Single mom asks sister to raise her child but refuses to sign the adoption papers so she can still ‘play mom’ on her free days

A single mom (u/just-gene7622) asked her sister to raise her baby since she didn't have sufficient income, but refused to sign the adoption papers, raising questions about her true intentions. While raising a child is a mammoth task in itself, it turned into a much more complicated problem for this family. The sister shared their story on Reddit on October 27, 2025.

The single mom gave birth to a baby girl at 33 and was raising the child alone after breaking up with her ex-boyfriend. She was financially unstable, so she requested her sister, 29, to raise her child. "My husband loves kids, and we were both happy and willing to adopt my niece since she’s family," her sister wrote. Her husband wanted to adopt his sister-in-law's child legally because, in case anything happens, he didn't want her to have parental decision-making power. "We still want her to be able to visit anytime, since she’s the biological mother, but not to the point where she can suddenly take the child back whenever she wants," the sister said. She agreed with her husband, but when they mentioned it in front of the single mom, she just refused without a real reason. "My sister refused the legal process, claiming it was unnecessary and inconvenient and that there was no need for it since I’m her sister anyway," she recalled. The woman told her sister that they could only adopt the child if she agreed to the legal terms. "She got upset and said I’m treating her like a stranger, not a sister," she wrote. 

Meanwhile, reacting to the Reddit story, u/lovinglifeatmyage commented, "Of course it needs to be done legally. It sounds like she’s possibly got it in mind that she could retrieve her daughter at some later date when she’s more financially stable, letting you pay for and raise her daughter in the meantime." u/mj2503 wrote, "Your husband is right, and I think your sister is being very entitled, and that in itself is a red flag for sure. You want to protect the child and give her stability, and your sister's attitude tells me she couldn't care less." u/woodpeckerexisting86 said, "This isn't only a case where if no legal documents are signed, she could take your niece back at any time, but if she has attitude issues or something, she can be vindictive and say you kidnapped her child. Or she can cause issues with school and such. Nope, only do it legally."

u/Illustrious-mud-6821 said, "NTA. She wants to retain the option to change her mind in the future (likely when the kid is out of diapers); that’s why she’s balking at it. I’d also guess that she hasn’t discussed this with the father, and he could also come back into the picture and take her (baby) from you. Save yourself the heartbreak and don’t take her unless you get it done legally." u/santanapoptarts said, "NTA for wanting to give a child a more stable life. You’re 100% correct to have it all legal, also. Sounds like she wants a permanent babysitter till the daughter is old enough for her to collect at a later date. This is a human, not a car."

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