Family Friction: The Dilemma of Paying Mom for Childcare
I Want My Jobless Mom, 64, to Babysit My Kid but She Demands Payment
In order to properly care for her newborn child when she went back to work, a new mother need assistance. She requested that her mother, who was 64 years old at the time, watch her child, but when she also requested that she be rewarded, the daughter declined.
One of the female users on Reddit shared her thoughts on a predicament she was having with her mother. In her explanation, the woman stated that she had recently given birth to her child and that she required assistance in caring for her newborn child since she was going back to work.
Initially, she thought that her mother, who was 64 years old and had been a homemaker since 1992, would be an ideal candidate for the position. She believed that she would work well in the role. On the other hand, her mother was leery of the idea of working as a babysitter full-time.
As a result of the fact that she had previously brought up her children, the grandmother reasoned that she was too old. Not only that, but she also shared with her daughter that if she had wanted to have a child, she ought to have thought about remaining at home.
The elderly woman stated that she and her husband had reached an agreement that she would remain at home and take care of the children while he went to work and supplied for the family. She also stated that if they were able to accomplish this, then her daughter and her partner would be able to find a way to establish a “traditional” family.
Despite the fact that the 29-year-old woman may have given these choices more thought, she noted that they had just made it through the pandemic, which had a significant impact on their financial situation. A breakdown of the woman’s monthly income and the amount of debt she had acquired was provided by the woman, in addition to the deteriorating economy.
She stated, “I make $55,000 per year, but I have student loans totaling $39 thousand and other debt totaling $20,000 (credit card debt, car loan debt, and medical debt on credit).” My partner has a credit card debt of $5,000 and makes approximately $36 thousand each year.
Considering that the Redditor was the member with the highest income and had a significant amount of debt, she was in a position where she could not afford to not return to work. In addition, the newly extended family was living in a modest apartment with only one bedroom, with the intention of saving up and moving to a larger residence once the baby reached a certain degree of maturity.
For this reason, each and every penny was important for the new mother. Nevertheless, the grandma did not consent to the idea of babysitting her child without receiving any payment. She requested that she be paid twenty dollars per hour, that she be provided with a car seat and a stroller, that she be rewarded for transporting the child back to her daughter’s place because babysitting from their apartment was not an option, and that she be required to pay late penalties in the event that the parents were late in picking up the child.
The new mother stated that her mother lived fifteen minutes away and that she had only visited her flat once in the five years that she and her partner had lived there from the time they moved in. The grandmother, on the other hand, did not choose to enter their house for a variety of personal reasons.
The proposal made by the mother was seen ridiculous by the daughter, particularly due to the fact that she would be required to purchase an additional stroller and car seat. She kept making her case and wrote in her journal, “I want to save money to bring down our debt, and I don’t want to pay her as much nor invest as much in double everything as it will spiral into more debt for me and my partner.”
Her mother and she ended up having a disagreement about something that appeared to be a straightforward answer to the problem she was having. By the time her mother had finished outlining her demands, it appeared that it would be more convenient and cost-effective for her and her partner to take their newborn child to an infant care center.
However, the original poster (OP) turned to other users of Reddit to inquire as to whether or not she was justified in her decision to not compensate her mother for the babysitting chores she performed. “She does not do anything besides watch TV and cook meals,” said the other person.
The Reddit user’s account did not garner positive feedback. She was admonished by other users that she should not have had children if she could not afford to take care of them. These users were just as harsh as her mother. In addition, the commenter stated that the woman ought to have addressed this agreement with her mother when she was pregnant because she was aware that she would be required to go back to work afterwards.
There were a greater number of individuals who shared the same thoughts and believed that the Reddior was impolite for stating that her mother did nothing but watch television and prepare. People on the internet noted that the elderly woman was retired and had the right to decline her offer because child care was a tough job.
The commenters went on to say that the elder woman was quite right to point out that she was the one who had brought up her children. In light of this, she was able to provide occasional babysitting services out of a genuine desire to be of service. As a result, the entire tale gave the impression that the Redditor was entitled to the readers.
As a grandmother I enjoy watching my grandkids. I watched my 2 youngest grandkids for 2 years without pay when I was retired. Another time when I was unemployed I watched my other grandson for 2 years for free. This woman hasn’t worked since 1992 so I wouldn’t exactly called her “retired”. The young mother should take her child to daycare, I believe the baby would be better off there than with the grandmother.