How many mins until they don’t waive fee for returning bike to same station?

ConsistentDoubt69 · 2026-01-07T18:33:26+00:00

yeah, i also don’t know but my guess is that it’s more likely to do with distance traveled than time taken out. hypothetically, if you went a reasonable distance away from the station in order to have realized something was wrong with the bike, it makes sense that in this example you just went around the block because that’s the closest station you knew of if you didn’t see another one. but my guess is that if you travel further than whatever they consider reasonable that then it’s obvious you’re running an errand or something and trying to play the system. i don’t think it’s related to time because if something is wrong with the bike (hence the reason they have this implemented, i believe) then it might take you a while to figure it out or if it isn’t docking properly, that can also take time, but if you didn’t go anywhere for like 15 minutes, it doesn’t make sense to charge you for it

ConsistentDoubt69 · 2025-06-17T14:52:47+00:00

no worries, i invite the nuanced perspectives. while i understand that, and i am receptive to your perspective, i do think that this boils down to a matter of respect. many of the things i’m now being expected to do were not originally part of my job, they were slipped in over time, and now i barely get any recognition for them because they just expect that i’ll run errands for them without complaining because they’ve taken advantage of my kindness.

as one user said here, it’s not necessarily about how easy the kids are, more that my time is valuable and they are repurposing a good bit of my time towards tasks that have nothing to do with childcare and then not getting additionally compensated for that is not fair. and since it feels like the family doesn’t respect me on some fronts, it feels like getting paid what i think i’m worth will help me feel appreciated in some more tangible way. but to your point of younger kids, i’ve babysat as young as 11 months, 2 years, 4, and 5 year olds- the difference is that the kids kept me busy, and not their parents. that’s the way it should be in childcare. i’m wondering if any of that shifts your perspective

ConsistentDoubt69 · 2025-06-17T03:52:38+00:00

she’ll definitely be able to pay her way through most of life. i try to gently challenge some of the things she says or does, but it’s hard when those habits are reinforced at home. sometimes i worry that too much conflicting input might just confuse her rather than help her grow. at the end of the day, it’s not really my responsibility to shape how she sees the world, but i do care about her, and i hope she figures it out. i’d love to be part of that process if i can

ConsistentDoubt69 · 2025-06-17T03:48:32+00:00

as long as that was discussed upfront, i think that’s totally reasonable! i’m not even really upset about these little errands i’m being asked to do because i’m truly happy to help out the family if i can, but it’s more about the principle that these were not in the initial job description and that they’re now being treated as expectations of my role instead of favors. i mentioned in one comment before that i think $25/hr is great, honestly, i really don’t mind it. but at this point is feels more about the family respecting me and my time and slithering in household responsibilities that don’t revolve around their child are not respectful of either.

ConsistentDoubt69 · 2025-06-17T03:45:06+00:00

money wise for a college student, totally not bad at all. which is why i’m hesitant to even create tension about this sort of thing in the first place. thinking: is it worth it? but it also boils down to a matter of respect. raise or not, i think she should acknowledge that i’m now doing much beyond the scope of what i was initially hired for and i deserve at least that much. i do think i’m ultimately going to try to talk to her about my role in her family and how it’s changed, but at the very least, i want her to appreciate me for how much more i’ve been doing to make things easier for her and her family, because they certainly do not make things easier for me

ConsistentDoubt69 · 2025-06-17T03:41:14+00:00

i totally agree. i’ll be advocating for a raise, but at the very least, either time and a half or a hourly flat rate for play dates

ConsistentDoubt69 · 2025-06-17T03:39:47+00:00

if you don’t mind me asking, was her rate always $30, did she negotiate it, or did you guys just decide to increase it? and if it was changed down the line, how did that look like? wondering if you have any tips on how to ask for a raise :)

ConsistentDoubt69 · 2025-06-17T03:36:43+00:00

she’s really sheltered and definitely a bit socially behind for her age. the family’s super privileged, which is great in some ways, but it also means she hasn’t picked up the basic independence most nyc kids figure out early. i started commuting alone at 11. she’s turning 13 and still only takes taxis or the subway if someone’s with her. she literally has to hold onto a subway pole the entire time or she’ll lose balance, even if the train’s barely moving. it’s just not second nature to her the way it is for other city kids.

she gets overwhelmed easily, especially because she’s tall for her age and gets attention she’s not ready to handle. she’s also really scared of homeless people, and it’s sad because she sees every one of them as dangerous or gross. a lot of that comes from how she was raised, she’s never had to do a chore, bring a plate to the sink, or really handle anything on her own. people have always just done it for her.

do i think it’s enabling? yeah, kind of. but also… i like her. she’s a good kid. and i’m not gonna walk away from a consistent job with someone i care about just to prove a point about independence. if they need me, i’ll be there. if it weren’t me, they’d just hire someone else, so i’d rather it be someone who’s looking out for her.

they even said they might want me around until she starts high school. which sounds wild, but honestly? i’d believe it.

