily turning in her sleep.
“I came here to feel like part of the family,” I whispered, “not the hired help.”
My eyes burned. I couldn’t hold back the tears anymore. The next morning, I got up early. I didn’t say a word.
I quietly packed a small bag and woke the girls up.
A woman with a small backpack | Source: Midjourney
They slipped into their sandals and took their little backpacks. I grabbed their room key from the desk — Linda had given them one just in case — and led them out, still half-asleep, holding each of their hands.
When we reached their parents’ cabin, I unlocked the door and gently guided them inside. The room was dark and quiet. Linda and my dad were still asleep.
A couple alseep in their room | Source: Midjourney
I whispered, “Stay here, okay? This is where you belong.”
Lily nodded, curling up on the empty bed beside her sister. Neither of them asked questions. Maybe they felt the shift too.
I pulled out a folded note I’d written earlier and placed it gently on the nightstand, beside Linda’s sunglasses.
The girls are safe. But I need space too. I’m not your help. — A.
A notepad and a pen on a bedside table | Source: Pexels
Then I slipped out, quietly closing the door behind me.
Back in my cabin, I opened the cruise app and booked a last-minute upgrade to a solo room. It wasn’t cheap, but I didn’t think twice.
For the first time on this trip, I finally chose myself.
A smiling woman standing on a deck | Source: Pexels
By lunchtime, I was on the top deck, sitting in the sun with a book in my lap. My new room was quiet. No crayons. No sticky hands.
Just peace.
That’s when Linda found me.
“You just left?” she snapped. “You’re being selfish.”
An angry woman on a cruise ship | Source: Midjourney
I looked up at her. Calm. Tired.
“I didn’t leave them,” I said. “I brought them to you. Like a mother should’ve had them from the start.”
She stared at me.
“I came here to be a daughter. A sister. Not your nanny.”
She didn’t say a word. She turned and walked away.
A woman walking away on a cruise ship | Source: Midjourney
The rest of the cruise felt like a breath of fresh air.
I spent my mornings on the top deck, reading in the sun with a warm cup of coffee. No interruptions. No crying. No demands.
One afternoon, I joined a small snorkeling group. I floated through clear blue water, the kind you only see in postcards. I laughed with strangers, took silly photos, and let the salty breeze wash the stress off me.
A woman snorkeling | Source: Pexels
I went to dinner alone. Sometimes I chose the buffet. Other nights, I found a quiet café in the corner of the ship and took my time. I ordered dessert. I didn’t rush. I tried new things and let myself enjoy them.
It felt like I’d found a piece of myself again — the part that wasn’t always trying to please everyone else.
A woman walking on a cruise ship | Source: Pexels
I didn’t avoid my family, but I kept my distance. We passed in hallways and at the elevator. Linda barely looked at me. The girls smiled and waved. My dad gave me a tired nod now and then.
On the final night, my dad knocked gently on my cabin door.
“Hey,” he said. “Just wanted to check in.”
I opened the door, unsure what to expect.
A serious man in a cruise ship room | Source: Midjourney
“I didn’t realize what was happening,” he said. “I should’ve. I’m sorry I didn’t speak up.”
I nodded. “Thanks, Dad. That means a lot.”
He hesitated. “Linda didn’t mean to make you feel… used.”
“She did, though,” I said quietly. “And she never even asked how I felt.”
A serious young woman talking to her father | Source: Midjourney
He sighed. “I’ll talk to her.”
I didn’t hold my breath.
The next morning, we took the shuttle back to the parking lot. The ride was quiet. Linda stared out the window. The girls whispered between themselves. My dad sat beside me and didn’t say much.
Before I got out of the car, he gave my arm a quick squeeze.
Holding hands | Source: Pexels
“I hope you’ll still plan trips,” he said.
I smiled. “I will. But only with people who see me as family. Not free labor.”
Back home, I unpacked slowly, letting the silence settle in. For the first time in days, I didn’t feel small.
I felt free.
A happy woman on her laptop at home | Source: Pexels
17 Nannies Whose Adventures Could Fill a Best-Selling Novel
Some people view nannying as a simple job. Tasks like feeding children, reading them stories, and putting them to bed seem routine. However, that’s not always true. The people featured in our article shared their experiences caring for other people’s children, and now we wouldn’t dream of calling this profession dull.
