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

[KelnRon]

If they couldn't afford it then they wouldn't pay it. Let your dd enjoy her earnings. I don't think that it is too much at all and that is what I would pay my sitter in the same situation.

 

[Lucille1963]

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.

I completely agree!

I do some side work for families who pay me quite a bit of dough to do some pretty basic things (ie, my most recent job was to be in the house to supervise babysitters and grandchildren). The bottom line is they trust me, I'm reliable and responsible and I'll work my schedule around theirs. Although the money may be a bit excessive, it is worth it to them for the peace of mind.

Years ago my MIL had a nice little babysitting business going in our "yuppie" neighborhood. She was in demand and she went where the money was, and would completely drop everything if her favorite clients needed her at the last minute. The people who paid her exactly in 1/10 of an hour increments.... not so much!


OP - consider that the few extra dollars they pay her may be an insurance policy, making sure that next time they need someone she'll remember that she was well paid.

 

[quagmire0]

Hah hah. That's not too much AT ALL. I would gladly give $20 for 4 hours of peace while my wife and I get things done around the house. To me, she is just uncovering a hidden niche in the market. If most parents knew someone that would be willing to drop in for a few hours here and there for $20, they would use them. Free adult time - mostly when your kids are much younger - is PRICELESS.

 

[akenneson]

I think your daughter is getting paid a good rate and it's a great opportunity for her to learn what it is like to work and get paid and how it's ok to spend some and, most importantly, save.

My sister who is now 24 did a lot of babysitting while in college, for one family in particular, and was getting paid $10/hr. PER child. This was not her rate, but the rate the parents chose to pay her and is what most parents pay around here. They went away for a week and asked her to take care of their dog, paid her $250 and let her drive their car since she was having to take the dog to doggy daycare. These were also the same people that asked her to come to Europe with them on their 4 week vacation all expenses paid.

 

[PHXscuba]

Our neighbors have 3 cats. To board them each time they left for 10 days would have been about $300, plus the grumpiness of cats being boarded.

For $50-60, my daughter came over daily, fed the cats, played with 2 of them and made sure she could find the shy one under a bed. She also changed their litter every couple days and watered some plants. For my daughter it was huge money for something she loved doing, and for the owners it was way cheaper and allowed the pets to stay where they were comfortable.

I wish I could do the same for our Labrador. She doesn't like being home alone when we are gone, even with a friend coming by twice a day to feed/play with her, so we have to board her. $30 a day, but she loves being with all the other dogs, so it's like a vacation for her. We just figure it into the vacation budget.

PHXscuba

 

[shortbun]

Mother's Helper, I agree that $20 is maybe on the high side but pet/house sitter who brings in the mail and takes good care of my precious cat-well worth the money she's making. So, what would I do? I'd tell my daughter she'd best be doing a crack job so they want her back.

 

[Worfiedoodles]

When we go out of town we pay a senior vet tech $15/visit to take care of our cats. In the past we had an elderly cat who needed daily iv fluids -- and that was included. Now we have kittens who just need food/water/litter and attention, and it is the same fee. It gives us great peace of mind because we knew if kitty needed to see the vet, she would take take him.

I think the babysitting fee is also reasonable -- it's been awhile, but we typically paid at least $10/hr plus a bonus at the end of the night. Of course, our sitter was an older young lady in high school and then college.

Maria

 

[My3kiddos]

My daughter feeds and waters a friend's horses when they are away (which is quite often), and babysits their daughter when the mom goes out with her girlfriends and dad is away (he's a private pilot) or when they want date night. When she feeds and waters for a week they pay her anywhere from $200-$300 . She actually tried giving it back once and they refused. When she babysits they pay her $10 hr. They are very wealthy so I guess paying a teenager that much isn't a big deal to them.