Female Software Engineer Wonders If It Was Wrong To Charge $35 An Hour To Babysit Her Cousin's Three Kids
If the parents will be away on a trip and no one in the family is willing to watch over them, they need to be willing to shell out money to pay a babysitter. They shouldn't force their relatives, especially the ones who have other responsibilities, to take care of their kids.
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If someone if the family is willing to volunteer, the parents need to be appreciative of it. And they shouldn't expect the same relative to watch over their kids next time.
Today's story is about a Redditor who was asked by her female cousin to watch over her kids. Normally that wouldn't be a problem.
But she's a software engineer who's got work to do. Because of her job, she's earning 60 bucks an hour.
Her cousin was willing to pay her until she mentioned her rate. The original poster (OP) told her cousin that she can babysit for 35 bucks an hour.
Hearing her rate made her cousin as well as her cousin-in-law mad. The OP just couldn't manage a rate lower than that since she's giving up hours to do her job.
Her mom thinks she's asking for too much too. So she went to the "Am I The A**hole?" (AITA) subreddit and asked if she was wrong for charging her cousin that rate.
The OP explains her work and how much she gets paid.
During the holidays, her cousin and cousin-in-law asked her to watch over their kids.
The cousin and her husband were shocked to find out how much the OP is charging them. They got mad too.
She tried to explain her side, but she was thrown insults by her cousin's husband.
Since she's taking care of three kids, the community agrees that her asking rate is reasonable.
After reading this post, one person realized something in their life.
They can always look for other babysitters. Why are they fixated on hiring the OP?
Redditors believe that the issue is beyond what OP is asking. Sexism is the problem.
The cousin's husband is just jealous.
Jealousy is in the air, and some people can smell it.
A user believes that $60 is fair since she's a freelancer.
The OP needs to charge more because she's not getting any benefits.
How the OP could've reacted—with sarcasm as a bonus.
The cousin's husband is jealous because a "girl" is earning more than him.
The cousin's and her husband's reactions are angering.
The couple thought they could take advantage of someone younger.
Entitlement mentality in relatives
These are the very reasons why the OP isn't wrong in this situation.
See? The OP's rates isn't unreasonable at all!
Even this mom knows that babysitting for three kids would cost around 30 bucks.
Whether the issue is jealousy or sexism (or both), the truth is that the couple cannot accept the reality of how much the OP is earning. If they can't pay, they can simply look for another babysitter.
They shouldn't approach the OP next time because she's got a job that pays the amount that she deserves.