Babysitting $$ question

[NeedaVacation03]

DD16 just got home from babysitting for a family that goes to church with us. She has baby sat for them before so they know that she charges $5 an hour.
Today she got to their house at 4:20 and then got home at 11:00pm.( They only live 2 minutes from us ).
The husband always wads up the $ and hands it to her. Well tonight when she opens it(at home) he only paid her $20 for the whole night. This is the first time that she has ever been underpaid and we do not know how to handle it. We have figured out that he probably only paid her for the hours the children were awake. They go to bed at 8:30. That is crazy if that is really what happened and we are just guessing, but it seems to work out.
Any advice on how to handle this without too many hard feelings?

 

[iwrbnd]

Yikes! Did she leave the house a mess or anything? We would never underpay a babysitter and will pay extra for a job well done. Once we got home about 11pm and the kids were sleeping at the table (no joke), the house was a mess and she was doing homework! She definately didn't get extra and was never called again. I'm sure this isn't the case with your daughter but I was just wondering.

 

[My sister's princess]

I have never only gotten paid for waking hours, and I am still actively sitting, so I would say this isn't normal.

Has she sat for them in the past? Maybe it was an error on his part (thinking there was a 20, and there was a 5 or something)?

 

[NeedaVacation03]

I understand what you are asking. I ask her what went on. She did the dishes( they ate together as a family before she arrived), put away the food( the parents left it all out when they left), cleaned the kitchen, the living room, put the toys away and straightened up the rest of the downstairs. They had told her that she would feed them so she didnt eat, so she came home without having dinner also. They changed their mind and ate before they left.


He only handed her a $20 bill.

 

[auralia]

it would be tough... do you mention it... i would let it slide once, next time i baby sat for them i would check what he gave me before i left and if it was short polietly remind him that i charge 5$ an hour... if he said but they were asleep for 2 hours i would then politely say that that would be fine assuming i can go home when they fall asleep since i won't be paid for my time... i pay my sitter a minimum of 5 an hour and that is if my 1 child is sleeping most of the time she is here....

 

[iwrbnd]

I would give them one more chance and then cut them off! $5/hour is really cheap these days, too! Some babysitters charge more and your daughter sounds like she's really good, too! They should be tipping her!

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

Maybe they underestimated their costs for the evening out and didn't have enough for your daughter. Not the adult way to handle it, but I would guess that is what happened.

 

[NeedaVacation03]

Maybe they underestimated their costs for the evening out and didn't have enough for your daughter. Not the adult way to handle it, but I would guess that is what happened.

That is something we hadnt thought of. My DD is very old beyond her years and she looks at life very black and white. She is really having a hard time trying to figure out what she did to deserve so little, but that maybe a new way of looking at it.
I dont know if she will be willing to babysit for them again or not, but I will leave that up to her.

 

[Kellydelly]

Why not call them tomorrow (I would call for her) and say that your daughter didn't realize she had been shorted till she got home and looked at what she had been paid. They owe her $12.50, right? That's a lot of money to a teenager. I wouldn't let it go, just call them and nicely let them know they owe her more. Let them know that she is feeling like she did something wrong (which she obviously didn't). They ought to feel guilty pretty fast and offer to pay her what is owed.

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

That is something we hadnt thought of. My DD is very old beyond her years and she looks at life very black and white. She is really having a hard time trying to figure out what she did to deserve so little, but that maybe a new way of looking at it.
I dont know if she will be willing to babysit for them again or not, but I will leave that up to her.

I would definetely let your daughter know that it wasn't anything she did. If she has other couples that she baby sits for, she should give them a priority. She may even get an explanation or phone call the next time they need a sitter. My daughter is 17 and I totally understand the "black and white" teenage view of the world.

 

[tinkerbell198530]

I would definetely let your daughter know that it wasn't anything she did. If she has other couples that she baby sits for, she should give them a priority. She may even get an explanation or phone call the next time they need a sitter. My daughter is 17 and I totally understand the "black and white" teenage view of the world.

I have always hated that becuse it runins the rep of the good teens

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

I have always hated that becuse it runins the rep of the good teens

Disliked what? The black and white view of the world? Not a bad rep at all, just a learning curve in my opinion.


