;)
Wednesday
Aug272008
Accidentally, A Post About People Who Clearly Have Little Sense of Self Worth
Wednesday, August 27, 2008 at 3:07AM
I'm having a bit of an internal conflict with today's post. I mean, there's some pretty big stuff going on in our nation right now, in my hometown. (Yes, I know yesterday I was all, I'm from Delaware! and today I'm all, WhutWhut, Denver representin, yo! but I am from both. Let's move on.) I am more tuned in to this electoral race than I was even prepared to be, and I can't seem to get it off my mind. And Hillary's speech last night? Well, let's just say that I am kind of quietly hoping that none of her followers listen to her and there's a bit of a surprise for everyone come Thursday. I was never sold on her before, but today I am.
So, I want to talk about the convention. I want to talk about our country. I want to talk about important things. I also want to talk about babysitting. I'm torn.
Since I leave in about 30 hours for Denver, I figured I'd give the babysitter talk a shot, and save myself for the trip home, when I could tell you all the fabulous things I saw and heard whilst mingling with the dead sexiest group of bloggers the world has ever known. But then, oh, but then, something came up, and I decided to do both.
My dear friend Stephen is out and about Denver mocking covering the protests in Denver for Pajamas Media. Stephen is a republican, he drinks scotch, and he's kind of a jerk when he wants to be. We have NOTHING in common (maybe except that jerk bit. Bygones), but I love him and I read him religiously because, well, no one can make me laugh at myself better than he can. He's brilliant, and he always remembers to tell me I look pretty. I'm a chick, and quite susceptible to flattery. I digress.
Anyway, Stephen was downtown at the mint, filming some protesters doing something completely ridiculous for his video debut on Pajamas Media, when he tripped and fell on an event that I can only describe as the reason I am not registered as a Democrat, and the reason I'm really reluctant to call myself one in public. This asshole? Is giving us all a bad name. And has no respect for others. Especially women. Even women who's politics I abhor; she's still a woman, and still a human. Go watch. Watch it all. It's terrible in that Oh My God This Tastes Like Shit You HAVE To Try It way.
Next, babysitters. I am doing something I've never ever done before; I am leaving my children in the care of a 14 year old for TEN STRAIGHT hours on Thursday so I can fly 1600 miles and throw a party. I am kind of scared shitless about the whole thing. She's quite capable, and very loving to the baby, but still. 10 hours straight with my kids and I'm hitting the liquor cabinet. What's this poor girl going to do?
Anyway, I had to make sure the Babysitter Instructions were still on the fridge, and indeed they were, and as I reviewed them I realized that maybe I ought to share them with you. Because maybe you need to make a babysitter instruction list, and maybe I can help you out with that. I'm a giver. Here we go, copied straight from the sheet on the fridge, I promise:
Yes, that is the whole list, excluding our phone numbers, which nice try, but you have to work way harder than that to get my digits.
One question: As much as I love Little Ms Sitter, she is one of those girls that refuses to name her price. Which annoys me to no end. Have a little sense of self value, already. Besides, I don't know what the exchange rate is from shoulder shrug to CAD. My question is this: Normally, we pay $10/hour for sitting. But there's no way I'm giving a 14 year old $100 for one day's work. No way in hell. I don't make $100 in a day, and I'm betting most of you don't, either. So, what do I pay her for a 10 hour day of chasing my toddler, playing my Wii, eating my chips and making sure the boys have bandaids and cookies?
So, I want to talk about the convention. I want to talk about our country. I want to talk about important things. I also want to talk about babysitting. I'm torn.
Since I leave in about 30 hours for Denver, I figured I'd give the babysitter talk a shot, and save myself for the trip home, when I could tell you all the fabulous things I saw and heard whilst mingling with the dead sexiest group of bloggers the world has ever known. But then, oh, but then, something came up, and I decided to do both.
My dear friend Stephen is out and about Denver mocking covering the protests in Denver for Pajamas Media. Stephen is a republican, he drinks scotch, and he's kind of a jerk when he wants to be. We have NOTHING in common (maybe except that jerk bit. Bygones), but I love him and I read him religiously because, well, no one can make me laugh at myself better than he can. He's brilliant, and he always remembers to tell me I look pretty. I'm a chick, and quite susceptible to flattery. I digress.