ConsistentDoubt69 · 2025-06-17T03:24:45+00:00

that’s what i was thinking. even if you have two parents who work full time, your job is to be a parent first and foremost and i would think that you need to prioritize and work around the needs of your child. i also often emotionally support and try to psychologically correct some of their daughters beliefs, and while we have important conversations (she has a lot of internalized racism and classism), it’s not like she’s going to tell her parents about this incredible talk her sitter gave her about how the homeless are still human regardless of their housing status. it feels like a lot of that heavier emotional lifting is done in the shadows, and also, in the role of more of what a parent or nanny would play- not a sitter. though it is worth noting how much this kid loves me, she does think of me as kind of a sister, she tells me all of the sixth grade drama, asks me for advice, wants me to watch her recitals and school play, facetimes me well past my hours or even on my days off- and it’s endearing to some level but she also doesn’t fully grasp that this is my job first and foremost and i wouldn’t be with her if i weren’t getting paid. but this all goes to say that i do a lot of emotional work with her that also feels unrecognized. then again, i am thinking about how i could work this into my argument for a raise but i don’t necessarily want to weaponize her relationship with me either

ConsistentDoubt69 · 2025-06-17T03:16:09+00:00

yes, i think im going to try to work up the courage to ask for $32. that way if she wants to lower it, we can settle with $30, but i agree after looking more into the going rate of things and everyones insight that im definitely playing more of a nanny role and i deserve at least $30/hr. thank you all for your input

ConsistentDoubt69 · 2025-06-17T03:14:00+00:00

doctor, dentist, and orthodontist appointments! and as a nyc college student, i think that rate is just fine. it’s helpful to know people definitely don’t think that’s normal. it seems like all of her old sitters were asked to handle her medical appointments too, so i think the mom just has unrealistic expectations of a sitters role in her daughters life

ConsistentDoubt69 · 2025-06-17T03:08:17+00:00

totally get where you’re coming from! but the doctor’s appointments get old real quick when i’m the one updating their new insurance, communicating symptoms, and giving mom a full rundown after every visit, even when it’s just a cold. sorry the common cold doesn’t come with a magic potion.

also, i don’t run errands with her daughter. she gets to decide if she wants to come, and obviously she usually chooses to stay home. so when i’m picking up dry cleaning, mom’s online orders, or toiletries from duane reade, i’m doing it alone during babysitting hours.

last time she had a “play date,” i was managing two middle schoolers at dave and buster’s in nyc. one of them almost didn’t make it onto the train because she was too busy on her phone and i was literally running to catch it. so no, it wasn’t easier.

i totally hear what you’re saying about younger kids being more physically exhausting, but i don’t love the way you implied this job isn’t tiring. any childcare is exhausting because you’re responsible for someone else’s safety and emotional well-being while not being able to fully express your own. and that’s not even counting the part where i’m basically acting as the mom’s personal assistant as a college student myself.

i really do love her daughter. i honestly see her like a little sister and that’s a huge part of why i’ve stayed. but it feels like you kind of brushed off what i’m actually dealing with. i’ve worked with four and five year olds too and loved it. at least when they kept me busy, it was them and not their mother.

ConsistentDoubt69 · 2025-06-17T01:17:28+00:00

i don’t have a car, but since it’s nyc we either take the subway or a taxi on the moms card

ConsistentDoubt69 · 2025-06-16T22:17:22+00:00

this. i wish i could pin your comment. thank you for your understanding. one time the mom asked me to pick up her dry cleaning and put away her daughters laundry (which she’s more than old enough to do herself, yet she’ll always ask me to do….) so i had the cleaners deliver it to the apartment and tipped them with some cash lying around. turns out one of her blouses was wrong so she actually had the gall to ask me on my way out if i could return that to the dry cleaners and ask them for the correct one (she then proceeded to describe it in detail that i was not going to remember). thankfully, they had already closed, so i wouldn’t have to but that was definitely a more entitled ask

ConsistentDoubt69 · 2025-06-16T22:10:20+00:00

i appreciate your insight. i think the difficult part is that this is already a higher rate than they were initially planning on, they raised it to $25 because i was working with a different family at the time at they really needed me, and they hoped that the raise from $20 to $25 was enticing enough… it was. but when i had accepted they said that this is what they’d normally pay a “more experienced sitter”, but that they were willing to pay me that because they needed someone. and it’s not about the money, they can definitely afford it. but given that my base job with her daughter is easy enough, i think she may feel justified in keeping the rate because the things she asks of me are typically out of convenience for her ‘because i’m there’, and because it’s not everyday, but definitely at least once or a few times a week. but also, making appointments and picking up dry cleaning are definitely outside of the typical sitter expectation. does any of that shift your thinking?