I was 13 and was babysitting my neighbors’ kids. It was my first time, so the parents walked me through all the rules about the bathroom, TV, food, bedtime, etc. Just as the parents were taking off for the night, the mom came back in and whispered to me, “Don’t go into the basement.” As a teenager in the 80s, my mind went to all of the scariest movies that had basements. I avoided the door to the basement all night until I had put the kids to bed.
Then I walked slowly to the door and put my ear against it. I heard what sounded like whimpering. And then it sounded like sad laughing. I ran to the couch and started watching TV to get my mind off of it, but then I heard something fall in the basement and knew someone was down there. I really don’t know how I got the courage/stupidity to do it, but I went over and opened the door. The whining instantly got louder.
I went down just 3 or 4 stairs, so I could peek down… and I saw… a goat. Not a ghost. A goat. As soon as the goat saw me, he started bleating loudly. It scared me. I went upstairs, and the goat was still bleating loudly, so much that it woke up the kids.
The oldest girl came out and said, “Did you open the door to the basement?” I said, “Yeah, why?” She said, “When you do that, Carlos thinks you’re going to feed him, and he starts yelling.” Thank god I knew it was a goat first, because if she had said that before I went down, I would’ve thought Carlos was some kidnapped person in the basement who would yell for food.
It was very funny to me. The mom came home and I told her what happened, and she almost died laughing. They were repairing the goat pen and had to keep him in the basement for a few days. I still remember every moment of that night vividly. © Unknown author / RedditIn my early twenties, I would babysit a set of twins on the weekend once in a while. Their mom was super beautiful, and she was always going on dates.
One night, she told me she met a guy and was going on a date with him. She left at 6 and said she’d be back around midnight. Well, pushing 1 a.m., I’m thinking maybe she’s running late. 2 a.m., 3 a.m… I’m calling and calling her and finally her phone just goes to voice mail. I wake up, and it’s 7 a.m. and she still isn’t back.
I finally found the grandparent’s number in an address book. I call her parents, and they don’t even seem phased. They just seem annoyed like this is business as usual but tell me they’ll be over to sit with the twins, so I can leave. I call the non-emergency police number and explain what’s going on and that the grandparents are on their way.
I stick around for another hour, and then she pulls up wearing a men’s t-shirt, and heels, and she’s laughing. She says jokingly, “Oh my god! Call the police!” I never sat for her again. She just ended up staying with the guy all night and turned her phone off so she couldn’t be bothered. She truly thought I’d dismiss it like it was no big deal. © Kikabennet / Reddit
- The dad of the kids I watched liked me on Tinder. Then, when I told his wife, and she didn’t believe me, he convinced her that “his Facebook was hacked.” The kids were almost always wonderful. © marymoon77 / Reddit
- I work as a nanny in the family of a big businessman. At first, I worked several times a week, then I started living in their house. The head of the family works almost round the clock, his wife doesn’t notice anything but clothes, spas, and fitness.
Yesterday, their 5-year-old son stole money from his father’s safe, came to me, and said we should run away together. I returned the money immediately, but how to explain to a child why I love him more than his mother, I don’t know… © Overheard / Ideer - I’m a nanny, and I heard her first word (it was hippo). But the family won’t ever know that. Some secrets are better to keep. © positivityfox / Reddit
- First babysitting job at 13. Four kids. My parents gave me a whole fresh salmon to COOK and serve the kids. I learned that day that salmon has pin bones when I had to pull some out of the 3-year-old’s throat while simultaneously calling my parents down the road because I didn’t know what to do, as he was coughing and gasping for air. He was fine, but I think I lost 10 years of my life that day. © nah2daysun / Reddit
- A lady tried to dump 2 extra kids on me without paying when she realized I was babysitting her neighbor’s kids. Her rationale was that I was already babysitting 2 kids and 2 more wasn’t that much, so I should watch her kids for free and let them eat her neighbor’s food. © CaptDeliciousPants / Reddit
- I’m not a nanny, but I’ve been babysitting a girl on and off from when she was 5 to 7 now.
Her: What is that?
Me: Pineapple
Her: Oh, I’ve never had pineapple.
Me: Do you want to try it?