Anyway, Stephen was downtown at the mint, filming some protesters doing something completely ridiculous for his video debut on Pajamas Media, when he tripped and fell on an event that I can only describe as the reason I am not registered as a Democrat, and the reason I'm really reluctant to call myself one in public. This asshole? Is giving us all a bad name. And has no respect for others. Especially women. Even women who's politics I abhor; she's still a woman, and still a human. Go watch. Watch it all. It's terrible in that Oh My God This Tastes Like Shit You HAVE To Try It way.
Next, babysitters. I am doing something I've never ever done before; I am leaving my children in the care of a 14 year old for TEN STRAIGHT hours on Thursday so I can fly 1600 miles and throw a party. I am kind of scared shitless about the whole thing. She's quite capable, and very loving to the baby, but still. 10 hours straight with my kids and I'm hitting the liquor cabinet. What's this poor girl going to do?
Anyway, I had to make sure the Babysitter Instructions were still on the fridge, and indeed they were, and as I reviewed them I realized that maybe I ought to share them with you. Because maybe you need to make a babysitter instruction list, and maybe I can help you out with that. I'm a giver. Here we go, copied straight from the sheet on the fridge, I promise:
The BLT Instruction Manual (My kids initials spell a sandwich. I like food)
- Don't kill them, please. I've been waiting for 10 years; I have dibs.
- Don't let them have candy. Unless you are on great medication or don't value your sanity.
- Bedtime is at 9, 8:30 if you start prematurely aging.
- They can read in bed with their lights on. No, they may not read Playboy.
That's about it. Thanks, dude!
Yes, that is the whole list, excluding our phone numbers, which nice try, but you have to work way harder than that to get my digits.
One question: As much as I love Little Ms Sitter, she is one of those girls that refuses to name her price. Which annoys me to no end. Have a little sense of self value, already. Besides, I don't know what the exchange rate is from shoulder shrug to CAD. My question is this: Normally, we pay $10/hour for sitting. But there's no way I'm giving a 14 year old $100 for one day's work. No way in hell. I don't make $100 in a day, and I'm betting most of you don't, either. So, what do I pay her for a 10 hour day of chasing my toddler, playing my Wii, eating my chips and making sure the boys have bandaids and cookies?
Reader Comments (70)
I would tell her that you will only pay her whatever she thinks is appropriate. BUT plan for underage minimum wage (you know, that whole training wage thing?) times 10 hours? Or just, you know, let her get drunk. That's payment enough, right?
Zoeyjanes last blog post..http://mommyismoody.com/2008/08/26/on-doing-something-i-rarely-ever-do/" rel="nofollow">On doing something I rarely ever do
Wait...are these one hundred Canadian dollars?
That's like €4 right?
Xbox4NappyRashs last blog post..http://xbox4nappyrash.blogspot.com/2008/08/dos-donts.html" rel="nofollow">Dos & don'ts
Remember that whatever you pay is also an indication of your own worth and time.
And for what it's worth, I would just give her time in lieu.
SingleParentDads last blog post..http://singleparentdad.blogspot.com/2008/08/what-to-do-with-oneself.html" rel="nofollow">What To Do With Oneself
Our daughter went through the whole "how much do you charge" thingie when she started babysitting. She found it very hard to talk money with grownups. I finally explained to her that she, in a way, had her own business and needed to think of it as such. We worked on her looking me in the eye and confidently stating her price. It's a tough one for them to be sure. I think you should pay the sitter well for the day. Yeah, $100 bucks is a lot but if she is used to getting $10 an hour then she may be expecting it. hmmmmmmmm I wouldn't want to pay that either. Maybe you could talk to her so you are both on the same page....like maybe $60?? You'll have to let us know how it all pans out. :) Good luck!!
dawn
Dawns last blog post..http://ouradventuresinkorea.blogspot.com/2008/08/insomnia.html" rel="nofollow">Insomnia...
Dude, I would totally wave a hundred dollar bill under her nose. And then deduct the cost of any rules or items broken.
