Once in a while I have to babysit my 5 year old nephew for a couple of hours while his mom(one of my sisters) and dad are at work. I often have to fed him and entertain him. I get paid zero!! And I'm out of work!! Both parent's are earning over min wage(over 10 a hour). You'd think that they could throw me a couple twenty's once in a while!??
Correct. My two sisters have yet to give me my Christmas present. I got theirs in lots of time for Christmas. The sister who I babysit once in a while just barely got her present in time! I bought her "Sons of Anarchy: The Official Collector's Edition". It arrived just before Christmas Eve!
Change that "Ahhhhh" to an "Awwwww." That's just wrong, A. I know how excited you were to find the DVDs for Sis and the special book for Baby Sis. No wonder babysitting makes you feel put upon.
It is getting really expensive to pay babysitters compared to what I got paid, BUT I paid more than anyone in the ward. I had girls fighting for the job, but I had my favorite. My kids are 29 now, so that gives you an idea how long ago it was. I always gave them a tip, too, and I made sure they had food to eat and the house was clean. All the other mothers in the neighborhood were angry at me.
But I agree that THESE are your children. I made sure my babysitter was happy to be taking care of my children.
OMG, only in Utah. She would never get anyone to watch her kids out here. The going rate here is $10 and up. You offer $5 an hour and you'll get laughed at. Not to mention a night in.
For that rate for 3 kids, she'd better not expect any messes the kids make to be cleaned up or anything else extra for that matter. Feed the kids, make sure they're safe, and park 'em in front of the boob-tube till mom gets home.
My son didn't need a babysitter often, as my cousin lived next door and we traded.
But I grew up in Michigan. I was paid $5.00 an hour for two kids over 30 years ago!! Now I was good. I did wash the dishes and played with the kids. And then put up with the drunk dad when they got home. He was just a jerk, nothing big.
Now, when I did babysit for Mormons, it was a family with 5 very rambunctious kids. their house was big and dirty as heck. I cleaned, played, dealt with fights and everything you can imagine. They also took me on family outings like bowling.
She paid very well.
I think that these kids are missing out on a Friday or Saturday night and should be compensated with it. Not that they are doing the same thing at home. That is crap
This is a prime time and these kids are responsible for your kids not being dead. simple as that. You have someone good, pay good.
I also mowed lawns for the elderly in my neighborhood and I made good money. But it was hard work. I did a great job. Does all this mean I am entitled and lazy?
Ummm. no. I did my hardees, mcdonalds, stevensons genealogy and DI work. I worked production for years. I did daycare, data entry, etc. Now I can't work. it sucks.
Yes, kids are different. I can't compare anything to my son, pretty much nothing is the same. Except you get what you pay for!!
Mormons are the cheapest payers for day care and babysitting--the ones in Utah county that is.
So she's leaving something in the care of another that Should be the most important to her in the world (her children), but hardly wants to pay them anything. The babysitter might really need that money. I knew of one girl from YW who had to buy all her own clothes & school supplies. Parents wouldn't buy that for any of their kids.
This is why a newspaper shouldn't print someone's blog post in the newspaper. Just like Elder Berry, I couldn't make it to page 2. Pure drivel. I don't like her tone nor her opinion. I hate it when people compare today with 20 years ago. Come on... she's paying those teens the minimum wage from 1996!
My husband doesn't like the idea of neighbor girls watching our daughters, so my adult sister or my mom drives down. We pay them $50. But we go out literally 1-2 times a year.
I babysat in Texas when I was 12-15. My clients were non-Mormon neighbors and Mormons from the ward. The non-Mormons always paid more than the Mormons, and they always had fewer children and the children were better behaved. They were also more generous with perks like food from the fridge, etc.
Mormon parents typically expected you to cook for their kids. I didn't mind doing it, but it was another job to do. They would complain if you didn't clean up after them. Non-Mormons would either have the kids fed, or would have food ready for you and the kids. They would say, "don't worry about the dishes". Taking care of Mormon kids was a job that didn't pay well. Non-Mormon kids were a vacation in comparison. Mormons also rarely had the good pay channels like HBO and Cinemax. Most didn't have cable at all.
My first year, one client from the ward asked me in November to watch her kids on New Year's Eve. My mom asked me why I agreed, because she was one of the cheapest and had the wildest kids. I was only 12 so I wasn't good at negotiating. I had to turn down jobs from better clients because I had already committed. I also didn't realize that sitters got paid double on NYE.
