First-Time Babysitter ‘Loses Her Mind’ After Parent Pays Her $330 More Than Expected
Interview With Author
While babysitting is one of the most popular jobs for teens, looking after kids is no joke. It comes with a host of challenges and takes a lot of work, care, and responsibility to live up to the expectations. Just think about it, sitters need to follow the rules, deal with the pressure from parents, keep the little rascals entertained, and quickly think of solutions when emergencies arise, usually all at the same time!
Unfortunately, quite a few people immediately assume that caring for kids is an easy task. But one father who goes by the handle OuterInnerMonologue knows how demanding this job can be. Recently, he shared a wholesome and heartwarming story on the ‘Anti Work’ online community after leaving his and his friends’ kids with a sitter.
“There were, in all, 5 children,” the user wrote. “That’s a hell of a job for anyone, let alone a teen.” But when it came to discussing her pay with the other couples, the man was shocked to hear they believed her efforts were worth so little. Being a huge proponent of fair pay, he decided to take matters into his own hands. Read on for how the story unfolded, as well as an outpouring of reactions it received, then be sure to weigh in on the situation in the comments!
Recently, a father who believes in fair wages completely surprised a teen babysitter by paying her more than expected
Image credits: Lina Kivaka (not the actual photo)
Even though it was her first time babysitting alone, he believed her work is worth more than his friends suggested, so he took matters into his own hands
Image credits: OuterInnerMonologue
Image credits: Sharon McCutcheon (not the actual photo)
OuterInnerMonologue’s post on the ‘Anti Work’ subreddit drew quite the attention from the community members. At the time of writing, it has amassed more than 23k upvotes with users praising the parents and their decision to imprint the value of good work on a teenager’s mind. Hundreds of people also contributed to the discussion about compensation that babysitters should receive in the comments, with some questioning the amount the teen received and others deeming it to be the exact right amount.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median hourly wage for childcare workers was $13.22 in May 2021. The 10 percent of workers who earned the lowest got less than $8.91, while the highest 10 percent of earners were paid more than $17.99 an hour. But the pandemic forced many people out of the childcare sector to look for safer jobs with higher pay. The New York Times stated that this led to more than half of families in the country reporting troubles finding childcare in January 2022. The labor shortage and parents in dire need of finding childcare led to a pay bump for many babysitters.
Later on, the user clarified some details and added more information about the situation
Image credits: OuterInnerMonologue
We managed to get in touch with OuterInnerMonologue who was kind enough to have a little chat with us. “‘Anti Work’ is often filled with anger and resentment. I wanted to share a story where my wife and I tried to be the change we’d like to see with wages and valuing other human beings,” the user explained to Bored Panda why they decided to share this story with the community.
The father was completely surprised by the number of readers his story received. “I’m elated at how many thankful and positive comments I’ve seen,” he revealed. “Many people have shared their stories of having been taken advantage of with babysitting gigs in the past. And I think most of them appreciate how my wife and I have tried to help get this young teen starting out on the right foot.”
When it comes to the comments section, the user revealed that reading what people had to say has been one wild roller coaster. “Most [responses] are positive, understanding, and appreciative. Some are filled with resentment of how much we paid her. I’m honestly shocked why someone would feel so angry at a choice that doesn’t affect them at all,” he said. “Maybe it’s because it makes them feel a certain way about their past or present earnings. Not for me to say, but it is a very curious thing.”
Believing in fair pay and that everyone should be respected for their efforts led the man and his wife to look for a logical way to determine how much the teen babysitter should be paid. “We honestly had no idea,” he told us. “We figured 15/hr as a base because that would be a decent minimum wage. And per kid, well, because we knew all these kids and some definitely warranted 15/hr per kid.”
Most of the comments said the couple was right on the mark, the user added. “Which is cool. I don’t think we overpaid. I think it fell on the side of generosity, but even then, I didn’t think it was. Maybe the $50 bonus, but the base salary was just an earned amount to us.”
When hiring a person to babysit or provide any other service, never forget you’re dealing with humans, the man advised. “Value them accordingly, and if you can’t pay out at a certain level, that’s OK. It’s an effort in trust and transparency. I’ll explain my decisions so that people can learn whatever they can for it,” he said, adding that he’ll also keep learning himself.
People applauded the father’s efforts and chimed in with their own stories, here’s what they had to say
I have a daughter with autism. We pay our teenage babysitter $20 an hour because I feel that is fair. My daughter is 9 and still in pull-ups and needs help feeding herself. It is only fair to pay for good service. Our babysitter is 15 and we easily pay her $100+ for a night out. I agree with this OP whole heartedly. Pay people what they are worth! But my friends and family are shocked when they find out how much I pay.
You're very fair and teaching the youth of your community how to rate the value of their services/labor, which will follow them for life, helping make improvements to quality of life overall 😀
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1. It’s not my place to tell you how much or how little you wish to pay your babysitter. 2. There are two values at play here, the value of caring for my most important and vulnerable family member, my daughter, and the value of the individual doing the job. If you see it as a chance to save money because they are a teenager then then you’ve got the wrong end of the stick.
How much would it have cost for each family to have their children looked after separately? He paid her fairly in my view.
I'm not going to say it's an unfair price, and yes the more kids being watched the more effort, and so should be priced appropriately. However, consider that watching 2 kids for 8 hours - if it is the same household, it is 8 hours of work. If it is two families, it is 16 hours. You get paid for your time *and* service, and personally my time is more valuable than my service. I'd rather watch 2 kids at $25/hr than 1 kid at 15/hr twice.
Load More Replies... I have a daughter with autism. We pay our teenage babysitter $20 an hour because I feel that is fair. My daughter is 9 and still in pull-ups and needs help feeding herself. It is only fair to pay for good service. Our babysitter is 15 and we easily pay her $100+ for a night out. I agree with this OP whole heartedly. Pay people what they are worth! But my friends and family are shocked when they find out how much I pay.
You're very fair and teaching the youth of your community how to rate the value of their services/labor, which will follow them for life, helping make improvements to quality of life overall 😀
Load More Replies... 1. It’s not my place to tell you how much or how little you wish to pay your babysitter. 2. There are two values at play here, the value of caring for my most important and vulnerable family member, my daughter, and the value of the individual doing the job. If you see it as a chance to save money because they are a teenager then then you’ve got the wrong end of the stick.
How much would it have cost for each family to have their children looked after separately? He paid her fairly in my view.
I'm not going to say it's an unfair price, and yes the more kids being watched the more effort, and so should be priced appropriately. However, consider that watching 2 kids for 8 hours - if it is the same household, it is 8 hours of work. If it is two families, it is 16 hours. You get paid for your time *and* service, and personally my time is more valuable than my service. I'd rather watch 2 kids at $25/hr than 1 kid at 15/hr twice.
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