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 😀
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.
Load More Replies...
For anyone that would say she was paid too much because she’s a teenager: emergencies don’t care if the one in charge is an adult or a teenager.
It is rather a lot, but for FIVE children and SIX dogs anything under 200 would have been miserly. Who the hell thinks, 20€ for non-stop working a whol evening (entertaining, feeding, looking after etc) is in any way ok?? Also: Could people please stop using the hourly wage of their 40h/week jobs for calculating a few single hours of self-employed work?
I’m 61, and was making $29 for babysitting when I was a teenager, almost 50 FIFTY years ago! It was good money then. It’s s**t money now. Good for the OP paying the sitter what she’s worth, rather than cheating her out of the over $300 she actually earned by keeping 5 children and 6 dogs from running amuck and destroying the entire house!
That babysitter literally ensured the safety and well-being of your children and dogs. Why on Earth would you undervalue her services when what she provided for you was priceless?!
this is the kind of rich I want to be. paying people more than they expect because they deserve it.
Gosh, I babysat for this one single mom and her three little girls. Oldest was nine, youngest was four. She paid me thirty-forty each time, though the first night she was late for hours (I even nodded off on the couch after putting the kids to bed cause it wasn't until 2am that they got back). Another time later, we had to deal with a tornado warning which was pure chaos with three terrified little girls. Still only 30 dollars for the day. I quit not long after that. The mom seemed willing to negotiate money but her flightiness in how long she was gone for just felt too uncertain and I wasn't comfortable doing it anymore. The girls were as sweet as can be and were good, though.
I was a nanny, full time, 10 years ago, driving nearly an hour one-way each day to their home. I made $225/wk for an infant and a toddler. At that point I was in my early 20s but had at least 10 years experience in babysitting and nannying in college. Yikes. Also, I was once stiffed by a lady for babysitting her toddler for a couple hours while she taught a class because she couldn't find the $100 she thought she left behind to buy her kids McDonald's. My step mom was SO mad when she found out she accused me of stealing that she called all their mutual friends because she knew that was very outside my character. She found out through one of said friends days later that she'd found the $$ on the floor of her car the same day but was ashamed to admit it after calling me a thief 🙄 needless to say, I didn't babysit for her anymore after that.
You allowed yourself to be a full-time employee driving 2 hours a day to only make $225 per week only 10 years ago? The driving alone is not worth that...
Load More Replies...
It's awesome that the OP valued the babysitter and paid her well. I'm glad he did. Having said that, I could never afford that rate, but I guess that's why I never go out. Also, "we've spent more on any random night out at a restaurant and bar". Yep, these people definitely have a lot more disposable income than me.
Teachers do need to make more money for sure. But the last comment from the teacher is disingenuous. Most jobs like teaching do not just pay you your take home pay. They pay into pensions and benefits as well. If I make 30 bucks an hour but my job provides me with a pension after retirement plus pays most of my health insurance benefits, it probably means I'm getting paid setting like 50 bucks an hour when all things are taken into account.
It's seems a tad bit much for this couple he could afford it but say your a single mother that has to work and needs some one to watch your kids even 20 dollars a hour seems like a lot compared to the amount she personally brings in I mean I think the most I would pay a babysitter would be 20 a hour just because bring up the market value hurts people that can't afford to match it. Do you think the other couple can afford to match the same amount she got paid for babysitting those 5 kids in the story? Especially if she needs some babysitting regularly?
This is the problem with people's thinking nowadays, and exactly why companies can get away with paying people cheaply: "I mean I think the most I would pay a babysitter would be 20 a hour just because bring up the market value hurts people that can't afford to match it." If you can't afford to pay someone what they're worth, especially when they're in a position that is helping you and or making your life easier, you should probably seek other routes to get what you need done.
Load More Replies... I have a cat sitter that I pay $10 each day - she gives the cat breakfast, leaves, comes back in the afternoon, scoops the box, takes away the breakfast dish and give the cat some treats. I think $10 is enough for maybe half and hour, but maybe not.
Half an hour? You sure about that? Sounds like the cat sitter has to arrange her whole day around a split shift. I hope it's a neighbor, so there's no factored in transportation costs. And you say the sitter scoops the litter box? A housekeeper runs $50/hr and won't touch a litter box. Food for thought.
Load More Replies...
It probably depends on your family income. Can't pay a sitter more than you make, otherwise you'll just stay home
This is only true to a certain extent. The entire economy needs to support us all better than it does, and then we would not have problems like not being able to afford to pay child care workers as much as they deserve. Children are the most important thing, and the people who care for them deserve to be paid well.
