'AITA for refusing to babysit because I wasn't payed $10 I was owed?'
"AITA for refusing to babysit because I wasn't payed $10 I was owed?"
So I (16m) live next door to a single mom Ann, and her two kids, Max (9) and Mia (7). Every month or so, when she needs a break from them, I babysit for a few hours ($8.50/hr). She’s usually gone for 4hrs at a time, and is back at or ~15 minutes later than her specified return time.
She leaves me with a list of emergency contacts if something happens and she can’t get home fast enough. We agreed that if I had to use an emergency number, I get $10 extra as ‘crisis pay’. The last time I was watching the kids (around a month ago), Ann stayed out an hour and a half past her specified return time and wasn’t answering my texts or calls.
I got worried so I called one of the emergency contacts (Ann’s sister Jenn), who came over to stay in the house while she tried to get a hold of Ann (the kids were asleep by this point, but she didn’t want to leave them in an empty house), and I went home. Well, as it turns out, Ann had driven into the countryside (with no reception) to stargaze, and got lost.
(Jenn texted me this around midnight once Ann finally texted her back). The next morning, my mom woke me up, saying that Ann was at the door for me. Here’s how the convo went:
Me (a little groggy): Hey, what’s up? Are you ok?
A: I’m alright, I just stopped by to pay you.
she handed me an envelope
A: There you go kiddo, 47 bucks.
Me: Wait, what about the crisis pay? I had to call your sister, it should be 57.
A: What crisis? I wasn’t in an accident or anything, just lost.
Me: You said it was if I had to use an emergency contact, you never said anything about any other requirements.
D: Look, just take it and be happy. A kid like you doesn’t need that much money for five and a half hours of screwing around on your phone.
Me: Fine, have a nice day.
I shut the door and write it off as a loss
Fast foreword to yesterday. Ann texts me that she want to go out on a girl's night, and wants to know if I’m free to babysit. I say that I am, but that she’ll need to pay me the $10 from last time before I agree to do it. She says that she won’t do that, and restates her argument that it wasn’t a ‘real crisis’ so I shouldn’t get crisis pay.
I tell her that I won’t be babysitting for her until I get that $10. She says that she really needs this break, and calls me entitled for refusing. I step back in bewilderment. A few minutes go by without any more texts from her, so I go to my mom to clue her in. I show her the convo, and to my surprise, my mom agrees with Ann.
She affirms that I’m being entitled, that I don’t know how hard it is to be a single mom, and that I should suck it up and babysit. I say that I need time to think and head up to my room. This morning Ann texted me to ask if I would babysit or not. I restated my ultimatum, and she also held firm in her refusal. She said she’d find another sitter, I said that’s fine.
So far I’ve stood my ground, but now I’m questioning if my mom might be right? AITA?
The internet had all sorts of thoughts.
jessikitty_thedanger wrote:
Nope nope nope NTA. You provided a service with agreed upon clauses and you used said clause and she's trying to weasel out of paying you back bc she doesn't consider your time valuable. I personally wouldn't babysit for her again bc she WILL try to manipulate you again.
Edit: ALSO just bc you're 'just a kid and you don't need that much money' you should let her know that regardless of your age, you're still a person who deserves to have their time and effort respected.
apothekryptic wrote:
Definitely NTA. Being 1.5 hrs late to pick up your children without any way to communicate with child care = crisis. Even if she had paid the $10 she owed, I'd hesitate to babysit for her again, given her history of tardiness. You can find another babysitting job.
Can she find another sitter, who lives right next door, that only charges $8.50/hr to babysit 2 kids, AND that puts up with her crap? Ann is making a poor decision. Ann is going to regret her decision. Even if she comes around and pays you, don't babysit for her again after this little display. Stand your ground!
Slytherin125 wrote:
NTA most babysitters charge at least $20 an hour for two kids she's getting for less than what Mcdonald's would pay you.
LoveBeach8 wrote:
NTA. At the time you called her sister, she was over an hour late and you didn't even KNOW that it wasn't an emergency! You did exactly what you were supposed to do! Like, WTF? She def owes you. Stop babysitting for her. Plus $8.50 is horrible pay to watch 2 kids! You could get more by working somewhere else legit. She's the AH.
quyetx wrote:
NTA. 'A kid like you doesn't need money'. She doesn't respect you or your work. Kinda sounds like your mom might have a problem with that too. Also, the likelihood she 'drove into the countryside for stargazing and got lost' is pretty low. If you let this slide, there is a pretty good chance it will begin to happen more frequently.
OP is NTA, but her neighbor and mom are. It's good she's learning to stand up and advocate for herself.