what do you pay a babysitter?

[Guest]

Yeah... I try and explain

Asian Grandparents + Boundaries = Blank stare and blinking

To my friends (and non-Oriental family) from time to time. I just get more blank stares and blinking. Can't win for losing! (Course, it's also pretty awesome)

Q

Yea, I tell my mom, we're having a date night. And my mom goes... Oh, I'm ok sitting in the theater by myself. Remind me to bring a Tupperware so we can share popcorn and save money. Yep! I absolutely love my mother.

[applepansy]

I'm from the ice ages when 50 cents an hour for babysitting was a lot of money. And that was for 2+ kids with no upper limit. Oh... and I was expected to leave the house cleaner than I found it.

Now... I'm a grandma, raising a 5-1/2 yo. In the 4+ years we've had him I think we've payed a babysitter 5-6 times. I can't afford it. Either we can afford the movie or the babysitting but not both. We've usually only call a babysitter when we've gone to the temple and our son (daddy) can't make it home from work before we have to leave the house. I've paid $5.00 an hour and that seems high to me.

Because we're not a family who calls a babysitter on a regular basis we have a hard time finding someone when we do need them.

When I was growing up and when my kids were young it seemed that babysitting was as much about providing a service as it was about being paid. I think its great that young teens can make a few bucks by babysitting but I am also noticing an expectation and a less helpful mindset among young teens today. Service? That's something you have to do when you YW/YM's leaders schedule work instead of play for the midweek activity.

[Backroads]

I used to get 50 cents an hour babysitting and $2 for mowing a lawn, that was in the late 1960's and early 70's however.

It was still below minimum wage. Come on, I'm not financing their college education, they're going to watch TV with the kids and maybe play a game or two, you really think that's worth big $$ ?? why? Even with inflation $5 an hour should be fine for 1 or 2 kids.

Now if you expect them to clean and cook, that's different.

Thankfully I have no kids at home these days.

I agree with this wholeheartedly.

As a teenager, yes, I was looking to make a few bucks. Why else would I babysit? But (then and now) I found the formula of such money per kid per hour to be strange.

But on this cooking and cleaning bit...

Any parent who is expecting you to care for the kids and cook and clean for them (other than that heat up the chicken nuggets and clean up the mess you made playing games, obviously) is giving a tall order and that makes the babysitter more than just a babysitter.

I recall hearing a trend that some may find good and others bad where teenagers are being used less and less in favor of adult babysitters (and not just for your tiny babies as anatess does).

Your average teenager might be happy to watch your kids for the night for $15, but your adult babysitter probably will not. Granted, they also might take the job a lot more seriously and clean out your cupboards and cook a gourmet meal for the kiddos, but once your have your "professional" involved you are dealing with more than babysitting.