Load More Replies...
"Trickle down economics" means those at the bottom are getting P'd on, NOT any more $$$.
Where were you the summer I got a mother's helper gig that had me looking after the two kids I was hired to look after, PLUS another five or six kids, AWAY from home from Friday night to Sunday evening and I got paid $20. $20 dollars total. F*ck "room and board" - yeah I had a camp cot to sleep on in a f*cking storage room and was so stressed I ate the total of maybe one meal. From 7 AM to 9 PM Saturday, 7 AM until I was dropped of around 7 PM Sunday.
I'm so sorry for the way you were treated. They treated you like an indentured servant. You definitely deserve more than you got.
Load More Replies...
We pay $50-$60/hour depending on the day they had when we leave and we have a 5 and 2 year old so they're earning that money, plus pizza or Mexican whichever our babysitter wants. We're not rich at all, but I remember the days of babysitting 5 kids and only getting $50 for 5 hours. He went to college now, so we'll be strictly on his schedule until he stops. We go out once a year for our anniversary and maybe a couple of more times for a wedding or funeral. For us, every local wedding is child free even if it doesn't have to be. Pay your babysitters the money that they deserve.
40 years ago I got paid $10/hr to watch kids. I was a great babysitter and parents used to book me months in advance for dates, etc. I was working fulltime in DC in the Swamp...made more babysitting than I ever did there...was happier too.
babysat 4 kids under 10 for 4 hours, didn’t get any food, and got $40
Some people say that teens should be paid less but most of the time that money is going towards college not cheap
That's totally amazing. Honestly inspired, cause babysitting 1 kid depending on age can be a challenge for an adult let alone a teen. N yes awesome lesson about knowing her value....... So you wanna call company I work for? Asst manager (directly below the GM) work 50hr weeks just like GM & I get a dollar less an hour then she was paid. 🤨🤔
I literally teared up reading this beauty of a post❤️ Kids can be alot and it's so important we treat teenagers with respect and decency, they are on the cusp of neing adults and yearn for reapect. This is amazing and you guys rock. She probably learned the biggest lesson in knowing her worth, it can quite literally change someone's life. Love and hugs to this family!
The amount of money a person pays for a specific service is extremely subjective and all factors should be considered. A cheeseburger at one restaurant might cost $5 and a similar burger at a nicer restaurant might cost $25. People often pay extra for atmosphere, peace of mind, and sometimes simply because they can afford to. I see no issue with how much the OP paid their babysitter, particularly considering all the factors stated. For more perspective, if I made millions of dollars a month (yes a month), no one would question me paying a babysitter a couple thousand dollars for a nights work watching my kids.
I absolutely love this story. I got $50 at times., But I was 12 and from parents who took care of us, so $50 was my skating rink extra game money and extra candy money. Now days kids can be unreal. And sure, everything cost so much that parents can no longer afford entertainment for their kids so $15 an hour is fair.
This pricing ensures repeat business. I babysat for an entire evening when I was a teenager in the 90s and got $10. Never agreed to it again. Stop taking advantage of kids who haven't learned yet what their time is really worth!
This reminds me of the time that as an adult, a client stiffed me $20 because they decided to come home earlier than expected and before they left she showed me her parents try and told me not to eat anything from there or the fridge as she had all meals and snacks planned out for her family. I never sat for her again. Her kid was nice but she was not
You are such an incredible person…blah blah blah…you are a hero….blah blah blah…..”never seen a human being that happy before”: that sentence alone says a lot about you as a person.
Other than the casino, I want to know what kind of dates you're going on that you typically spend over $350?? Most of mine are dinner and a movie. To pay someone more than my entire date (I have 4 kids) seems overly generous. I don't want to come off as bashing but this is why I can only go on a date every 6 months or so.
Dude, $15 an hour give or take to have someone watch your kid is not unreasonable. He wasn't just paying for one child, he paid for multiple kids and multiple dogs. You get what you pay for, and if someone did a good job you might as well pay them what they're worth. One of his edits says that he would normally do something like $15 an hour plus 5 to 10 dollars per extra kid. Feeling generous and wanting someone to know that they should value themselves isn't a bad thing. Also, your comparisons are outright fallacies. The hostess that served you dinner is not watching five kids and your six dogs or whatever. He also didn't pay this girl who was $1,000. The valet who spends 2 minutes dealing with your car did not spend the evening watching your children and dogs. If you're going to use comparisons, at least use ones that are realistic and actually comparable.
