WWYD? Teenaged DD being paid too much for babysitting/petsitting!

[Minnie_me]

My 13-year old DD has had two little jobs lately that are bringing in WAY too much money, IMO.

She's been a "mother's helper" for a young couple around the corner.....playing with their two young boys while the parents work on big jobs at home that they couldn't get done with their kids underfoot. (one day, they cleaned the garage; another time, they did yardwork) Each time, she's there for only 3-4 hours, and comes home with $20! I think that's WAY too much money to be paid for watching children when the parents are home.

This week, she's feeding a neighbor's cats while the neighbors are on vacation. All she has to do is bring in the mail and feed the cats for a week. They left her an envelope on the kitchen counter the first day.....there was $100 inside! What the heck?!?! That's more than $10 a day to do very little. I would have been surprised if there had been more than $30.

Have the rates for such small jobs really gone up so much? Are my friends and neighbors just being very generous?? I really feel that the $100 is way too much, and wish I could give some back..............WWYD?

 

[kacaju]

no it is not too much now a days. My dd11 got $5 from a neighbor to go let her dog out one afternoon because the neighbor got stuck at work. She texted me and asked if one of my dd's were home to let the dog out.

$10 a day to bring in the mail and feed the cat may seem like a lot, but honestly.. I'd pay a 13 year old neighbor that to have peace of mind while I was away.

Just remind your dd that your neighbors are being very good to her and keep up the good work. This could lead more neighbors to ask for her help and in the mean time, set her up with a bank account and start teaching her to manage her money!!

 

[java]

That's what my then 12 year old got paid last year for watching someone's cat for less than a week. They are happy to have her. Another family my dd did it for brought her back a gift instead, beautiful pearl and gold bracelet!


And on the mothers helper that sounds about right, plus they may be testing her out for babysitting and they want to pay her well.

Around here my dd is lucky to be the preferred babysitter, so she gets paid very well by those that want to have her "pick them first" when more than one asks her. She makes t least $10 an hour for 2 children(babysitting)

 

[Jetsong]

when we go on vacation..we pay the teen next door 100. to feed , walk and take care of our cocker..usually 7 days...well worth the money to know she is being taken care of by someone who cares ...by the way..would have to pay way more to board her....as for watching the children while mother is home..I'm sure its worth it to her to have a few moments of free time...sounds like your daughter is a wonderful young woman who people know is responsible....

 

[drinkme]

They're paying her to do a GOOD job. As long as she takes her job seriously, does a good job, and is dependable, she deserves that kind of money.

I agree, it does seem like a lot of money, but people pay more for what is important to them.

Your daughter sounds like a very responsible girl. I'm sure the neighbors see this!

 

[gillenkl]

I don't think your DD is being paid too much - where I live those are the going rates.

You said she babysat for 3-4 hours and made $20. That's about $5-6/hr - not too much in my opinion.

 

[Minnie_me]

Wow, thanks for your speedy replies! I feel a little better now.....I was actually worried that they were being so generous because of our situation (recently divorced). Now I know those are just the going rates!

Hmmmmm.......I'm a teacher -- maybe I should spend my summer being a mother's helper and petsitting - LOL!

 

[LovesTimone]

It seems to me that they are paying her for what is worth to them.
On the babysitting issue, this is about right sitters in our area get between 8 to 10 dollars and hours. Pet watching is about right as well, If they were to kennel the cats it would be a lot more than 100 dollars for the week. Plus the convenience of knowing your DD and the piece of mind who was taking care of them.
I say good for her, teach her that doing a good job is what is important and how to save and manage her money.

 

[daisyduck123]

I don't think your DD is being paid too much - where I live those are the going rates.

You said she babysat for 3-4 hours and made $20. That's about $5-6/hr - not too much in my opinion.

This.

About the babysitting....my DD gets paid more than $6.00/hour for watching 1 kid.

Having the parents home should have nothing to do with paying a less amount. It is still your DD's time being taken up by watching the kids. I think the parents are getting a good deal for only $5.00 or $6.00 an hour for two kids.

 

[merekc]

Just my opinion...
I do not think the $20 is out of line for watching the boys. She will earn every penny of it. And believe me I'm cheap. I'm always surprised how $10 an hour has become the babysitting fee norm for so many people.

I do think the $100 is a bit excessive. I think it is excessive because she is a neighbor kid (with no real burdens to get the job done such as driving across town) and because I assume it takes her a few minutes to do it. I think in that case it is a good opportunity to teach your kids to be neighborly and do good things for others because you can, not because you are going to be rewarded.

Maybe have a discussion with her about her thoughts and you can share your thoughts with her. It is a great opportunity for her to make some grown-up decisions. She can keep the $100 and not be wrong if that is what the neighbors want to pay her. She could also go back to them and tell them she thinks it is too much for what she had to do and offer to give them some back. They may take the money back. They may also still choose to give it to her. Either way it could be a great life lesson for her on temptation, character, work ethic and kindness, however you can spin it.