Like they did in Big Brother here.
Word up the kids that there is candy for them if they mess with her head. Then the chick will owe YOU money.
Awesome.
Honestly, if you would normally pay her $10/hour, then I say you need to fork over the $100...and I'm writing this as a mom on a budget as well as the mom of a babysitting 16-year-old son. (Especially since you're leaving town...what if--God forbid--your plane is late or there are other delays in getting home? She may have to be there for more than 10 hours: then what?)
If you were going to pay her less than her normal hourly for the entire 10-hour day, it might have been better to arrange that when you asked her to babysit for this just so she knew up front. I know that my son (and it still amazes me, though I think it's normal) feels weird about declaring his price before the adult/parent brings it up because he is a teen and they don't like to step out of their box too much. They don't like the awkwardness of it and in fact, normally don't display a lot of self-value at that age.
Gawd, this comment is sounding so serious! Sorry about that! But you asked.
It's just that if my boss asks me to work extra hours on any given day, I expect to be paid the same amount for those hours as my regularly scheduled ones. And I don't even hold the lives of three little ones in my hands at that job.
Melisas last blog post..http://thesuburbanscrawl.blogspot.com/2008/08/zai-jain-beijinghellllleeeeew-london.html" rel="nofollow">Zai Jain, Beijing...Hellllleeeeew London!
I became irate when a babysitter rolled up last weekend in a Beemer, asked for her $12 an hour wage while she was watching the front door and stove to make sure there were no escapees or fires(the kids were asleep). I think for a day of work for a 14 year old 50-80 is A PLENTY. When I babysat at any age, my parents would garnish my wages. Meaning they would send me back with change if they thought it was too much money. Their point: I have everything I need, with extra cash kids buy drugs.
tracis last blog post..http://mymanettasfam.blogspot.com/2008/08/vcations-gone-wrong.html" rel="nofollow">V'Cations Gone Wrong
$10 an hour is her normal price for you, it shouldn't go down just because you want her for 10 hours - $100 it should be. Also remember, those last hours are HARDER because she'll be tired - if she's also getting paid less for those hours she won't be happy about it.
Also - she may not want to take longer jobs for you in the future if she knows she'll get less for hours 8, 9 and 10 of the job.
VHMPrincesss last blog post..http://vhmprincess.blogspot.com/2008/08/restaurant-review-cakelove-in-tysons.html" rel="nofollow">Restaurant Review: CakeLove in Tyson's Corner Mall
My guess is that little fuck doesn't call himself a Democrat. The idiot anarchist movement is against everyone and everything. They always make me laugh at how inept they are. They supposedly protest the WTO, and 100 of 'em have signs that read "No Blood for Oil", another 100 "Save the Whales", 100 more "Free Tibet"...etc, etc.
Seriously, pick a fucking 'cause. Protesting just because it sooooooooo sucked growing up in an upper-class suburb, and you went to an $50,000 a-year-college (that your capitalist-pig parents paid for), where your Professor got you worked up in "Spoiled Rich Kid 101" ISN'T helping anything.
That said, the more important issue, is the fact that it is NEVER all right for a man to make a women fear for her safety. The fact that someone didn't drop the little fat fuck is just more proof that the story is bigger than doing the right thing. For Christ's sake, the pony-tailed, Lurch-looking camera-guy could have just stepped on him!
On baby sitter issues:
Sorry, but I agree with the comment about shelling out the full hun'ded. If that's the hourly you pay, and she is working the 10, you can't change the math midway IMO. I WOULD discuss it with her parents, so they know you are handing their kid enough dough for a kick-ass kegger... (but that's just 'cause I am getting older and ain't cool anymore)
My vote is for $60 - $70 in cash with the rest of the $100 payable in either Hello Kitty stickers or a gift card to some cool place where she can buy some new clothes for school. And wear them like a badge of honor for having survived 10 hours with your children.
