Need Advice, to vent regarding babysitting

[bookworm12]

Opinions are more then welcome as I am venting as well as seeking advice....even if I'm wrong....

I watch twins who are in 3rd grade 2 days a week after school for 2 1/2 hours.... I inially thought $24 for both days was good/fair.....until I realized how much they EAT...

On a normal day, I will start out with a new 2 quart container of juice....my kids rarely drink juice, prefer milk and water, that is almost if not gone before they leave, they need a snack when they get here...cookies and milk, crackers etc...Mom has indicated that Oreos is her choice for them to have because they will not eat generic cookies and only eat specific crackers.... for dinner I make easy stuff like Mac and cheese, chicken nuggets and fries etc.... last night they ate an entire Encore Entree of mac and cheese and asked for a dessert! The night before that they each had 12 chicken nuggets and a nice size helping of fries....they won't eat what I am making for the family for dinner b/c they have to eat at 5:00 and we eat at 6:00 when everyone is home........ Is this not alot for 8 year olds?

They are also not easy children to watch..they are very demanding for attention and are always having beening told to stay out of my daughters stuff.... I don't know, I am just feeling like I am being taken advantage of..... Monday night the one boy gave me an attitude about doing his homework...so I made homk sit quietly while my kids and his brother did his....and then the Mom was mad when she had to do it after she picked them up......

I'm just wondering if I should mention to the Mom that if they are going to continue to eat that much that either she is going to have to drop stuff off or pay me more.... or just let it go...:confused:

[tarasdream]

i would make her pay more or bring all there food, drinks, snacks and dinner she could never get it that cheap anywhere else. here you pay at least 70 dollars a child plus food i would charge her 50 dollars for both kids plus food and believe me shes getting off cheap.

[ElizKlug]

Wow - I think your rate is really reasonable. Here in the NY Tri-State area, teenage babysitters who come to your home get at least $10 hour! Maybe you should ask for more money especially since these kids eat you out of house and home!

[june72]

I think I would give her the option. Either you bring their name brand food or they eat generic. Also if you are giving them a snack that should last them until their mom gets there to pick them up. If she does not like that tell her you have to have more money to buy the foods for them.

[Heidi]

Call me crazy, but I think you might be getting taken advantage of by the boys. I doubt their mom would let them eat 12 nuggets at one sitting or drink a quart of juice each in a few short hours. It doesn't sound very healthy to me. If it were me, I wouldn't treat them any different than my own children. That includes eating snacks and dinner when they eat and what they eat.

[andreame70]

I think you are most definitely being taken advantage of. This woman is probably bragging to her friends about how her afternoon baby-sitter feeds her kids the snacks they want, helps them do their homework, feeds them dinner and keeps them occupied until she gets there, all in a matter of 2 1/2 hours. That is ridiculous.

First off, why should there be a need for you to feed them dinner before she picks them up? I can understand a snack, but if you only have them for 2 and a half hours, then a snack and helping them with their homework should be plenty. The snack should easily tide them over until their Mom or Dad feeds them dinner after they are picked up. If you had to watch them until 7pm or so, then I could understand dinner. It seems that the Mom just wants to come home from work everyday with no more responsibility than to get them ready for bed. Shouldn't we all be so lucky? She has hired you to do all of her dirty work so she can relax and forget about her children's needs.

I would stop it now before she tacks on other responsibilities she expects you to do in the 2.5 hours. Next thing you know, she will have you giving them baths and getting their pajama's on before she arrives to pick them up.

Tell her you have checked with some people in the area and you need to bring what you charge up to be more in line with what others charge for the same service. At a minimum, $50/week instead of $24 and if they insist on special snacks, they must bring them. Also, from now on, if her kids eat dinner at your house, they eat what everyone eats, you will not prepare two separate meals each day.

Good luck and be prepared that she may get mad about it and yank them out of there. She will be sorry if she does because there is no way she will find anyone else to do the same thing for that pay. Most after school type programs charge a set amount for the week whether the child is there for five days, or one day.

Andrea

[Heidi]

Most after school type programs charge a set amount for the week whether the child is there for five days, or one day.


My daughters before & after school program is $140 a month if she is there or not. If school is closed, so is the program. If school is delayed do to weather, the program is closed.

[pepperpot]

Tell her to provide, at minimum, the snacks and dinner.

I would also mention that they are not being respectful (not doing homeowrk and into your child's private things), and for her to please speak with them.

*Why do they have to eat at 5pm?

