Not being paid enough...

[Qtxann315]

Ok here's the deal, I babysit for a kid on my block. I used to take care of him for a couple of hour here and there so she paid me like thirty five dollars every six week, and this six week payment been going on for five months, about 1-2 hours a day. Now the parents agreed to pay me fifty dollars to watch him afterschool from 3-6. She said she will pay me every two weeks and the parents hasn't paid me for close to three and a half weeks. The kid comes over and uses our computer and watches tv all the time, not to mention he askes lots of question, which bugs me like HELL! he uses electric for three hours straight. It runs my bill up about 10 a month but fifty dollars a month is just not worth is right?? :confused: I don't like going over to his house because it smells funny there, and the last time I went over, my puppy caught flees.:eek: I mean daycare is how much now a days? I think she paid the father's cousin around 300 a month to take care of their child. I'm saving them a bunch of money!! The parents are very nice and everything, so I don't want to make a big deal out of it but should I say something? I'm an extreme passive woman so I don't like to make a big deal out of nothing. :o I also don't want to take care of him this summer, which I hope she won't ask me but if she does what should I tell her? I need a buffer to make this work, and not tell her straight out that she isn't paying me enough.

PS I'm a stay at home mom so what can i tell her that I don't want to babysit their son anymore.

[sea-shell]

Easy - tell her if you don't pay I don't babysit :cool:

[freeplease]

Break it down for her. Plain english. Your electric bill went up $10. You'll need that much more to babysit, plus you MUST be paid timely. I'd say weekly. none of this every two weeks. It seems too easy for them to "forget" to pay you. If they can't manage that, they must find other arrangements. A daycare wouldn't put up with it, you shouldn't.

[cathych]

I keep a 9 year from 2:30 to 5 4 days a week, & get paid $100. I hope that that is reasonable.

[BluMoon]

I'm with the other ladies... I watched a friend's daughter and gave her a huge deal at $50 a week and it came every Friday on time. They either need to pay or make other arrangements. I'm not sure if there is anyway other than facing them with the facts.

If she asks you about the summer just say something to the affect of "I'm so sorry but I have too many plans for the summer already and don't think I could commit to full time child care."

[Qtxann315]

All you babysitters out there seem to be getting paid more than I am... I seriously am going to talk to them about the payments and thanks for the advice Blumoon. I feel so rip off... :(

[earnhardt1]

last year i baby sat a girl from 6:30 am to 8 am to put her on the bus and got paid 20.00 a day it was suposed to be 10 hr but the dad always jipped me my 1/2 hr but i never said anything because i was getting a great deal she lived 2 minutes away and i got to go there and sleep till the dad called me and told me it was time to wake up... but he paid every friday and if i needed a front on the next week he would...

[kyswpgrl]

I actually get a wonderful deal on my school-aged children. It's $12 a day for two ($6 each) and if they go a full week, they get a discount. So for 2 kids to go 5 days it's $45 because of a sibling discount. I know a lot of other places charge $50-$85 a week for just one child though.

Anyway, $10 increase in your electric is not really grounds for you to up your price tremendously, but tell her you need to be paid weekly. Is it $50 a week or $50 for two weeks? That part confused me. If it's $50 for two weeks, then you need to make sure she pays you $25 at the end of the week. If it's $50 a week, then tell her you need to be paid on time or else she needs to make other arrangements.

[kyswpgrl]

I keep a 9 year from 2:30 to 5 4 days a week, & get paid $100. I hope that that is reasonable.

Reasonable? In your area it might be, but in my area that would be outrageous. Yikes! I know I get a good deal on my kids' after school care, but I would never pay more than $50 per child per week. A 9 year old can pretty much take care of him/herself. Just give them a snack and make sure they don't kill themselves. LOL

[hblueeyes]

I believe that child care is one of the most important expenses a parent must make. It is not only about getting your child good care but also giving the parents peace of mind while they are at work or out. Peace of mind is invaluable. It is not just about giving an afternoon snack and making sure they dont kill themselves but that someone is keeping a watchful eye on your child. 9 year olds get abducted. The parent needs to know that someone will be able to get help immediately if soomething should happen. I would never pay for someone to just be there. They need to do more for my child. Interact with them, play board games, assist with homework, play at the park etc. If you cannot get quality care, then what is the point of working.Stay at home with your child and collect aid until the child is old enough to be left alone for 3 hours or so a day. I chose to be poor and take care of my own kids. Their safety and well being meant more to me than money. Unfornunately most single Moms cannot afford that option. That is why we need to up the professionalism of child care and have more government monies to help out the working poor in this regard. Our government gives billions of dollars to foreign countries so they can offer things that we do not offer our own citizens. What a shame.

Me:p

[Brycensmommy]

i had to research child care for my child support case and i was shocked at how much it costs for 3 kids. in a small town next to mine it's $1700.00 a month. no wonder i'm a stay at home mom! i can't afford to work!

