Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead
It's time for another post from Evelyn @ Hanging By a Silver Lining. When you pop on over there to see what I've written you might notice a few things different about her space... namely it's different, she got a full makeover! How much fun is that!? But really, I know you all want to read about dead babysitters so I'll let her get talking. :)
Babysitters. I rather resent them.
Not because I had such terribly bad ones when I was kid. On the contrary, my parents hired fantastic babysitters. I remember one girl in particular who let us watch as much Star Wars as we wanted AND even did Darth Vader impressions. Awesome.
Another babysitter was this older kid who set up wrestling rings in our basement. My brother particularly appreciated his child-tending "skills".
All in all, the babysitters we had picked up where my parents left off...feeding us dinner, helping us get ready for bed, and making sure we were happy and safe. Only they were better than parents; they fed us delightful things like macaroni and cheese with hot dogs and peas, ramen noodles, and on a special night, TV dinners! They played for hours with us. And yes, they put us to bed, but then they did cool, mature things like homework.
If only I had known these babysitters were being paid a pittance.
A few years later I became the babysitter and I realized how pathetic the pay was for the workload. I was "lucky" to get one dollar per hour per kid. THAT was lucky. The usual fare was one dollar per hour no matter if there was one kid or seven demons. No matter that you not only played dress-up, Legos, barbies, AND cars, but you also read books, bathed, dressed, put to bed, re-put to bed, re-put to bed, bribed, threatened, and re-put to bed numerous children. No matter that you also then did the dishes, straightened the house, and re-put to bed that last stubborn kid.
One dollar per hour.
Now I am on the other end of the babysitting scheme. I am the one shelling out the cash for services rendered. And this is why I resent babysitters.
I still remember the experience we had as we hired our first babysitter. She was 13 years old and would be watching our then 3 year old Dee and 1 year old Jeigh. I figured it had been a good 10 years since I had babysat and with time and inflation the babysitting rate had to have gone up. Plus, I wanted to be the cool mom who understood just how rough babysitters had it and paid accordingly.
So, I asked her what the going rate was.
With a perfectly sober face she told me: "$3 per hour per kid".
WHAT THE?!? Seriously??? For a 13 year old? Well, okay. Looks like mommy and daddy won't be going on dates much. Who can afford dinner or a movie after paying the babysitter?
Want to know why else I resent babysitters these days? They don't do squat! They don't cook, they don't clean, sometimes they don't even change diapers! I have come home to a trashed house and soggy kids who have been sitting in front of the TV the whole four hours we have been gone while much texting abounded from the couch. This is when I have a particularly hard time passing over $20 plus dollars.
Let me give props where they are deserved. We have had some gems of babysitters. They do a great job! I am happy to see these girls have been trained in old school babysitting. Blood, sweat, and tears. It makes me wonder if their mothers did their time too when they were younger.
So, anyone else still bitter about their pre-minimum wage years? How much do you pay your babysitters and how much do you expect them to do while they are in your employment???
Babysitters. I rather resent them.
Not because I had such terribly bad ones when I was kid. On the contrary, my parents hired fantastic babysitters. I remember one girl in particular who let us watch as much Star Wars as we wanted AND even did Darth Vader impressions. Awesome.
Another babysitter was this older kid who set up wrestling rings in our basement. My brother particularly appreciated his child-tending "skills".
All in all, the babysitters we had picked up where my parents left off...feeding us dinner, helping us get ready for bed, and making sure we were happy and safe. Only they were better than parents; they fed us delightful things like macaroni and cheese with hot dogs and peas, ramen noodles, and on a special night, TV dinners! They played for hours with us. And yes, they put us to bed, but then they did cool, mature things like homework.
If only I had known these babysitters were being paid a pittance.
A few years later I became the babysitter and I realized how pathetic the pay was for the workload. I was "lucky" to get one dollar per hour per kid. THAT was lucky. The usual fare was one dollar per hour no matter if there was one kid or seven demons. No matter that you not only played dress-up, Legos, barbies, AND cars, but you also read books, bathed, dressed, put to bed, re-put to bed, re-put to bed, bribed, threatened, and re-put to bed numerous children. No matter that you also then did the dishes, straightened the house, and re-put to bed that last stubborn kid.
One dollar per hour.
Now I am on the other end of the babysitting scheme. I am the one shelling out the cash for services rendered. And this is why I resent babysitters.
I still remember the experience we had as we hired our first babysitter. She was 13 years old and would be watching our then 3 year old Dee and 1 year old Jeigh. I figured it had been a good 10 years since I had babysat and with time and inflation the babysitting rate had to have gone up. Plus, I wanted to be the cool mom who understood just how rough babysitters had it and paid accordingly.
So, I asked her what the going rate was.
With a perfectly sober face she told me: "$3 per hour per kid".
WHAT THE?!? Seriously??? For a 13 year old? Well, okay. Looks like mommy and daddy won't be going on dates much. Who can afford dinner or a movie after paying the babysitter?
Want to know why else I resent babysitters these days? They don't do squat! They don't cook, they don't clean, sometimes they don't even change diapers! I have come home to a trashed house and soggy kids who have been sitting in front of the TV the whole four hours we have been gone while much texting abounded from the couch. This is when I have a particularly hard time passing over $20 plus dollars.
Let me give props where they are deserved. We have had some gems of babysitters. They do a great job! I am happy to see these girls have been trained in old school babysitting. Blood, sweat, and tears. It makes me wonder if their mothers did their time too when they were younger.
So, anyone else still bitter about their pre-minimum wage years? How much do you pay your babysitters and how much do you expect them to do while they are in your employment???
Comments
Then we moved to Montana and payed this sweet girl who the kids loved, but they loved her because as soon as we left she'd go get them out of bed and play with them... Then when we got home they'd all race back into their beds so that we 'wouldn't know' that they'd been up until 10PM.
UGH. I remember one of the ladies I babysat for telling me that she expected me to clean the house while they were gone and not just watch TV. And they gave me 'babysitting insurance' for their terror.
I haven't used a paid sitter in quite a while, but I totally agree, what happened to all the good ones!?
thanks for popping by Cross My Hooks :)
Now, I'm the one paying. $3/hour/kid. And no, we don't go out very much. Or at all.
I plan on paying a babysitter 5 an hour for Evie right now because I agree with inflation that does seem only fair, but with that price tag I do expect them to be inventive and play with Evie as well as keeping to the schedule I wrote down. I don't know that I would want them cleaning my house but, picking up Evie's toys is a definite as well as cleaning up any messes their games may have made. And no tv. If they can get through three hours of church without watching tv they can surely get through three hours of babysitting without it as well. Just the opinion of a new mom. :)
One time, I had a summer babysitting job. FULL TIME. I got paid $40 every 2 weeks to tend 4 children. It worked out to be about 50 cents an hour.
She still owes me money too.
I hated baby sitting, but it was money and took whatever they gave me. For a pittance they came home to a house still standing and children alive and well. That was the job. The kids were always happy to see me, even the kid who refused to go to bed so ended up watching ballet on the tv (Swan Lake) with me.
A babysitter is there to make sure the kids don't die, not to entertain your kids (though they might) or clean your house unless you specifically make that arrangement. If you expect more then you have unrealistic expectations. If you want more then hire a professional nanny!
Inflation has not gone up that high! $5 per hour??? That's ridiculous. $2 is pretty generous---considering inflation.
(I can easily say that...cuz I live so close to family and don't feel any guilt about not paying a dime) :)