Unpaid for Babysitting? The Lesson I Taught Our Neighbor

After a week of babysitting, Lucy’s mother, Rebecca, is incensed when she returns home crying. Mrs. Carpenter, their arrogant neighbor, declined to pay, citing it as a “life lesson.” Rebecca, who is determined to make amends, plans a cunning retaliation to make sure Mrs. Carpenter is taught a lesson she will never forget.

Lucy staggered through the door, tears streaking her pale cheeks. I froze, the sight of her so startling and unexpected that I remained motionless for a moment.

TTears streamed down her cheeks, her breaths coming in uneven gasps, and her whole body radiated a deep sadness—so unlike my daughter, who was rarely one to cry.

“Lucy?” I hurried over to her and touched her shoulders. “What happened?”

Instead of responding immediately, she shook her head and wiped her cheeks in an attempt to gather her thoughts. However, I could see that she had lost her struggle, which made my stomach turn.

I softly guided her to sit on the couch, holding her shoulders with care.

Her fingers trembled as they fiddled with the edge of her sweater, and I sat beside her, heart pounding, wondering what could have shattered her so completely.

At last, Lucy raised her head to face me, her voice barely audible above a whisper. “Mom, she… she wouldn’t pay me.”

Bewildered, I blinked. “What are you saying? “Who?”

“Mrs. Carpenter!” Her eyes filled with new tears, and her voice broke.

It was a lesson in life, she remarked. It’s always best to get everything in writing. “Never believe what someone says!”

“She said what?” My voice broke as anger replaced my incredulity.

She said that the lesson I learned from babysitting should have been that hard effort was sufficient compensation. After that, Mom, she slammed the door in my face.

As I took in the words, my stomach turned. “So, she didn’t pay you at all?”

She gave a headshake.

As Lucy went on, I could feel the heat building in my chest and my heart quickening.

“And her kids, Mom—” Her voice was shaking as she sniffed. “When she was absent, they were terrible. They refused to pay attention. They hurled toys at me as well as at one another! ‘Mom says we don’t have to,’ they remarked, laughing as I attempted to force them to complete their summer reading.

Angrily, she wiped her eyes. “I really tried. I always arrived on time and took care of everything. And she simply grinned as if it were a joke. As if it didn’t even count.”

I responded, “Oh, sweetie,” and drew her in close. Even though she was fifteen and making a concerted effort to be an adult, she felt like my little child again in that instant. “How much did she owe you?”

“I babysat for four hours each day for five days… so that’s $220.” Lucy snorted. “I was going to use it for that art course I wanted to take.”

I instinctively reached for my handbag. I said, “Here,” while tallying the money. “You earned this.”

Lucy’s gaze expanded. “Mom, no—”

“Yes,” I demanded, forcing the cash into her grasp. “You put a lot of effort into this. Mrs. Carpenter’s actions were wrong; they weren’t a “life lesson.”

Lucy gave a headshake. “But, Mom, you owe me nothing. It was she who failed to keep her word.

“Don’t worry about it, sweetie.” Leaning in, I gave her a hug. Furthermore, this is not a freebie. I will speak with Mrs. Carpenter briefly, and we will resolve the matter between us.

Lucy nodded and raised her eyebrows.

Why don’t you watch TV and get a cookie now? In an hour, I’ll give you a call for dinner.

I was always calmed by cooking, but not on that particular day. While I was making dinner, my mind was racing. By the time I finally put the meal in the oven and set the timer, my anger had only increased.

I had always kept things polite with Mrs. Carpenter, but we were never exactly friends. She prided herself on her “tough love” approach, often claiming that “kids today need to learn through hard experiences.”

Usually, I brushed off her comments, but this time was different. It felt personal. I couldn’t just storm over and demand the money, but letting her take advantage of Lucy was out of the question. Mrs. Carpenter wasn’t going to get away with this.

I required a more calculated strategy.

I didn’t get much sleep that night. I couldn’t help but think of Lucy’s joy upon receiving the position.

She had cried, “My first real job, Mom!” “You’ll see that I’m going to be really responsible. I’ll do everything correctly.”

She had, too. For what purpose had she arrived early each day, cleaned up, and played with the children? To be degraded by a self-righteous woman who believed she was helping my daughter by defrauding her of her money?