[TxGreek]

I believe that child care is one of the most important expenses a parent must make. It is not only about getting your child good care but also giving the parents peace of mind while they are at work or out. Peace of mind is invaluable. It is not just about giving an afternoon snack and making sure they dont kill themselves but that someone is keeping a watchful eye on your child. 9 year olds get abducted. The parent needs to know that someone will be able to get help immediately if soomething should happen. I would never pay for someone to just be there. They need to do more for my child. Interact with them, play board games, assist with homework, play at the park etc. If you cannot get quality care, then what is the point of working.Stay at home with your child and collect aid until the child is old enough to be left alone for 3 hours or so a day. I chose to be poor and take care of my own kids. Their safety and well being meant more to me than money. Unfornunately most single Moms cannot afford that option. That is why we need to up the professionalism of child care and have more government monies to help out the working poor in this regard. Our government gives billions of dollars to foreign countries so they can offer things that we do not offer our own citizens. What a shame.

Me:p

Very well said.

[lisahiser]

Well I used to charge $2.00 an hour per child if the parents brought or sent snacks or meals.
and this was 8 hours a day = $16.00 a day at 5 days a week = $80.00 a week per child.

Now if they didn't bring snacks or meals I would charge $3.50 per hour per child. = $28.00 a day at 5 days a week = $140.00 a week per child.
But most of my parents did bring snacks, plus it helped them know what their child was eating.

I would occassionally watch kids on the weekends but I got screwed so many times for that, (parents not showing up until 9 p.m. at night or it ended up being every single weekend) I did end of stopping, but I did charge and extra .50 cents per hour per child. for the weekends, but I did tell my parents that I needed MY family time also. Some were very unhappy with the situation but what was I supposed to do? give up my life?

The most number of kids I watched at one time was 3, and the kids were 4,
3, and 10 months, along with my 2 children who were 5 and 2. so I was very busy.

I told my parents when I decieded I was done, that I was not babysitting anymore and I gave them 2 weeks to find someone else to watch their children. and just because you are a stay at home mom does not make you an automatic babysitter or daycare provider......... :eek: :cool:


Now here, where I live and I live in a small little town, for my one son to go to daycare part-time, 3 hours a day 5 days a week, it will cost me, $185 a week, and that is part time! and that is the cheapest.
and I had no choice but to pay it because I could not find someone to watch my son for 1 hour before school and 1 1/2 hours after school, but they charged me for three hours because they don't go by the 1/2 hour... :rolleyes:


But like I keep telling my Fiance, If/When we win the lottery :D , I am going to build a low income daycare center, for this area and just basically go by everyone's income's as far as how much they pay per hour per child and I would set aside at least a million dollars for funds to keep a staff and nurse on site at all times. There are too many single mothers in this area that are trying to make it and all they need is a helping hand. Most of the kids that I have babysat for are from single parent homes. and I wish I could have done more for them, but I had to also think of my family first. I would make sure that this falcility was safe and fun for the kids. Of course, I have no idea where to begin with all this but I am sure if I win the lottery, someone will have no problem helping me spend my money!- lol :p :eek: :D

[Qtxann315]

I get paid 50 for two weeks, I just feel cheated on at times because she told me that she pays so much more to her cousin, who used to take care of him. She said she paid her cousin about 300 a month. Thanks for all of your replies.

[hblueeyes]

I am with lisahiser. I would do the same thing if I won the lottery. I would also make it available for child with disabilities and a 24 hour operation. Funny how childcare places are 6-6. More jobs would be open to single moms if they could get quality childcare for those swing/midnight shifts. More companies need to step up and offer childcare at their places of employment. Unfortunately the jobs open to single moms like waitressing makes this not a viable option.

I watched a friends 2 children in the summer when they were 7 and 9. She paid me $150 a week which was almost her check. What was left from the check covered their meals while they were with me. She did not care, I was cheaper than everyone else, she trusted me but she was working for the insurance not the money as her husband made good money but had no benefits.

Ask for more money. if she says no then you tell her no as well.

me:p

[FreeBnutt]

How badly do you need or want the money? You should be the one in charge to tell how much it will cost, and be paid WEEKLY, plus have the definate days you will be babysitting, or you will be screwed. Like you currently are. $35 for every 6 weeks no matter how much you sat! You're lucky you made any money or got paid at all. It's hell watching kids no matter their age. They get into everything! and YOU are responsible for them.

I remember back in the mid 80's babysitters being paid $10.00 an HOUR for the 1 - 3 hours a DAY. A ton of people stopped doing their office or whatever jobs to do home daycare, more money! Such a demand for them, even today.

The only one getting the deal out of this is the one you are sitting for. You can easily make over a $100 a day if you just sit for a couple of kids for a few hours, up to maybe 4 or 5 before the state would get involved for you being a 'daycare'. AND that $100 does not count for FOOD, they bring the snack.

Think about it.