[MistyWolf]

I would tell her to pay you more AND bring the special food her children so desire. That is crazy. And do you have a restaurant sign over your house? .. They'd eat when I ate if I was watching them.

And yes, a snack, quart of juice (way too much sugar), 12 nuggets each, and fries are a lot in a 2 1/2 hour period.

I personally would be telling that mother she needs to find another babysitter.

[tnfuhs]

I agree, you shouldnt have to knock yourself out like that for the small amount of time that you watch them. How did the mom do it before you?

[Tasha405]

I would tell her that I would no longer be feeding them supper and if they want anything special to eat or drink, she needs to supply it. If not, they will be getting what your kids do, generic or not and she can pay you a little more for feeding them what snacks they eat.

I used to babysit for a family member and was really taken advantage of, so I know how you feel. I only charged the girl $1 per hour. Yes, one dollar! She never ever brought him snacks, drinks or anything else. Hell she never even brought diapers or wipes and half the time he wasn't even dressed! He would have on a t-shirt and a diaper with a blanket wrapped around him. At first I thought well maybe she was running late or tight on money. But it never ended. It was that way EVERYDAY!

We were neightbors and related, so the landlord (who was also our neighbor) would go and unluck her door for me everyday so I could get him the supplies and clothes he needed every day. I would also get some snack stuff for him too. This actually started after he seen me down there trying to get in the door to get him some diapers and clothes, he then said he would just open the door for me everyday that he seen them bring him over to me.

Well I was usually stuck with him on her off days too because she was tired or she had something to do. She thought those days should be free. Umm, I don't think so. I charged her for those days too. Oh and don't even get me started on the days I watched him when she was supposed to be at work and was out cheating on her hubby instead. Or at the park pool, out shopping and so on. I found this out one day when he was sick and I called to tell her he wasn't doing any better and they said she wasn't there and had been off for the past 2 days.

Do you think I ever got paid on time? NOPE! She was married too and her hubby paid all the bills with his paycheck while she was supposed to pay me and buy the groceries. It was just a huge mess and I finally put my foot down and told her to either start bring him here with everything he needed, including snacks and lunch and so on, or she could start paying me a lot more then she was or just find herself another sitter. Well not long after that talk, her hubby found out about the affair and she ended up moving not long after that.

Oh man, sorry to take over and vent in your vent. Its just that this brought back a lot of those memories. I know how you feel, so just be upfront or honest with her about it. If she doesn't like it, tell her to find someone else. People are always looking for babysitters, so if you want to continue babysitting I'm sure you could always find some more to watch. Make sure you lay down the law to them too right from the beginning. lol

Good luck!

[killbarney]

Considering the mom wants them to have name-brand cookies(OREOS-yum) I doubt mom cares about them being healthy.

Tell her that they are going to have to either eat the generic stuff you can afford or pay for the other stuff.

At the times you are watching them-a snack is all that's needed(unless it's way after 5pm before they go home). And her getting mad because her son hadn't done his homework should be between her and her son.

I agree about making 2 suppers-I wouldn't.

Neither the boys nor their mother could take advantage if you set the rules and follow them.


Call me crazy, but I think you might be getting taken advantage of by the boys. I doubt their mom would let them eat 12 nuggets at one sitting or drink a quart of juice each in a few short hours. It doesn't sound very healthy to me.

[kyswpgrl]

The price is not unreasonable. My kids attend after-school care and it's $12/day for both of them. I realize that's kind of cheap in comparison to other places, but luckily this program allows me to pay daily and not weekly (as they don't always go the full week). They also give a discount for the 2nd child if they attend the full 5 days. Snack is provided, there are toys and a playground on hand, and kids can do their homework (but aren't forced to).

If I were you, I would only provide a snack directly after school, make them do their homework, and then let them play until their mom arrives. OR just wait and let her worry about the homework, but do NOT feed them dinner. Tell the mom that if they continue to eat dinner at your home then she needs to give you $10 more a day and that should put a stop to it. Good luck!

[gmyers]

I would feed them a snack but not a meal if they're only there for 2 and a half hours. They can wait and eat a meal at home. If she wants you to feed them a meal then she should provide the food or increase the amount of money she pays you. If you have to cook a meal for them and give them snacks too then you're not making money you're losing money. And I would tell her that if she wants them to eat certain name brand food then she can provide it for them. And I woukln't let them drink that much juice in one day its not good for them. I hope you get it straightened out. Good luck.