Upon further thought... Either that or maybe a bottle of the good stuff.
pattys last blog post..http://blog.wingdangdoo.com/2008/08/fish-hook/" rel="nofollow">hey lifeguard, i’ve got a fish hook in my eye
A hundred bucks, baby. If you stiff her, you lose her loyalty. Does she normally sit for you? Do you normally pay HER $10 an hour? If so, then she's expecting it and will be really upset if she's already got it planned out. If she was an adult, you wouldn't even consider not paying the full amount. And 3 kids, 3 meals and bedtime is a hell of a lot of work. She'll work HARDER at taking better care of your kids if you pay her well.
traceys last blog post..http://tracey-justanothermommyblog.blogspot.com/2008/08/meow-meow-meow-meow.html" rel="nofollow">Meow, meow, meow, meow.
I agree, she's doin' the time, you should pay up the $100. Although I think a gift card as part of it is a fine idea. That way she doesn't have so much cash at her disposal, but she still gets paid a fair amount. 'Cause dude, 10 hours with the kids, and she can't drink!
Karens last blog post..http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/ForTheLoveOfPete/~3/375797930/salami-by-way.html" rel="nofollow">Salami, by the way...
Oh sister-friend, having come off of a week of watching someone else's 3 boys, I have to side with the sitter. Give her a Benjamin and be done. ;)
Secret Agent Mamas last blog post..http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/SecretAgentMama/~3/375835736/" rel="nofollow">Wordless Wednesday: Three Little Boys
I pay my nanny more than that. Then again a day with BLT is = or < a day with The Kid.
molly_gs last blog post..http://soapywater.blogspot.com/2008/07/check-it.html" rel="nofollow">Check it.
Oh, and I have to admit that Stephen is my very favorite republican.
molly_gs last blog post..http://soapywater.blogspot.com/2008/07/check-it.html" rel="nofollow">Check it.
$50, a 6-pack, and a carton of smokes.
Hockeymans last blog post..http://hockeyman.wordpress.com/2008/08/26/what-the-heck-is-a-meme/" rel="nofollow">What the heck is a meme?
I like Hockyman's idea . . .
Seriously. I have no idea.
I was lucky to get a plate of cold food and a candy bar back in the day . . .
$10/hour. Man, I'm never going to get out of here, am I?
LaskiGals last blog post..http://laskigal.blogspot.com/2008/08/wordless-wednesday-i-apologize.html" rel="nofollow">Wordless Wednesday: I apologize . . .
If she were a ninja, you could just pay her in good will and karma...but then she might hide your kids and try to convince you that it's a lesson in meditation and inner tranquility... not all ninjas are bad like that but some are and you just can't trust all of us...
First, can we talk about how Bill Clinton was on ecstasy last night? WTF was that? "IloveyouIloveyouIloveyou"......? Was there an intern standing behind Hillary?
OK, sorry. babysitters. I stick with the $10/hr for the tough part, but reduce it a bit for after they're in bed and she's just watching The Hills.
Sues last blog post..http://happymealsandhappyhour.blogspot.com/2008/08/more-words-i-made-up.html" rel="nofollow">MORE Words I Made Up
I got distracted at the $10/hour thing. Celarly I need to change my profession because that is more than I make an hour. Too bad I dont like kids more, as that could be a problem.
Koris last blog post..http://korij.blogspot.com/2008/08/black-abyss-beckons.html" rel="nofollow">The Black Abyss Beckons
$10 an hour? I used to get £2.50/3 an hour (mind you, that was the best part of 10 years ago).
I'd be inclined to say if you settle for less, you run the risk of her deciding it's not worth it. For your own peace of mind I'd go with the more painful option of $100.
Other than the bold neck tie, that was a hilarious bit. The DPD should have stepped in there but clearly she's a seasoned pro at this and can appreciate that it takes a really tough skin to put your controversial views out there. Never ceases to amaze me what some people will do for attention. Hopefully that is the only 15 minutes Jones will get for his immaturity.
$100. But ask her to wash the dishes or something.
Marges last blog post..http://wheremytruthlives.wordpress.com/2008/08/26/marge-madness-september/" rel="nofollow">Marge Madness - September
$100 seems like a lot, but if that is what she normally gets then...you gotta do it. But like a pp said she has to do the dishes.
Oh and that video was awful. wow.
