Question for parents of teens who babysit

[ohMom]

my daughter has recently taken the Red Cross course and started babysitting, she's a very mature 8th graders that loves little ones

anyhow -- a casual friend in the neighborhood had her sit last night - 2 kids ages 9 and 2 for 3 hours. DD and I have talked numerous times about babysitting and that included what to expect to be paid. I shared with her I had been paying about $5-6 and hour approximately when I needed a sitter -- 2 kids elementary age and up. anyhow, actual rate will depend on region we leave in,etc.

question is -- this family paid her double and when DD realized we were sure she didn't realized she had paid her two $20s and meant to pay her just one. I spoke witht the Mom and she assured me that she meant to pay her $40 and her and her husband believe in paying their sitters well for good service. She was extremely please with my DD who straightened up the house a bit and got the kids to bed. All in all it was a very positive experience on both ends

soo--------how would you handle if you felt your teen was really being overpaid? I'm all for her being paid well for a good job, but she is only 13 and we're talking $10 an hour! heck, i'll babysit for that. (Smalltown, OHIO) I expressed to this mother that DD nor I expected her to be paid that much and 'it's too much" she laughed and said 'we pay our sitters well, we always have and will continue to for a quality job" soooo----- is it kosher now to leave it at that. If she's going to pay some teen that well might as well be my DD as long as she is doing a great job? i have expressed my side and if she so chooses to continue to pay her that well that EXCELLENT for DD and i'll focus more on quality and earning every penny of that rate she's being paid. can I do this in good conscious?

 

[trip]

Back in the day, when we needed babysitters, we always paid the sitters more that the normal rate. Good babysitters are hard to find and are so worth alittle extra!!!

 

[Rafiki Rafiki Rafiki]

You should be pleased with your daughter...and you should remind her that well-paying babysitting jobs are not the norm.

I think I would also make her save every bit of the money over and above what would be normally paid

 

[helenabear]

Honestly that isn't that far off from what my friends give. I hadn't babysat for cash in ages, and I did it for a friend of mine (no kids here, she wouldn't do it for free since we couldn't swap later). She told me it's a minimum of $7 for the one child. Higher for good work, so based on what she said $10 doesn't sound that off.

 

[ElizaB39]

I had a friend's daughter sit for us during the day (summer) and we were her very first customers. We paid her well! I too believe that you should pay your sitters well so they will want to return to your house and your kids. That said, my friend was adamant that we paid her DD too much so I rounded down in stead of up (down to 15$ instead of up to 20$) the next few times we used her. Also, the daughter thought we paid her too much as well. This seemed to make them happier and more comfortable with what we paid.

We haven't used her since, we have moved and she has grown up! But, I still overpay, I believe in it quite honestly.

 

[DVCLiz]

Welcome to a new age in babysitting! Kind of makes the old 50 cents an hour pale in comparison, doesn't it??

DD has almost always been paid what I would consider "too much." All of her clients do this, though, so I haven't interfered!!! I do think if you're not comfortable with her having that much spending money, you could ask her to save half and spend half, or whatever you felt comfortable with.

 

[florida-again]

I think that if your daughter knows that she was paid so well because she did such a good job, then she'll learn a really good lesson from this.

Knowing that hard work reaps good rewards will hopefully be a lesson that sticks with her forever

 

[MoniqueU]

When I can get a sitter that is what I pay. I do have 3 kids though. My son is almost to where I think he can babysit and since it is for his sisters we settled on 7.50 an hour. This includes the added service of him being nicer then usual to them LOL.

 

[buddy&wooz]

I've paid sitters that much at times- especially when there were three rambunctious boys and the youngest was in diapers! My son has watched my friend's son and she pays him even more- close to $12/hour one time- to watch one kid, and a well behaved one at that!

I agree with your neighbor- it's worth it to pay a good sitter well- they're not easy to find, especially for occasional nights out. Don't feel bad about your daughter taking the money- but I do think it's a great idea to emphasize that she makes sure she earns it by doing a great job.

 

[RadioFanatic]

instead of worrying about her being paid too much, why don't you open a savings account or use the one she may already have and have her deposit 1/2 of whatever she makes?

 

[justjulie]

You've obviously done a good job in raising your daughter - she has initiative and seeks to help - admirable qualities in a sitter - good for both of you. I would leave it alone now, you've expressed your opinion to ensure it was not a mistake and you've received a positive answer. Your daughter must be doing something right and they will pay her what they think she's worth and these days sitters are hard to come by!

 

[golfgal]

I think as long as they know how much they paid her and you let them know you thought it was too much, I think that is about all you need to do. What they have just done is ensure that when they need a sitter your DD will be available because they paid well and their kids were well behaved (I am guessing since you didn't say they were holy terrors in your post).

Sitters around her get about $1/hour/child. Most office workers make about $10/hour so that babysitting job sounds pretty good to me .

When I babysat I never asked for any set amount. I took what was given and if I felt it wasn't enough for the situation, I wouldn't babysit there again.

 

[lecach]

Yep - I would leave it alone. They know what they are doing. Lets say they need a babysitter on a holiday, like New Years Eve. Your DD might have plans - but if she knows she'll make $10 an hour she may be willing to babysit instead of getting together with friends. If they paid her half that it wouldnt be as worth it. Its like insurance - they are betting that if they treat her well she'll be more available. And they are probably right.

