Today, I babysat for my neighbor's brat kid. The mom gave me $15 for 5 hours. I complained to my mom when I got home because last time I got $15/hour. Turns out my mom had told my neighbor that she thought they'd paid me too much last time. Thanks mom. Thanks. FML
Collection
Fall
Dead leaves, the first cold of the season and an umbrella flipped inside out: fall, the season of grace.
Today, I babysat the neighbors’ evil kids. They dropped them over at my house and I played with them for five hours. After taking the brats back home and putting them to bed, their mother asked me what time I came back to the house. She only paid me for the 20 minutes I was in their house. FML
Today, I tutored a kid for two hours, for $25 an hour. When it came time for them to pay, my mother told the kid's parents that they could give me ten bucks for the whole thing. She does this a lot. FML
Today, a mother wrote me a $130 check for babysitting her four kids for a few hours. Trying to be gracious, I said, "Wow, thank you, this is very generous!" She thought for a minute, then said, "You're right." She took the check back, ripped it up, and wrote me a new one for $55. FML
Today, I babysat a kid who was such a bratty little prick that I actually considered walking out on the job. After his mom finally got home 4 hours later, he called her a slut. When he got in trouble for it, he claimed that I taught him the word. Needless to say, I didn't get paid. FML
Today, I taught a kid piano for a two hour lesson. The mom left to do some errands, and by the time two hours was up, she texted me asking to watch the kid for another "15 minutes" while she returned home. No problem, she had the money too, so I stayed. Four hours later, she showed up, and refused to pay me extra. FML
Today, I babysat for a woman for the first time. When I arrived, there was a large pile of dishes in the sink. I decided to wash the dishes for her while the kids napped. She came home, noticed it, and bitched me out over how I'd only done it "to try and get more money" out of her. What? FML
Today, I babysat the most annoying and obnoxious kids for almost eight hours, when the parents assured me that they would only be gone about three or so hours. After constant calling and worrying, they finally showed up at 11:30, completely drunk. The mother paid me with three dollars and a banana. FML
Today, I was babysitting. Being kind, I went to grab their mail, while their 4 year old ate lunch. He locked me out, wrecked the house, and let me in right when he saw their car two hours later. I didn't get paid. I paid them. FML
Today, I had to watch my neighbor's daughter for 10 hours. She wouldn't eat anything I had to offer, so I ordered a pizza for $19 + a $5 tip = $24. Her father came by to pick her up, thanked me, and gave me a $20 bill. I effectively just paid to watch his kid. FML
Today, I went to babysit eight kids under the age of ten, all by myself. After five hours of Hell, the parents finally came back from the ASU game. I got paid $5. FML
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Top comments
Allusivness 21
Well, don't complain to mother. Complain to neighbor. That is less than the average wage. Still tho your mother should keep to herself rather than saying that. It's almost saying your not worth that much.
MdMan2 23
$3 per hour? That's absurd. You should discuss that with your neighbor. Forget what your mother says.
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Comments (94)
fallen_dragonkin 12
just don't babysit for them again, it's really not worth losing 5 hours of precious free time for such pitiful money
lantz4levi 19
Why do you need payed for something that you should be willing to do regardless. You should be thankful they even payed you/chose you to do it. They could have got somebody else. Don't be ungrateful
Ieri 31
Why should someone be willing to waste their precious time to look after a child they have no connection with while their parents are away? OP has no obligation, she's doing a work and it's completely normal to expect proper payment.
TheLadyOpal 30
LOL no. If I'm going to sacrifice some of my time to babysit someone else's kid, I'm not going to feel "grateful" that they didn't ask someone else. Especially if I wasn't paid, and even MORE especially if the kid's a brat.
johncage 14
Let me guess, OP's mom?
MoxleyCrue 17
Really? Yo, I love the kids I babysit. I'd do anything for them, but to give up hours when I might have other things to do because it's an honor? No. I'm glad they trust me, but are you so honored to have been hired that you work for free?
tlnorman 18
Um no sorry. This kid isn't family, it's the neighbours kid. OP is under NO obligation to babysit for her neighbours especially for free. If this were family perhaps, but even then she deserves something for her time. Your view on babysitting is warped. Day care works do exactly the same thing I suppose you think they deserve to feel thankful and volunteer their time to take care of strangers kids. Give your head a shake.
zach055 23
Even though this is casual employment, labor laws still apply. You could literally sue your neighbor and win, you would just have to pay tax on the money.
GrumpyGrinch 23
Your mom is an idiot and neighbor used that. Next time they need a babysitter tell them all you think of this, ask for normal price and maybe you can even get the missing part of this payment. Because if the kid is a brat, they will have problems finding anybody at all let alone for such price.
adamdangel0 3
my mom did the same thing to me
rojoesydney 6
Tell your mum those wages are from the 1950's!
laurellkawes 31
The neighbor should know better!! She knows the going rate for babysitters now is $15 OR MORE per hour, which is why she gave it to you the first time
MoxleyCrue 17
15 or more? I get 12 max, and I'm very vocal about the fact that I feel overpaid.
catherinecas 30
Depends on your area. In my area the going rate for a single kid is about 9 bucks an hour depending on the age of the child and other factors.
PANDORUM89 21
I don't feel as if $75 for 5 hours of your personal time to watch a child that isn't yours so its parents could go enjoy themselves was too much pay. Your mother shouldn't be involved with you pricing and if you want to charge that much then do so. Next time discuss fees upfront and explain that you can not give up a third of your day for $15.
Fffhjno_fml 17
Hey, I pay my teenaged babysitter around $3/hr for my one child. Usually I also tip, but $3-5/hr seems pretty common to pay a babysitter where I live (to a teenager).
jmcr 27
thay would work if they were a young teenager but not to an older teen or a young adult
nitrog100 21
And you're a cheapskate. You pay less than half the minimum wage and you think that's fair?
lavapants 15
76 - She doesn't have to, that's not even a formal job.
MoxleyCrue 17
78- just because it's not a formal job doesn't mean that it doesn't deserve decent pay. Not having to do something and is different from the idea that you shouldn't do it. I don't have to clean my room, I still should. Same general principal.
tlnorman 18
That's a ridiculous amount and not worth the hassle of taking care of your kid, $10 per houris better.
Fffhjno_fml 17
The wage is negotiated beforehand. She is welcome to ask for more, and I am welcome to find cheaper help than $15/hr. I don't force her to take the hours when they are available to her, she may take them or leave them. I know she gets paid $2.50/hr by another family. There is another sitter in my area who asks just $1.25/hr.
arp2169 8
You shouldn't have told her how much you made.