KD @ A Bit Squirrellys last blog post..http://abitsquirrelly.blogspot.com/2008/08/miss-my-stretch-marks.html" rel="nofollow">Miss My Stretch-Marks??
If I heard 'she wants to put us in camps!' one more time...
i LOVE your list. it's great.
i rarely have to get a babysitting, since my nanny lives with us and babysits for us when we need her. and we pay her sometimes, but we've worked out payment with her. when i do need a real babysitter, i panic...i have NO idea what the going rate for a sitter is!!!!
alis last blog post..http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/alimartell/mzqi/~3/376170759/" rel="nofollow">things that only happen to me. also? why i download
3 kids? 10 hours?
$100? .... you're getting a deal =)
Pay the $100 and go have fun.
As someone who babysits/teaches swim lesson, and has been for 8+ years, I'd say $10/hr is an awesome rate. For me I go with a variable rate scale depending on the time of day/activities/length/how much they can afford.
If you had more speffic rules I'd go with the deduction policy, but since you don't it probably be best if you didn't. Alternatively, I have a love/hate relationship with getting giftcards as payment, yes it is getting "paid" but if it's not a store i normally shop at or have to go out of my way to get to it, i'd much rather have cash.
My best suggestion is ask her if she is fexible and negoitate.
Good help is hard to come by (in my neighbourhood in Ottawa it is, anyway) - so you might want to just fork over the 100 big ones, or like Patty said, give $75 or something like that, and throw in a gift card or something else to show that you really appreciated it. The key is you want her to DO IT AGAIN, right? When I find a sitter to babysit my 4, almost-3 and 7 month-olds, I think I will gladly pay $10 an hour, hell, I'll give her my wedding ring :-)
Shannons last blog post..http://acraftymomsblog.blogspot.com/2008/08/what-is-crafty-mom-eating.html" rel="nofollow">What IS a Crafty Mom Eating?
Pay her the $100. Your kids are worth $10/hour. There is no volume discount for babysitting...in fact, you might want to consider tipping her a little extra for gracefully handling all the issues that arise with your kids over a 10 hour period without losing her mind. It's worth it.
And $10/hour for more than one kids is a bargain. My 17 year old sister gets $12...$15 if they're badly behaving boys.
I can't watch that video right now (work), but just remember that there are idiots on both sides of the fence.
As for the babysitter, maybe you need to tell her you are paying her 50 cents an hour unless she comes up with a price. HOW ANNOYING.
Is she your number one draft pick? Of all the teeny boppers that babysit is she the one you like the most? Then it's full price baby. Gotta keep the good ones happy.
CarolynOnlines last blog post..http://carolynonline.blogspot.com/2008/08/back-to-our-regularly-scheduled-program.html" rel="nofollow">Back to our regularly scheduled program.
It depends more on her than on you.
If she's a "let's make a deal" kind of girl, then you can bargain her down, probably to $60 cash with an extra $20 to order a pizza, and the promise you'll love her forever.
But she's probably already spent the $100 in her head, so going low may make her a little bitter and less likely to sit for you again. Unless you're the only game in town for her to make that kind of money. That whole supply and demand thing.
She may not understand the whole "bulk discount" concept tho - so you'll need to talk to her about it probably or ask her if she gives a discount for nine or more hours since it's so much time. Living in a shack helps sell this one, as does having a car in your yard on cement blocks. If you're living in nice digs...it might just make her bitter, and no one wants a bitter babysitter.
I'll stop now, before I accidentally give helpful advice.
Wow....that was a truly amazing display of human integrity and the Bill of Rights at its very best in the U.S. of A. You know, at first I thought that guy was just blabbering, but after listening to his arguments, the diversity of counterpoint he offered to her book and, frankly, just how damned ELOQUENT he was, her really turned me around.
Remember those people I was referring to from my home town yesterday? I definitely got a powerful hillbilly vibe from this guy, even with no accent and on the other end of the political spectrum (wait, which end WAS this guy on, anyway?). I'll bet he would leave your forearm slightly damp if you brushed up against him in an elevator too. Well done, dude...well done. You have truly made a positive difference for your cause (what was your cause again?) and shown us all how intelligent debate and the right to assemble can be powerful and informative components of democracy.
