You're doing your neighbor a solid by doing them a favor, only to feel a little taken advantage of. A seemingly innocent favor becomes a frustrating decision, leaving you questioning where to draw the line between kindness and standing up for yourself.
That’s exactly what happened to today's Original Poster (OP), who agreed to help out a neighbor's friend with babysitting for nine hours, was underpaid after a price agreement.
More info: Threads
Humans and promises are a tale as old as time, so it's not exactly a surprise that this babysitter was paid less after an initial offer
Image credits: Kaboompics.com / Pexels (not the actual photo)
The author was contacted by their neighbor to help a friend babysit on really short notice, but they agreed
Image credits: lov3iley
Image credits: Polina Kuzovkova / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
While babysitting at their place, they were contacted by the friend to return to her house and put her groceries away
Image credits: lov3iley
Image credits: Vitalii Khodzinskyi / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
They were promised $150 as payment, however, by the end of the day, they were only paid $100
Image credits: lov3iley
Now the friend wants the author to babysit for her again, and they're not sure if they should
The OP explained that their neighbor asked for a favor—a friend was in desperate need of a babysitter for her two kids. Although it was short nice, and they had to reschedule a prior appointment to accommodate it, they agreed to babysit for their neighbor's friend.
The neighbor offered to pay them a solid $150 for about nine hours of babysitting, and the OP was fine with it as it was a huge sacrifice on her end, anyway. They picked up the kids from the friend's house, but a few hours later, they received a text asking them to return to the house to put groceries away.
So, they did that. They went the extra mile and put the groceries away. It was a long nine hours, but it seemed like things were going smoothly. At the end of the day, the mom texted saying the OP could drop off the kids.
However, instead of the promised $150, the payment was lowered to $100 without explanation. Though confused, the OP chose not to argue, as this was more of a favor than a formal gig. The mom even asked if they could babysit again the next day. But now they're wondering if they should take up the offer.
Image credits: Timur Weber / Pexels (not the actual photo)
Setting boundaries is essential for babysitters and nannies, especially when employers ask them to do things outside the scope of caretaking. Nanny Mag reports that some requests, such as asking for a cleaning of the sink where a child’s hands are washed, seem tangentially related to childcare, but others can quickly take a step over into unrelated responsibilities.
They advise that babysitters should take a moment before agreeing to do anything extra, and also consider whether it falls within their responsibilities and to decline to say yes by default.
Building on this, declining last-minute requests takes a balance of being firm and polite, according to Huddles. Responses need to be crystal clear, with no room for misinterpretation, and they need to convey empathy, recognizing that the refusal will cause inconvenience or disappointment.
They also advise providing some details as to why the request is being declined. This way, it seems more believable and sincere because you are providing a brief explanation about your unavailability. In addition, letting them know what they can do differently might be helpful against next time.
Netizens advised the OP that a babysitter should refuse to work for someone who can’t keep their word. They pointed out the financial disrespect, noting the unpaid $50 and additional tasks like running errands.
They also urged the OP to stand firm, and emphasized the importance of communication and setting boundaries to avoid being taken advantage of.
What would you do if you were in the OP's situation? Do you think they should agree to watch the kids again, or is it better to politely decline? We would love to hear your thoughts!
Netizens encouraged them to refuse the offer, stand firm, and collect the $50 they are already short of