As I considered how to contact Mrs. Carpenter and handle this problem, I tossed and turned. In the morning, I had a strategy. I would strike her in the most vulnerable spot—her reputation.

With my face set up in what I hoped was a polite, almost cheery smile, I rang Mrs. Carpenter’s doorbell at precisely ten in the morning. Her eyebrows went up in surprise as she opened the door.

“Hey Rebecca! “What brings you by?”

“Oh,” I said in a honey-infused voice. “I just had to come over and thank you personally.”

Bewildered, she blinked. “Thank me?”

“For teaching Lucy such a great life lesson yesterday. Are you aware of the significance of contracts and trust?

Mrs. Carpenter smiled smugly as her face relaxed. “Yes, indeed. I’m happy you get it. While some parents might be offended, kids must learn—”

I interrupted, “Oh, absolutely,” “I’ve been telling everyone about it.”

Her smile wavered a bit. “Everyone?”

I happily nodded and took out my phone. “Oh, the gathering of mothers has been captivated. This morning, Sarah mentioned how intriguing it was that you had a teenage girl labor for a week without getting paid.

Even when Mrs. Carpenter’s smile wavered, I wasn’t finished. I put it up for her to view and gave the screen a few taps. “I’ve written about it extensively in the local Facebook group. Everyone loves to be educated, you know. Considering the comments, I’m shocked you haven’t seen it yet.”

Her face was losing color as she gazed at the screen, her eyes widening. “Wh-what did you post?”

I said, “Oh, just the truth,” as I scrolled down.

“‘Lucy babysat for you, every day for a week, and you decided not to pay her because you wanted to teach her a ‘life lesson.'” I stopped and smiled pleasantly at her. “I think it really resonated with people.”

After turning the phone back around, I began reading the comments while talking. “Down the street, Melissa? She described it as ‘disgraceful’ and declared that she would never put her trust in someone who mistreats children.

I kept scrolling. You know Janet from the PTA, and she believes we ought to discuss this at the upcoming school board meeting. claims that it is a bad reflection on our community.

As I went on, Mrs. Carpenter’s expression changed from smug to glaring white, with each remark obviously striking her more forcefully than the one before it.

I said, “Oh, here’s a good one,” and extended the phone to her once more. “This is completely intolerable! We must shield our kids from such individuals. I would never again allow her to be around my children. My eyebrows went up. “Looks like you’ve got quite the reputation now.”

Her voice was shaky as she swallowed hard. “Rebecca, I think there’s been a misunderstanding—”

“Oh, I don’t think so.” As I continued to scroll, my smile remained unwavering. “You made it apparent what ‘lesson’ you intended to impart. And now everyone is aware of your particular nature as an educator.

She raised her hand and waved feebly at the phone as though she could somehow halt the barrage of comments. “But, but… some of the other mothers must agree with me, surely?”

“Let’s see…” I read over the comments with a contemplative frown. “It appears that everyone believes you to be a cheater and a miser. Don’t worry, though. It will pass, I’m sure. Finally.

Mrs. Carpenter’s eyes darted back and forth as though seeking an escape, and she clutched the doorframe, her knuckles white. “Please, Rebecca. Those posts must be removed. I didn’t mean—”

I answered breezily, “Oh, don’t worry about it,” “It’s only a lesson in life, isn’t it? We occasionally have to learn things the hard way.

I started to walk away but stopped. “Oh, and next time you want to teach someone’s child a lesson?” I met her eyes fully and allowed my smile to grow into a savage grin. “Make sure the mother doesn’t bite back.”

With an envelope in hand, Lucy stormed through the main door that night. “Mom! I got the money from Mrs. Carpenter! According to her, there was a miscommunication on the date of the payment.

I gave her a hug while inhaling the aroma of her coconut shampoo. “That’s fantastic, my love. I’m quite happy that she corrected her error.

“Here.” In my hands, she pressed the envelope. “Since you already paid me, this belongs to you.”

Lucy ran upstairs, and I grinned at myself.

Some would argue that my actions were needless or trivial. But I knew I would do it again in a heartbeat when I overheard Lucy talking excitedly to her buddy on the phone about the course she could now enroll in.

Being kind and taking the high road aren’t always the finest lessons a mother can impart. At times, it’s about demonstrating to your child that they are important, that their efforts are valued, and that others who attempt to use them will face repercussions.