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Cincinnati Babies
I need advice
I'm a school teacher out for the summer and i have a 4 month old son! (just some back info)
So, monday afternoon my mom called me in the afternoon and said a lady she works with needed to talk to me. M (who I have never heard of untill this phone call) gets on the hone and tells me how her babysitter wasn't working out anymore and they needed a sitter NOW so she could get back to work. I agree to watch him and ten min later they were at my house. Her son is 7 and a GREAT kid.
When she picked him up she asked about me watching him full time...5 days a week 8 hrs a day. I said I was interested since it had been so easy. She said she paid her last sitter $60. SIXTY DOLLARS!!??????????? for 40 hrs??
I was so shocked I said I would have to get back to her. This is a single mother, I had already watched her son once, I felt totally stuck. We are busy with play dates, the library, Red's games, splash parks, Gymboree, ect. So $60 a week to watch her son was crazy, my normal things during the day are out. Through a text she offered for $75. I accepted but in my heart I felt like it was a death sentence.
I (bearly) got through Tue ( took him to the library to sign him up for the reading program and the park), Wed (took him to the library, and splash park and rented a movie), and Thur (libary, firehouse..got in the trucks and put on a uniform and park...M said I was the best sitter ever and that she loved me for doing this) but when M left my house Thur she got stuck in traffic and started texting me about about how crappy it was she was in traffic. (we're not 'friends' I"m not sure why she felt like texting me) after she complained about sitting in traffic, sent me a picture of her sitting in traffic she sends a text saying this....."knocking 20 off your next weeks pay"
lol wow that's something to joke about. I was beyond pissed. She texted back "jk about the pay"
whatever lady
BUT here is the kicker..She is supposed to drop D off to my house at 8:20am this morning. I get up at 7:45 pump get LO ready and I wait and wait and wait....
nothing. so I text her and ask if everything is ok. nothing.
so at 10 she texts me and saqys i'll call you whhen i get to work....i text back, well am I watching d today. she says no that she woke up too late.
SOO what do I do? This is crazy. The extra money is fun of course, we don't need it, I don't think it's worth this stress. I thought about maybe telling her I'll just do it like 3 days a week?
I'm confued, am I being overly sensitive? What would you do?
This discussion has been closed.
Re: I need advice
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I would say no too. It sounds like a royal PITA.
If she's willing to pay you at least $100, if not $125, each week regardless of whether or not she brings him, yes. But I'd want it in written and signed in a contract.
FWIW, I paid the sitter I used last night $60 for 7 hours of work. Maybe I overpaid, but she's fantastic and I want her to come back. If I had her here every day for 8 hours/day, I'd probably pay less per hour.
double
I think $30 a day is more on par with what in-home sitters charge. She is only offering you half of what the going rate is.
I would lean toward not doing it at all for at market rate, never mind for what she is wanting to pay. You were probably looking forward to quality time all summer with your LO. Since you don't really need the money, I'd just stick with plan A and tell her to make other arrangements. It sounds like nothing but a headache.
Because she is a single mother (and I know how hard that is, and how hard reliable childcare can be to find) I'd offer to continue to watch him for another week if she wanted, for the $75 she committed to but after that, I was going to need to be done. I would hate to put her in the situation of having zero time to find a replacement (which could put her in the situation of losing her job or something even worse like leaving her child alone... clearly I don't know her at all but, you just never know, kwim?)
I don't think it's worth the stress to continue beyond that and I'd tell her that in a polite way. She might be pissed and not even take you up on next week... But, I think it's pretty crappy to commit to something and then back out with zero notice, so you should offer.
I completely realize she is the ridiculous one here however, that doesn't make it ok to just bail. She is a real person with a real job that she needs to support her real child. And it doesn't sound like she has much support (or she wouldn't be asking a stranger to watch her child full time for $60 a week and then texting like you're old buddies).
Hannah
Thank you ladies!
I would never completely bail on her. I would give her a week or maybe even two if she really needed it....but this gig just is not for for!
Thanks for the help!
but this gig just is not for for!
*not for me!
It totally sounds like you are being played and taken advantage of. I think $125 is the LOWEST amt anyone should be paid to watch a child FT 5 days a week. Goodness, not only you arent able to do things you want to do you arent getting much money for it.
I know it is hard as a single mother but clearly she knows what should happen and isnt treating you with respect. I would tell her it isnt working out. Sorry. Dont worry about feelings. She will get over it. I would offer to watch maybe for another week while she finds alternate child care.
Wow! sorry you have to deal with this.
Well, whoever watched her kid today because she woke up late can watch him for her from now on (or after your notice or whatever..) Don't feel guilty.