Again, just my opinion and definitely influenced by the Midwest!

 

[branv]

Where I live, which has a low cost of living, $100 would be a bargain to pay for a week of pet sitting. I have never paid less than $20 for each thirty minute visit to feed, water, clean litter boxes for our cats. Additional time or visits a day are extra. For our upcoming trip, each visit is costing us $22.

Also consider this. She's also being paid to handle an emergency if it happens..well, really you are since she's so young. In other words, if she comes into the house and there's been water damage, it's been vandalized, or one of the cats are sick, she i.e. you will have to handle that by calling the right people. Assuming they are not within easy driving distance and can get home quickly, you are actually the one who will take that cat to the emergency vet, turn off the water main, call the police, etc. So it's not just payment for what she's doing, it's payment to make sure everything is okay and that someone will handle anything until the family can return home.

 

[DaniB]

I pay $5 an hour when the teen on our street looks after our kids. They go to bed 1/2 an hour after she arrives and are asleep the rest of the time she's here. (This is a weeknight where we play euchre weekly). If we come home on a 1/2 hour, I round it up.

Now it's been interesting reading all the responses about the $100 for the cat. My first thought was that's way too much money! But Branv brings up really good points...

Our kitten will be a year old when we go back to Disney. My parents will be looking after our kids. But no plans have been settled as to whether they will stay at our house or bring the kids to their's. I'm hoping our house! If not, I'm worried about our kitten who is very playful and affectionate. Being home alone for 10 days I fear will be too much. I've been planning on asking the 'teen to stay and play/give attention to our kitten a couple times a day in addition to the food, water, etc.

 

[Katy Belle]

I paid $8 per hour for babysitting about 6 years ago. I think $5 per hour for Mothers Helper is about right.

We have a pet Nanny that comes to the house. If she comes just once a day, its $12, 3 times is $24 a day. That is for a dog, that she walks, plays with, etc. I think $50-70 for taking care of the cat would have been more like it, but I'm glad they are being generous with your daughter!

 

[disykat]

While in general I think people pay kids too much, I don't think your dd is getting paid too much.

I've had neighbors try to give my boys $20 for an hour of work.

On the other hand, with pet sitting we've had to sort of insist on at least $15. My son usually goes over 3 times a day and that means getting up extra early before school, making sure he comes home after school, sometimes turning down sleepovers, etc. Some visits may be short (I always make him do at least one long visit, these are lap dogs so he goes over with a movie or something and stays with them a while) but it is the committment that is the effort. He's also had to deal with a sad dog who gets an "upset tummy" when her owners are gone. I have to go help with that!

 

[Jeff_G]

No not too much on either count, I would gladly pay the $100 for watching my house and taking care of my pet for a week. I would also use this money as a teachable moment on starting a savings fund. Perhaps open a savings account with some of it...

 

[semo233]

Whenever things seem awkward, it is usually a good teaching moment as others have said. This is your opportunity to teach your daughter your family values. Perhaps share how you manage your money. I started with a breakdown as follows:

40% fun money!
40% long term savings
20% charity

Then, I shared a realistic example of how much the long term savings can turn into.

 

[Karenann*]

Boarding an animal for the week can be very costly. This way, the pet stays in their own home and is cared for. Getting mail in is a plus! (or watering flowers, lawn etc).
My daughter house sits a home with dogs and chickens and a vegetable garden and flowers. She is their go-to person whenever they are gone for a weekend or 2 weeks. She stays there ( she is 20 now) thru the night. When she was younger, she had a girlfriend stay with her. She makes great extrs $ doing this for folks while she is at the community college here.

 

[yrdlyprincess]

sounds about right to me....especailly for the babysitting.

 

[dis-happy]

Good luck OP!

My dd used to get paid 50 bucks an hour to ride horses for people when they were out of town. Trouble is, my dd loved to ride their horses anyway and would have happily done it for free. It's hard to instill a work ethic when they get paid tons of money having fun! I'd try to tell her that real life isn't like this but it went in one ear and out the other. Soon enough they'll learn though.....

 

[Forevryoung]

It's hard to instill a work ethic when they get paid tons of money having fun! I'd try to tell her that real life isn't like this but it went in one ear and out the other. Soon enough they'll learn though.

My "real life" IS like this- and my dad taught my sister and I that we should find something that pays us to do what we enjoy. Nearly 30 years later, my dad still loves doing what he does and his passion shows.

Yes, my dad didn't say that we would be paid "tons of money" for having fun (and he didn't say we wouldn't have to work hard)

I love what I do (overall) and if I didn't, I wouldn't stay in my job for another minute.

Why is it hard to instill work ethic when you are doing what you love? Most people do a BETTER job when they are doing what they enjoy.