She does this about everything, too. I asked her mom if she had ever had pineapple, and she was like of course, she has! Then I realized she was just trying to eat my food. © Kacidillaa / Reddit - I nannied for a wealthy couple, and the husband had a study in the house that the wife joked about never being allowed in. Now, I’m nosy, and I was curious about why you wouldn’t let someone in a study, especially since it looked like a fairly normal room: big desk, walls covered in bookshelves, books of architecture everywhere.
So one day I just roamed around in there. I didn’t find anything, and I was kinda disappointed, but then I grabbed a book off one of the shelves. The thing had money pressed between its pages — about $500 if I had to guess. Picked up another book, and found the same thing.
I think I checked like ten different books, and every single one had money hidden in it. Still not sure if the dude was just paranoid about banks or if he was intentionally hiding money from his wife. © Unknown author / Reddit - I babysat two neighbor kids one time. I had a lot of experience babysitting, but it was my first time with this particular family. The little boy was about 5, and the little girl was maybe 7. Their parents left very specific instructions for bedtime, and they were kept on a very strict schedule. I thankfully had my best friend with me at the time, we were probably 15.
Bedtime came around, and after several warnings, we told them it was time to get upstairs, get into PJs, and carry on with their bedtime routine. They went ballistic. The little boy started tearing the cushions off their leather couch, tossing them everywhere, and biting a hole in the arm of the couch. While I was trying to deal with him, my best friend was trying to get the little girl upstairs when she ran into the kitchen, dumped their entire mop bucket of dirty water on the floor, and started sliding around in it. As soon as the couch-chewer saw the fun his sister was having, he joined in.
I ended up calling my mom for reinforcement, and never babysat for that family again. © soxxyrocks / Reddit
- So the father of the kid works for a major athletic apparel company, and every year they need to test the upcoming year’s potential pieces. To do that, the company sends one of every potential piece to all female employees and female spouses.
Well, the mother is pregnant right now and can’t fit into any of the items, so the father made me a cup of tea and asked me to sit down in the living room (what he does whenever he wants to talk to me about something) and says, “I know we’re not paying you to do this, but would you be willing to test all of the sample pieces my company sent me? You can keep them afterward.”
Yes! Y’all, no kidding, he just handed me 6 boxes of athletic clothing that have to total thousands of dollars. © pineappleprincesspie / Reddit - I was in the living room, watching Sister, Sister,when all of a sudden I heard a man say, “Hello.” I check the front door and look out the window at the driveway, the parents aren’t home. Go upstairs and check the kids, they’re both still in bed.
Go back downstairs, and hear it again, from the darkened dining room, “Hello, I am Armando.” They had a parrot. © Unknown author / Reddit - I only babysat once, and it was nothing horrible. These people had a huge rich house, and everything looked great, but when it was time for the kids’ bed, I figured I’d read them a bedtime story. I searched through that magnificent house and couldn’t find a single solitary book. © TRIGMILLION / Reddit
- So, it is that time of the month for me. I go into the bathroom, and while unwrapping a feminine hygiene product, the kid yells from outside the door, “I can hear you eating candy in there!” It made my day and made me wish that I was eating candy. © HalleysComet5 / Reddit
- I was working as a nanny, and the children’s mother once told me, “My husband doesn’t think we should pay you for when the girls are sleeping…” They were 4 months and 2 years old.
I was a junior in high school and responded, “Okay, so should I duck out once I tuck them in?” I wouldn’t have done that, but I think at that point she realized how ridiculous her request was. © reckate / Reddit - I had a phone interview with a mom that went well, so we met in person for a second interview with her husband and 4 children. It went well until she explained her nanny was fired for having an affair with her husband and how their new nanny needed better morals and to limit her interaction with her husband (who was sitting there the whole time with us).
I’ve never felt more awkward in my whole life as she told me that I’m pretty but thankfully not his type as he just nodded his head. I just find it irritating how it’s the nanny’s fault when her husband also had the affair, and how the nanny needs morals when her husband doesn’t. So yeah, definitely not accepting this job! © thisisdevon- / Reddit
Working as a regular nanny is challenging enough, so imagine being a nanny for a royal family. There are strict rules to follow, such as being allowed to wear only specific types of jewelry.
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