OP: Please accept my apology for responding above, never in my wildest dreams did I imagine the response... sorry!

 

[tinkerbell198530]

Disliked what? The black and white view of the world? Not a bad rep at all, just a learning curve in my opinion.

True and the world also needs to learn that there are a lot of goods teens as well as bad like anyone else.

 

[vicki_c]

Why not call them tomorrow (I would call for her) and say that your daughter didn't realize she had been shorted till she got home and looked at what she had been paid. They owe her $12.50, right? That's a lot of money to a teenager. I wouldn't let it go, just call them and nicely let them know they owe her more. Let them know that she is feeling like she did something wrong (which she obviously didn't). They ought to feel guilty pretty fast and offer to pay her what is owed.

I like this, but I would have her call herself. At 16, I think she's old enough to call about it herself. I'm sure it will be uncomfortable, just like it would be for most adults, but (1) it's a good learning experience on standing up for yourself and (2) *might* even be more effective coming from her - kind of a guilt thing for the family she sat for [that said, maybe that could backfire too depending on what kind of people they are - maybe they were trying to take advantage].

 

[tinkerbell198530]

I like this, but I would have her call herself. At 16, I think she's old enough to call about it herself. I'm sure it will be uncomfortable, just like it would be for most adults, but (1) it's a good learning experience on standing up for yourself and (2) *might* even be more effective coming from her - kind of a guilt thing for the family she sat for [that said, maybe that could backfire too depending on what kind of people they are - maybe they were trying to take advantage].

They should be ashamed if they are trying to take advantage of her. That is just not right

 

[BrandiP]

I have to agree with what some other people have said....she (or you, preferably she) needs to talk to them about it. This is her first job-like experience and it's important that she learns to stand up for herself if she feels she is being treated wrongly. A very polite inquiry along the lines of ..." I was just wondering if I did something wrong or didn't complete all of my responsibilities when I was there the other night, because I noticed that you didn't pay the full amount of $5 per hour that we had previously agreed on. I just wanted to be sure I could figure out what I did wrong so that it won't happen next time."

I realize this will be very difficult to convince a 16 yr. old to do, but she does need to stand up for herself and resolve the situation if she's feeling upset. For all we know they people she babysat for may have thought that they did give her enough money and just miscalculated the hours. Or they may believe she should only be paid for the hours that the children are awake, something she should be aware of if she would choose to babysit for them again.

Either way, since you see them regularly at church the situation should be dealt with so there are no unpleasant feelings. Hopefully, it's just a misunderstanding and she'll get the money she deserves!

 

[disfan07]

I have never heard about being paid for only waking hours. Ive been sitting for 8 years and i have always gotten paid for the entire time.

Like tonight, I sat from 5-midnight. Only one child (8 years old). I get $12/hour and she goes to bed at 9 and I got $90 for the 7 hours.

I think that she needs to call and talk to them. If she is not able to talk to them about that and find out what the deal is, than they are probably not people she wants to be babysitting for anyone (the parents...not the children).

I have a rule that if the parents are not welcoming, and kind and easy to talk to, it doenst matter how good the kids are....i dont go back. But ive never had that happen

 

[Aliceacc]

Paying her only for the waking hours is implying that she should have left once the kids were asleep.

If she doesn't have the guts to call (and I KNOW I wouldn't have had them at age 16) then the choice is clear: "be busy" whenever they call again.

We pay our sitters $10 per hour and round UP. My sister pays $12.

Your daughter is a bargain!!

 

[java]

Were they drunk? Perhaps it was a mistake?

My dd is 12 and she gets $10 an hour around here! I think your dd should contact them with a firm but polite" were you not satisfied with my service? I was way underpaid? If that is the rate you want to pay you will need to find another babysitter."

 

[lindsmom]

Just a thought: if the dad had given her a folded up $20, perhaps it was supposed to be two twenties or a twenty and a ten? It's always possible that it was human error...

Giving him the benefit of the doubt, like others have said, your daughter (ideally) should ask if she had done something wrong last time she babysat, since she noticed she received less than she usually does. This would put the parent in the awkward situation of explaining himself, while giving him the chance to correct it ("Oh, I'm sorry! I thought I gave you $40") and it's good practice for the future.