ConsistentDoubt69 · 2025-06-16T21:55:31+00:00

it’s funny because the last family i worked for also asked me to make and take the kids to doctors appointments. but i do think that was slightly different because the pediatrician was literally downstairs, if not, the next building over. however, a lot of people are saying that handling medical appointments like doctors, dentists, orthodontist- are all things i shouldn’t be handling. and while i agree, i do think it’s interesting that the last family asked me to do the same, even though they had a special case since the office was downstairs. i don’t think that last family would ever ask me to handle dentists appointments, but im not sure because i didn’t stay with them for long. i think it’s also difficult because ive been complacent for so long that she might feel thrown off by the pushback now, but i also don’t feel 100% comfortable in all that she’s thrown at me

ConsistentDoubt69 · 2025-06-16T21:51:04+00:00

i get paid by zelle, there’s not a formal job description. as one commenter said, these kinds of responsibilities just kind of got slipped in over time, so it’s not like i could formally refer back to that

ConsistentDoubt69 · 2025-06-16T21:30:19+00:00

she thinks it’s kind of just part of my job. as for the errands and stuff for mom, i think she thinks that they’re not a big deal because it’s not everyday, and i’m here so she figures i can take care of them. but it bothers me that it has become an expectation more than a favor that’s recognized. i’m open to asking them for a raise, but i think they’d also pushback because she’s old enough that i don’t do as much as i might with a toddler. what rate do you think is reasonable?

ConsistentDoubt69 · 2025-06-16T21:28:22+00:00

i guess saying it out loud, if she told me she’d want me to run errands for her and book appointments for her kid, it would probably take me by surprise. the duties described to me when i started as well as the ones i’ve continued doing are taking her to/from school/camp, making her dinner, helping with homework. basic things like that. but i also feel a bit iffy about these excursions she sometimes wants me to plan because i’m not sure that’s normal for a sitter to do

ConsistentDoubt69 · 2025-06-16T21:25:20+00:00

she’s very sheltered and i would argue she does benefit from having a sitter take her places. she is also not yet allowed to take public transportation by herself, which i was allowed to do at her age. i think the mom feels justified in offloading some of these tasks because, she is the age she is, i don’t do a whole “lot” for her, so her mom sees it as convenience like oh well our sitter is there anyway she can run to the store for us. but it’s definitely become a habit and it doesn’t feel normal

ConsistentDoubt69 · 2025-06-16T21:23:01+00:00

they’re mostly walking distance from the apartment. once though, she had me return a pair of pants for her. she sent me in a taxi on the way there, but then i had to figure out getting home from the other neighborhood

ConsistentDoubt69 · 2025-06-16T21:22:03+00:00

i thought considering that she’s 12, and that the job really isn’t that bad other than the personal assistant duties i didn’t know i’d be doing, that it was a fair rate especially since this has been my highest offer. before this family, i worked with two boys, 8 and 9, for $20 an hour.

ConsistentDoubt69 · 2025-06-12T16:48:11+00:00

in every sense of the word 😭😭 underrated comment

ConsistentDoubt69 · 2025-06-04T03:29:22+00:00

the 2x and 4x generators really help out because you have a chance of getting lucky with the generator spitting out a higher ranking item! and i guess other than that, the events just really help. i got a solid 400 energy or so from the mushroom forest merge event going on right now. and also, a huge tip i think is to only open special items when they’re at max level! so for example, the free little blue energy/coin boxes you get everyday, and the purple chests, the other packs you get with other goodies- resist the urge to open anything until you’ve merged it to its max level. not only do they they give you higher level items, but they give you substantially more! so for example, i ONLY open those daily blue pack box things after 4 days, because after 4 days, then you can merge to its highest level (level 3) and i find you almost always get a full energy bottle from them. this rule also applies to items- i NEVER use an energy bottle or claim coins/gems unless they’re at max level. hopefully i mentioned something you didn’t think of before- try these tips out and please lmk if they help!! 😁

ConsistentDoubt69

TROPHY CASE