 

[justhat]

Here in DC I would pay someone $12-$15 and hour to babysit, so to me $10 would be a steal! When I was 13 I got $6/hour to watch anywhere from 1- 3 toddlers/preschoolers, but that was 12 years ago so I would say in that area now it's probably up to about $9 or $10.

 

[disneymom3]

HOly crap! I too pay my sitters well, but that is insane. I have three very well behaved kids ages 4, 5 and 9. The 9 you puts her brothers to bed, and herself to bed too. They never have to make dinner all I ask is that if they are here after bedtime that they put the toys away. That said, if I paid a sitter $40 for a couple of hours, I would only be able to go out like every 6 weeks! I pay her about $7 an hour and she often tells me that is too much and I should only pay her $5 an hour. We compromise and she stops by once in awhile and takes the kids to the park or on a bike ride just for fun. (She is a fabulous girl who adores my kids and is leaving for college in the fall......boohoo. WHAT are we going to do?)

ETA: while I think it is an insane amount, I would let it go. If they want to pay her that much, what the heck!

 

[Tigger&Belle]

My teens get paid $10/hour to babysit the 2 kids next door. They've always paid that, even when my now almost 18yo daughter started babysitting for them several years ago. The kids are getting easier the older they get and I think it is a fair amount. The neighbors want babysitters on a regular basis, often on very short notice. IE, on Monday night they called here at 6:48 (I just checked the caller ID log--my memory is NOT that good ) and wanted my 15yo son to babysit at 7:15 that evening. While over there they asked him if he could sit again the following night. They are runners and enjoy going out to run together and they want to be able to count on someone wanting to babysit.

I do encourage my son to put 1/2 of his money in the bank to save for college spending $. He sees his sister, who is now in college, trying to afford extras and he does see the importance of saving.

He doesn't get paid that well by all the neighbors and your DD needs to understand that these people are generous and she shouldn't expect that kind of money from everyone.

The one downside that we've found to a teen being paid so well is that when they get out into the real world of working minimum wage jobs they will quickly realize that they will have to work harder and will get paid less. My DD found that out this last summer when she worked at Starbucks--less pay, more work, not as much fun as babysitting.

Encourage your DD to continue to be a great babysitter. Parents love it when the sitter soaks the dinner dishes and straightens up a little, especially if the kids are in bed.

 

[WatchinCaptKangaroo]

It sounds like they want to ensure her services in the future. I would leave it alone as long as they know what they paid her and she knows it is for a job well done and also that not everyone will pay her that amount for the same efforts.

 

[WDWMom]

my daughter has recently taken the Red Cross course and started babysitting, she's a very mature 8th graders that loves little ones

anyhow -- a casual friend in the neighborhood had her sit last night - 2 kids ages 9 and 2 for 3 hours. DD and I have talked numerous times about babysitting and that included what to expect to be paid. I shared with her I had been paying about $5-6 and hour approximately when I needed a sitter -- 2 kids elementary age and up. anyhow, actual rate will depend on region we leave in,etc.

question is -- this family paid her double and when DD realized we were sure she didn't realized she had paid her two $20s and meant to pay her just one. I spoke witht the Mom and she assured me that she meant to pay her $40 and her and her husband believe in paying their sitters well for good service. She was extremely please with my DD who straightened up the house a bit and got the kids to bed. All in all it was a very positive experience on both ends

soo--------how would you handle if you felt your teen was really being overpaid? I'm all for her being paid well for a good job, but she is only 13 and we're talking $10 an hour! heck, i'll babysit for that. (Smalltown, OHIO) I expressed to this mother that DD nor I expected her to be paid that much and 'it's too much" she laughed and said 'we pay our sitters well, we always have and will continue to for a quality job" soooo----- is it kosher now to leave it at that. If she's going to pay some teen that well might as well be my DD as long as she is doing a great job? i have expressed my side and if she so chooses to continue to pay her that well that EXCELLENT for DD and i'll focus more on quality and earning every penny of that rate she's being paid. can I do this in good conscious?

I could have written this word for word. I actually told our neighbors too. We are friends and DD we sit for us and them and they sit pay her well. They will come sit in our hottub with us and DD will just go over and watch TV since their kids are in bed. They still pay ever though we say they do not need to. I have given up and decided it is their choice.

 

[Rock'n Robin]

We have some neighbors who pay DD#1 very well when she babysits. They don't need her as much now, unfortunately. But once in a blue moon if the mom has to run pick a kid up and doesn't want to take the other ones, DD will watch them 10-15 minutes and refuse any payment for it.
BTW I guess I'm mean but if I go to the store or something and DD#1 is in charge of her sister (10) and brother (7) I don't pay her.
Robin M.

 

[Kermit]

That's how much I pay my sitter. My little ones are 1 and 2, but she's never watched them both alone. She has watched just the 2 year old while I took the baby to the doctor, and she has watched them both while I was at home but working on something else and in the playroom of a kid-friendly dentist's office while I was getting a filling. I like my babysitter. She's really responsible and shares our family's values. I want to be a good enough client that she'll put me first when I need her.

Edited to add that I do think that's a lot of money for a child your DD's age, and I think that it is very responsible for you, as her parent, to have some say in how she spends it. If she were my daughter, I'd probably tell her how much she had to save and then let her choose how much she wanted to spend on herself and how much she wanted to give away. Giving some of it away would be required, but I'd let her decide how much.