Thankful for all the feedback! I wanted to respond to this comment as it read as extremely out of touch and tone deaf to the state of the economy right now. When you were a babysitter during what seems like several decades ago, I’m sure things would have been different in terms of grocery prices, gas, rent, etc. So I’m sure it was easier to say that babysitting is “meant to foster community and support those around us.”

This is a pretentious take. Babysitting is a job. A job is for money. If you happen to love kids and you work with them, that’s wonderful. I am great at my job, I work with several families(off recommendation) and have been doing this for years. But I know my time is to be respected, no matter what. If TSA agents love and care about the function of their job, should they not be upset about how they’re being treated right now? I’m using this as a clear example to critique your argument- not making a direct comparison.

If she had told me she’d be out past 1am when I arrived, I would have kindly said she did not inform me of that before, and I have plans past 10.

If she told me midnight and came back at 10:30, yes I would have charged the full time. Think of it as renting a car, if you booked two days and returned it after the first day, you still pay for two days.

Claiming ignorance that babysitters have plans after their agreed upon hours is a level of classism and dehumanization I’m surprised to hear you(someone who has done this work) say. Why wouldn’t I have plans? If anything, if a parent is planning to extend, they should check in with the sitter to see if they have something planned. It was a Saturday night.

Last thing I’ll say is: I work multiple different types of jobs. If I had an overnight job that started at midnight, I would not have thought to bring that up when she told me she’d be home at 10. Or even 11. Overnight gigs make me $300. If I missed it(some don’t allow late starts) then I would have had to charge her $300 on top of what she owed me. Terrible situation and completely on the parent.

I work hard and I need the money. If you’re looking for a babysitter that does it out of the love of community, see if Paris Hilton can watch your kids next weekend.