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Why I Don’t Like Babysitters
I’ve been thinking a lot about babysitters. I used to babysit, but now that I’m a divorced single mom I’m the one hiring a babysitter when I need a break. I don’t like it.
I don’t like paying someone to do something they might not want to do. I don’t like that having money essentially boils down to the power to get other people to do things. Even abstractly when we’re buying food or stuff or housing, we’re paying someone to make that stuff for us
I don’t like figuring out how much to pay. I try to pay fairly and I always do more than they ask for. Oddly many babysitters seem to negotiate against themselves. I have two kids but two separate babysitters after their first evening offered to charge their one-kid rate. (My kids are feistier now so I doubt that would happen currently.) My youngest is very snuggly and likes to sleep on people, and I think at least one babysitter has been in it more for the baby snuggles than for the money. I also offer to still pay even if the babysitter or I have to cancel because we’re sick, and that sometimes gets turned down. I’ve also had two babysitters offer to cancel or come back early from vacation when I’ve asked if they were interested in coming on a certain day. I don’t want anyone missing vacation on my account!
Picking who to ask is nerve wracking. I take my role seriously and try to choose the best…