Well, on December 30th, the woman calls up and says that her plans were cancelled, so she didn't need me. I tried calling the other clients, but of course, they said they had already found someone. Several were annoyed because their kids had wanted me. My mom was livid and called the sister back and said, "You cost him good money by cancelling at the last minute. He turned down several other people to work for you. You need to pay him!" She finally agreed to pay me, but she didn't ask me back for several months. She was probably ticked that she had to pay for late cancellation on NYE.
I eventually just babysat for the non-Mormons and a few Mormons who paid better. I babysat the Jewish family next door even when I was 16 and had a part-time job, because the kids were as easy as Rod & Todd Flanders and they paid me so well to watch TV and raid their well-stocked fridge.
The moral is: you get what you pay for. If you want a cheap sitter, the better ones will drop you for better paying, easier clients.
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 01/12/2015 03:40PM by axeldc.
True story. My daughters babysit for Mormons and non Mormons. The nomos are far easier. One to two kids as opposed to 4-5, pay is better, house is neat. One of the nomos pays nearly $12 an hour for her one kid, plus buys my daughter take out (which dd told her she didn't need to do anymore after the first time. She nearly felt guilty because babysitting their one kid for $12 an hour was so much easier than babysitting for Mormons.)
According to this calculator, a sitter for 5 hours a week, with any experience, in Utah, makes $13.30/hour for 3 kids. That is the average Utah family size.
She wants to pay $15 for 3 hours when she should be paying $40. Who is the cheapskate now?
I was forced into many hours of FREE babysitting because of this. And don't forget having to babysit for all the temple trips. Oh yes, we also went out to dinner and a movie but we went to the temple so no need to pay for a sitter. We were also pushed/groomed in classes to do it.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/12/2015 06:33PM by Susan I/S.
Mormons are hilarious, always wanting stuff on the cheap.
If the writer did not pay the cult 10% of her income, she would have the cash to go out more and pay a sitter decent wages.
Calling teenagers "entitled" for expecting to get fair compensation for their time and efforts really takes the cake. I'd like to see her reaction if her husband's employers did the same.
If she doesn't want to pay a sitter she should keep her legs closed, or spring for some effective birth control devices.
Quote from the article: Point out exactly what you would like to have them do while you are gone. “I need you to feed them all, and then clear up the table and put the dishes in the sink. If you do the dishes, I will pay you $2 extra. Then put the kids to bed, make sure they have their pajamas on and their teeth brushed. After the kids are in bed, if you want an extra $2, feel free to clean up the house.” Think of hiring a teenage babysitter as a training opportunity for their upcoming “real job."
Five dollars an hour for watching several kids and you have to feed the kids dinner. Clean up the house for $2 more? What generosity!
Here in the Midwest, the going rate for a babysitter is $10 an hour. And that's for just one or two kids.
It's a good thing this woman lives in Utah. She'd never get anyone to babysit for her in other parts of the country.
We have a maid come once a month. We have no children, just 2 men and 2 cats. We pay her $130, which takes her about 3 1/2 to do. We think she is a bargain.
This woman thinks paying $2 for cleaning is generous? Try getting a maid service do that!
Lol, when I was a teen and babysitting, I got 25 cents an hour. By the time I graduated high school, it was 50 cents an hour. That was the going rate. I guess I am old. However, if you are doing a good job, it is hard work. You play with the kids, take them places,and do some cleaning up. It is easy only if it is evening and they are sleeping.
You and I must be around the same age, bona dea. I got 50¢ an hour when I was in high school (late sixties, early seventies). I think I paid the girls who babysat my kids around $5, but when they were old enough to babysit, they got around $10.
Dear mom of two kids: Welcome to the market economy. You are free to hire anyone who will work for you for a given wage. But beware -- you get what you pay for. And you are in competition with other parents who may pay better and have better working conditions.
As I related on another thread -- I babysat regularly for one particular family in high school. The family not only paid me well but took me traveling with them overseas. They also found a college scholarship for me. Why would I babysit for anyone else?
I live in New Jersey. I have one three year old and the going rate around here for my scenario is 8/hr. Most the time I end up giving her between $8-10. This woman is probably also the kind of person that gets out her calculator to figure out what a 10% tip would be, if any.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/12/2015 06:36PM by lexaprosavedme.
The author fails to understand economics on so many levels it's a miracle she can count past 10 with her socks on.
At the rates she's offering, it's more or less charity. Girls (I'm assuming) are taking the job not because they need/want the money, but because they feel bad for her.