You wanna get out and push?

Childcare is so expensive that it causes many couples to carefully consider whether or not it's worth one spouse quitting their whole career and staying at home in order to take care of the kids and save on the expense. It's a big decision, and considering the cost to that spouse's career and long-term earning potential and the fact that the vast majority of families actually need both those incomes to make ends meet, it's a big sacrifice to make. Of course, if, thanks to family or for some other reason, you're able to get free childcare, then you can circumvent that whole issue. But since the service of watching your children is worth a whole salary, this isn't something to take lightly, even if it's your parents offering to watch their grandchildren.

There's a reason why we see so many stories like this online where someone tries to weasel their way into getting someone to watch their kids for free, gaslighting a sibling, or some other tenuous acquaintance into watching their kids. 
When this homeowner moved into a new neighborhood, she thought a good way to meet people and gain a sense of community would be to join a local "mommy" social media group. The problem is her status as a SAHM attracted the attention of an eager neighbor who was eager to take the chance at free childcare.

Oh, Kelly! Come on, you know trying to discipline someone else's child, a coworker's, no less, is the social equivalent of microwaving fish in the office kitchen: technically possible, but guaranteed to make everyone hate you. If grabbing random kids and issuing zookeeper-grade orders were acceptable, we'd all just wander around the next company function handing out timeouts to anyone who double-dips in the guac.

So, Kelly's coworker shows up to the company BBQ with her five-year-old, because it's a family-friendly event, not a silent meditation retreat. The kid, social and loud, or in other words, conscious and under 10, plays tag outside. Basic, wholesome BBQ chaos. But here comes Kelly, who famously loathes children almost as much as she loves passive-aggressive commentary. Rather than just avoid the pint-sized messing around, she decides it's her moral duty to physically stop the fun, grab an arm, and announce, "You're not at a zoo." Bold move, Kelly. I mean, not everyone can alienate a preschooler and an office full of adults in one go.

Naturally, the kid's mom responds like any parent who just watched their child get manhandled by someone whose only credential is "owns noise-cancelling headphones." Awkward standoff, shock among the potato salad, and now Kelly's pouting at work, spinning her "just setting boundaries" story while everyone else contemplates actual boundaries, like not touching other people's kids.