Your kids wlll be fine. My opinion? No cash...just all the liquor and cigarettes she wants.
Dude, what would Hillary pay her babysitter?????
You got it, she'd say take some of those glass shards out of your hair and quit whining 'bout a twenty spot and a kick in the pants. Hell, this is like the 88th anniversary of woman's suffrage and Bratz is the leading toy amongst oxygen breathing girls? All us peeps got work to do and those greenbacks aren't all the answer.
Or just let her sip out of your vodka bottles are replace with water?
Sams last blog post..http://punditdad.wordpress.com/2008/08/26/sahds-in-hell-rage-against-the-sahd/" rel="nofollow">SAHDS in Hell & Rage Against the SAHD?
I'm 23, college educated, fingerprinted, CPR trained and what not. I make $12/hour for one child and $18/hour for two. The other week I babysat for my normal family and it was for about 6-7 hours - they gave me $160 (so an average of $24/hour).
But for a 14 year old? Give her $70-$80 I'd say? She'll probably appreciate it a whole deal.
What I've always though is that what you pay sort of represents what you want... people pay for housekeepers and pay for them than for the childcare of their own. Sort of sad.
Good luck!
Kathys last blog post..http://andsolifebegins.wordpress.com/2008/08/26/enough-is-enough/" rel="nofollow">Enough is enough.
3 children that came outta you? Give her the $100 bucks. And make sure your fridge is stocked.
Remember that she is doing YOU a favor, not vice versa.
Misss last blog post..http://justmiss.wordpress.com/2008/08/25/im-flattered-im-irritated-and-im-obligated/" rel="nofollow">I’m flattered, I’m irritated, and I’m obligated
Some of the people here are really freaking me out, man.
Aimee Greeblemonkeys last blog post..http://www.greeblemonkey.com/2008/08/america-needs-some-classes-in-media.html" rel="nofollow">America Needs Some Classes In Media Literacy
All I know is if $100 a day is the going rate for 3 kids I am getting screwed! :)
Special Ks last blog post..http://specialk513.blogspot.com/2008/08/what-difference-day-makes.html" rel="nofollow">What a difference a day makes
I have not a clue.. I have never done the babysitter thing.. I just know i want to go to Devner and spend ten hours with you. Please?
Kims last blog post..http://www.joggingincircles.com/journal/2008/8/27/wordless-wednesday-love.html" rel="nofollow">Wordless Wednesday - Love
Well, I pay my baby sitters REALLY well, cause hey, they are watching my most prized positions, right? But I also pay $10 an hour. However, I get what you're saying about $100 top a 14 year old. How 'bout $60? I mean, are the kids gonna be asleep at all during this time????
Robinas last blog post..http://justanotherday-bina.blogspot.com/2008/08/i-am-not-cry-baby.html" rel="nofollow">I am NOT a cry baby!
Whenever I work as a baby sitter, I generally get paid about $10/hr for the first child then $2 extra per hour for each child after that. It's not a stead fast rule for me, and I gladly work with the parents to whatever they can afford, but generally that's what it comes out to be. Some parents pay me more and some less. I would go ahead and give the whole $100 because your babysitter normally gets $10/hr. I know if it was me, I'd want the full $100 (but maybe it's different for me seeing as how I'm older). Just m thought.
Err...if you normally pay $10/hr to HER, I'd give her the whole amount. Personally, I'd feel a bit jipped if I normally babysat and someone knocked my pay just for me agreeing to work longer. On the other hand, if you normally don't pay HER $10/hr, I'd probably go for $6 an hour. Here, most 14 y/o can't legally work and $6/hr is awesomeness. Plus, I'd feed her and pay her way if the kids go see a movie or anything...cept she can't drive. So nevermind. :) (When the person turns 17, I pay more. When the person has their own kid, I pay even more - call it experience)
That's just me. You did ask. :)
he is really just a tinfoilhat fruitcake that calls himself a democrat. sorta the way i call myself a millionaire.
hubss last blog post..http://www.artifacting.com/blog/2008/08/13/fresh/" rel="nofollow">Fresh
I pay my sitter $8/hr for ONE kid. I get her "discounted rate" cuz my sitter is my 12 year old daughter. (It pays to have them FAR apart) When she sits for anyone else, she gets $10-15/hr. Just PAY the girl, but let her parents know that she's getting enough for a party.
