So, here’s the thing. My husband, my 3 children from a previous marriage, and are going on an expensive holiday abroad.

We’ve been planning this trip for months, and it’s supposed to be a fun time for all of us. But there’s one problem – my 15-year-old stepson, who l’ll call Ethan, doesn’t seem to understand why I’ve asked him to come with us. I invited him to join us on the trip, but I laid out a clear condition: he must babysit our 4-year-old daughter while my husband and I enjoy ourselves. We both work full-time and are always juggling responsibilities, so this would be a huge favor. To be clear, it wouldn’t be full-time babysitting. He could enjoy some downtime in between looking after her, but I need him
to step up as part of the family. Well, Ethan absolutely flipped out.

He looked at me like I was crazy and said, “Why should I take care of a kid when I’m
supposed to be on vacation?” I told him, “Then forget about the trip. You’re not coming with us!” I know this sounds harsh, but my husband and I really need a break. Plus, it’s not like Ethan hasn’t been in a similar situation before. We’ve gone on trips where he had to look after his younger siblings, and this time, thought he could iust help out too.

After that, Ethan stormed out of the room,
and I was honestly shocked at his reaction. He refused to come, and now there’s this
huge tension between us. My husband tried to mediate, but he’s been torn. On one hand, he understands where I’m coming from, but on the other, he doesn’t want to cause conflict with his son. He told me I might be asking too much, but I feel like this is reasonable.

The morning before our flight, I walked into my daughter’s room and froze. Ethan had snuck into her room the night before without telling anyone and had taken all her favorite toys, including the ones that are impossible to replace. I had no idea why he would do something like that, but I was livid. This was clearly an act of retaliation, and I felt betrayed.

When I confronted him, he just shrugged and said, “You didn’t want me on the trip, so I figured I’d take away her stuff.” I was fuming. How petty can someone be? I really didn’t think he would go this far. So now I’m left wondering if I’m in the wrong. Did I ask too much by requiring him to babysit? Should I have found another way to handle this situation? AITA for drawing the line and putting my foot down? I’m really struggling to figure out if overreacted or if I’m justified in my frustration.