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.
Load More Replies... For anyone that would say she was paid too much because she’s a teenager: emergencies don’t care if the one in charge is an adult or a teenager.
It is rather a lot, but for FIVE children and SIX dogs anything under 200 would have been miserly. Who the hell thinks, 20€ for non-stop working a whol evening (entertaining, feeding, looking after etc) is in any way ok?? Also: Could people please stop using the hourly wage of their 40h/week jobs for calculating a few single hours of self-employed work?
I’m 61, and was making $29 for babysitting when I was a teenager, almost 50 FIFTY years ago! It was good money then. It’s s**t money now. Good for the OP paying the sitter what she’s worth, rather than cheating her out of the over $300 she actually earned by keeping 5 children and 6 dogs from running amuck and destroying the entire house!
That babysitter literally ensured the safety and well-being of your children and dogs. Why on Earth would you undervalue her services when what she provided for you was priceless?!
this is the kind of rich I want to be. paying people more than they expect because they deserve it.
Gosh, I babysat for this one single mom and her three little girls. Oldest was nine, youngest was four. She paid me thirty-forty each time, though the first night she was late for hours (I even nodded off on the couch after putting the kids to bed cause it wasn't until 2am that they got back). Another time later, we had to deal with a tornado warning which was pure chaos with three terrified little girls. Still only 30 dollars for the day. I quit not long after that. The mom seemed willing to negotiate money but her flightiness in how long she was gone for just felt too uncertain and I wasn't comfortable doing it anymore. The girls were as sweet as can be and were good, though.
I was a nanny, full time, 10 years ago, driving nearly an hour one-way each day to their home. I made $225/wk for an infant and a toddler. At that point I was in my early 20s but had at least 10 years experience in babysitting and nannying in college. Yikes. Also, I was once stiffed by a lady for babysitting her toddler for a couple hours while she taught a class because she couldn't find the $100 she thought she left behind to buy her kids McDonald's. My step mom was SO mad when she found out she accused me of stealing that she called all their mutual friends because she knew that was very outside my character. She found out through one of said friends days later that she'd found the $$ on the floor of her car the same day but was ashamed to admit it after calling me a thief 🙄 needless to say, I didn't babysit for her anymore after that.
You allowed yourself to be a full-time employee driving 2 hours a day to only make $225 per week only 10 years ago? The driving alone is not worth that...
Load More Replies... It's awesome that the OP valued the babysitter and paid her well. I'm glad he did. Having said that, I could never afford that rate, but I guess that's why I never go out. Also, "we've spent more on any random night out at a restaurant and bar". Yep, these people definitely have a lot more disposable income than me.
Teachers do need to make more money for sure. But the last comment from the teacher is disingenuous. Most jobs like teaching do not just pay you your take home pay. They pay into pensions and benefits as well. If I make 30 bucks an hour but my job provides me with a pension after retirement plus pays most of my health insurance benefits, it probably means I'm getting paid setting like 50 bucks an hour when all things are taken into account.
It's seems a tad bit much for this couple he could afford it but say your a single mother that has to work and needs some one to watch your kids even 20 dollars a hour seems like a lot compared to the amount she personally brings in I mean I think the most I would pay a babysitter would be 20 a hour just because bring up the market value hurts people that can't afford to match it. Do you think the other couple can afford to match the same amount she got paid for babysitting those 5 kids in the story? Especially if she needs some babysitting regularly?
This is the problem with people's thinking nowadays, and exactly why companies can get away with paying people cheaply: "I mean I think the most I would pay a babysitter would be 20 a hour just because bring up the market value hurts people that can't afford to match it." If you can't afford to pay someone what they're worth, especially when they're in a position that is helping you and or making your life easier, you should probably seek other routes to get what you need done.
Load More Replies... I have a cat sitter that I pay $10 each day - she gives the cat breakfast, leaves, comes back in the afternoon, scoops the box, takes away the breakfast dish and give the cat some treats. I think $10 is enough for maybe half and hour, but maybe not.
Half an hour? You sure about that? Sounds like the cat sitter has to arrange her whole day around a split shift. I hope it's a neighbor, so there's no factored in transportation costs. And you say the sitter scoops the litter box? A housekeeper runs $50/hr and won't touch a litter box. Food for thought.
Load More Replies... It probably depends on your family income. Can't pay a sitter more than you make, otherwise you'll just stay home
This is only true to a certain extent. The entire economy needs to support us all better than it does, and then we would not have problems like not being able to afford to pay child care workers as much as they deserve. Children are the most important thing, and the people who care for them deserve to be paid well.