Good help is hard to come by, just sayin'
And for those of you who say I shouldn't pay her anything, I must point out that
SHE DIDN'T GIVE BIRTH, DIDN'T CHOOSE TO HAVE A BABY, AND HAS HER OWN LIFE!
Plus: She has her CPR and has done a baby sitter/first aid class. She also pays $575 of the $630 annual tuition to dance school by apprenticing at her Irish dance studio. She also plays volleyball, basketball, and has never NOT made First Honors at school. She also helps with house work, cooking and laundry a little bit.
She's my daughter, not my slave.
If that's what you normally pay, I'd pay the $100.00. A good sitter is hard to find and I feel you'll have pull with her in the future because you paid her very well from the start.
Dianes last blog post..http://onemomsopinion.blogspot.com/2008/08/rocky-mountain-blogger-bash-5000.html" rel="nofollow">Rocky Mountain Blogger Bash 5000
as a former nanny/babysitter (for YEARS), you need to cough up the $100. if you give her $60, you are getting 4 hours free. i know you're a mom, and now you're used to dealing with the kids, and in addition to that they're YOUR kids, and you don't get paid for this EVER and it's been 10 years, but 10 hours straight is going to be more exhausting than anything she's ever done, and they aren't her kids-- she's not doing this out of duty or as a favor, this is a job to her. plus, i guarantee you that the kids are going to start being really hard on her, the baby's going to miss you and cry for hours, the older ones are going to push her limits and she's going to be stressed out for that day. maybe you don't make $100 in a day, but you probably don't also work 10 hour days with no breaks. if you want her to still want to work for you, don't be cheap. if you want to find someone else who's cheaper, that's your right, but if she's a good sitter she deserves the money.
that being said, you can definitely talk to her and say that it's a lot of money for you, and you know she's owed it, and you will give it to her, but you expect x, y and z out of her. when i was a nanny, i always left the house exactly as i found it, and 98% of the time i left it cleaner. that means when she makes them lunch, dinner, snack, plays a game with them, lets them fingerpaint, etc, she cleans it up in the lull afterward when it's quiet-time. that way you know you're not paying for her to sit on her butt. she might not take kindly for you asking her to fold the laundry or do the dishes from yesterday's cookout, since she's not a housekeeper, but if you're a good boss and pay her well and respect her, then she'll be more likely to see a pile of laundry and WANT to fold it, since she wants you to keep hiring her. of course, if you try to cheap her out of $40, she'll probably throw it all over the house, take every other sock leaving only one of each pair, and blame it on the baby.
but really, trust me, you're blinded by the fact that they're your kids and you know how to control them and they probably listen to you. she is going to be a tired wreck, and the only reason she's going to get through it and come back for more is that $100. plus, a tip never hurt. but hey, it's ok if you're not ready for that yet. ;)
I'd pay her the $100. Considering her presence is allowing you the freedom to go on your trip, I think it's a bargain.
louannmccs last blog post..http://bighairandthejunkie.blogspot.com/2008/08/school-glorious-school.html" rel="nofollow">School! Glorious School!
First up, pay her the $100 if you can do it, else - as others have said - she might be disappointed to find the going rate isn't the 10-hour special rate. This, of course, assumes she will be producing "quality baby sitter results" (whatever the Hell that means) each hour and not, say, snoozing while the kids burn the house down. If she's a good babysitter, it will be worth it in the long run.
Second, Steve called me while I was at work to invite me downtown for drinks; alas I was in the middle of an all-day meeting. He forgot to mention that he was hanging out with Malkin (whose politics I generally abhor, but I'd like to converse with her) and makin' movies (which would have been fun). I coulda been famous!
andys last blog post..http://www.worldwiderant.com/2008/08/03/this-is-not-a-post/" rel="nofollow">This is not a post!
I would add that she stay off the phone while she is there and not be chatting with friends.
Have fun. Am sure you have picked a reliable person.
This is an imp. issue by the way.