Load More Replies... "Trickle down economics" means those at the bottom are getting P'd on, NOT any more $$$.
Where were you the summer I got a mother's helper gig that had me looking after the two kids I was hired to look after, PLUS another five or six kids, AWAY from home from Friday night to Sunday evening and I got paid $20. $20 dollars total. F*ck "room and board" - yeah I had a camp cot to sleep on in a f*cking storage room and was so stressed I ate the total of maybe one meal. From 7 AM to 9 PM Saturday, 7 AM until I was dropped of around 7 PM Sunday.
I'm so sorry for the way you were treated. They treated you like an indentured servant. You definitely deserve more than you got.
Load More Replies... We pay $50-$60/hour depending on the day they had when we leave and we have a 5 and 2 year old so they're earning that money, plus pizza or Mexican whichever our babysitter wants. We're not rich at all, but I remember the days of babysitting 5 kids and only getting $50 for 5 hours. He went to college now, so we'll be strictly on his schedule until he stops. We go out once a year for our anniversary and maybe a couple of more times for a wedding or funeral. For us, every local wedding is child free even if it doesn't have to be. Pay your babysitters the money that they deserve.
40 years ago I got paid $10/hr to watch kids. I was a great babysitter and parents used to book me months in advance for dates, etc. I was working fulltime in DC in the Swamp...made more babysitting than I ever did there...was happier too.
babysat 4 kids under 10 for 4 hours, didn’t get any food, and got $40
Some people say that teens should be paid less but most of the time that money is going towards college not cheap
That's totally amazing. Honestly inspired, cause babysitting 1 kid depending on age can be a challenge for an adult let alone a teen. N yes awesome lesson about knowing her value....... So you wanna call company I work for? Asst manager (directly below the GM) work 50hr weeks just like GM & I get a dollar less an hour then she was paid. 🤨🤔
I literally teared up reading this beauty of a post❤️ Kids can be alot and it's so important we treat teenagers with respect and decency, they are on the cusp of neing adults and yearn for reapect. This is amazing and you guys rock. She probably learned the biggest lesson in knowing her worth, it can quite literally change someone's life. Love and hugs to this family!
The amount of money a person pays for a specific service is extremely subjective and all factors should be considered. A cheeseburger at one restaurant might cost $5 and a similar burger at a nicer restaurant might cost $25. People often pay extra for atmosphere, peace of mind, and sometimes simply because they can afford to. I see no issue with how much the OP paid their babysitter, particularly considering all the factors stated. For more perspective, if I made millions of dollars a month (yes a month), no one would question me paying a babysitter a couple thousand dollars for a nights work watching my kids.
I absolutely love this story. I got $50 at times., But I was 12 and from parents who took care of us, so $50 was my skating rink extra game money and extra candy money. Now days kids can be unreal. And sure, everything cost so much that parents can no longer afford entertainment for their kids so $15 an hour is fair.
This pricing ensures repeat business. I babysat for an entire evening when I was a teenager in the 90s and got $10. Never agreed to it again. Stop taking advantage of kids who haven't learned yet what their time is really worth!
This reminds me of the time that as an adult, a client stiffed me $20 because they decided to come home earlier than expected and before they left she showed me her parents try and told me not to eat anything from there or the fridge as she had all meals and snacks planned out for her family. I never sat for her again. Her kid was nice but she was not
You are such an incredible person…blah blah blah…you are a hero….blah blah blah…..”never seen a human being that happy before”: that sentence alone says a lot about you as a person.
Other than the casino, I want to know what kind of dates you're going on that you typically spend over $350?? Most of mine are dinner and a movie. To pay someone more than my entire date (I have 4 kids) seems overly generous. I don't want to come off as bashing but this is why I can only go on a date every 6 months or so.
Dude, $15 an hour give or take to have someone watch your kid is not unreasonable. He wasn't just paying for one child, he paid for multiple kids and multiple dogs. You get what you pay for, and if someone did a good job you might as well pay them what they're worth. One of his edits says that he would normally do something like $15 an hour plus 5 to 10 dollars per extra kid. Feeling generous and wanting someone to know that they should value themselves isn't a bad thing. Also, your comparisons are outright fallacies. The hostess that served you dinner is not watching five kids and your six dogs or whatever. He also didn't pay this girl who was $1,000. The valet who spends 2 minutes dealing with your car did not spend the evening watching your children and dogs. If you're going to use comparisons, at least use ones that are realistic and actually comparable.
Load More Replies... 
166
52