Jean in Newcastle Posted October 24, 2015 Share Posted October 24, 2015 Dd13 is becoming popular as a babysitter. She is very experienced and volunteers daily at the Y with young children. I have no problem with her skills. But the mom she's babysitting for tomorrow said that she's going to want to talk to her about her Christmas break availability. I just want some of your ideas on what to think about with regard to this. I have no problem setting boundaries once I know what I want them to be. In the past, there have been public school holidays and she's asked dd to babysit all day. I said no - that she could do half day only because while dd loves the income, she was still doing school since we don't follow a p.s. schedule. So. . . . what do you think? I absolutely know that I would not want to agree to all day every day for a week or more. But what might be reasonable? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjzimmer1 Posted October 24, 2015 Share Posted October 24, 2015 I guess I'd be looking at what days I would want not just for family gatherings but extended family events or homeschool get togethers. I would also consider if you are likely to go to a night event that might keep DD up late such that she doesn't want to get up early and babysit the next day. It is her Christmas break as well and I would want to make sure she is actually getting a break and not just switching school work for paid work with no downtime. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ethel Mertz Posted October 24, 2015 Share Posted October 24, 2015 I wouldn't want her to do all day, every day, for a week either. Are you on break from homeschool that week? If so, I think that 2 or 3 days at the most is reasonable - also dependent on what your family plans are. Plus, the kid just needs a break and doesn't need to be working the whole time. (Geez, I'm having a hard time typing this. My 13 year old just went on a non-stop talking jag about some bird species.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadia Posted October 24, 2015 Share Posted October 24, 2015 I would be happy working 9 to 9 every day including weekends if there were no events/gatherings planned. Ask your child what she would prefer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted October 24, 2015 Author Share Posted October 24, 2015 I would be happy working 9 to 9 every day including weekends if there were no events/gatherings planned. Ask your child what she would prefer. I will ask her for her preferences. But I am not going to allow a 13 year old to work 12 hour days 7 days a week. For one thing, that would break child labor laws. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tsuga Posted October 24, 2015 Share Posted October 24, 2015 My step-daughter worked 40 hour weeks, 8 hour max. She's kind of busy this break, Jean, so if your daughter can't find anybody and she's looking for a challenge... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted October 24, 2015 Author Share Posted October 24, 2015 My step-daughter worked 40 hour weeks, 8 hour max. She's kind of busy this break, Jean, so if your daughter can't find anybody and she's looking for a challenge... I'm tired and perhaps my reading comprehension is suffering but I'm not sure what you're saying here. Are you offering your step daughter as a babysitter for my neighbor? Are you asking my daughter to babysit for you? (My dd is not particularly looking for work.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aiden Posted October 24, 2015 Share Posted October 24, 2015 I think it would be reasonable to block out the times that she needs to be at other events--doing school, family events, etc--then talk to her about how much time she'd prefer to devote to babysitting over her break. You know her best and probably have an idea if she'd actually function well with a 40-hour week, or only a 20-hour one, or if she really needs to keep it to 10 hours/week. I'd talk with her about it, giving preference to her choices so that she can start to learn her own limits and have practice making decisions and keeping commitments in a limited time frame (it's only a couple of weeks, not the whole summer; a good time to experiment without a long commitment). 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted October 24, 2015 Share Posted October 24, 2015 I will ask her for her preferences. But I am not going to allow a 13 year old to work 12 hour days 7 days a week. For one thing, that would break child labor laws. :iagree: I wouldn't want to babysit someone's child for 12 hour days, and I'm an adult. I think it would be WAY too much to expect of a 13yo. And if it is also Christmas break, I would feel badly for your dd if she gave up very much of her vacation time just to make some money. Also, you might end up having fun activities to attend at that time of the year, and it would be a shame if your dd had to miss them because she was babysitting. I suspect that you may not get the option of having your dd only babysit part time, though, because if the mom has to work, she probably needs a full time sitter. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted October 24, 2015 Share Posted October 24, 2015 My step-daughter worked 40 hour weeks, 8 hour max. She's kind of busy this break, Jean, so if your daughter can't find anybody and she's looking for a challenge... How old was she when she was working 40 hour weeks? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama Geek Posted October 24, 2015 Share Posted October 24, 2015 Thinking back to my childhood, I spent a lot of time babysitting. I don't remember if I did everyday for a week at 13 or not, but I always enjoyed babysitting and playing with the kids and earning the money. 12 hours a day would be a lot at 13, but 8 or 9 would be OK in my opinion. Of course block out the time for holiday functions. Working over a break from school at something you enjoy doing IMO is a good thing. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marbel Posted October 24, 2015 Share Posted October 24, 2015 I am sure the mom doesn't expect 12 hour shifts. Or if she does, she's crazy for asking a teen to do that. I would first ask my dd how flexible she would want her Christmas break time to be. Agreeing this far in advance doesn't help her if Christmas events don't materialize til later. I suspect the mom wants a sitter for her whole work shift. I would encourage the mom to find someone else. How long has your dd babysat for at one time? This is my question. My daughter loved babysitting at age 13 but she did not like 8-hour (or longer) days. It was just too much for her. But, your daughter may be different. Even so, if she hasn't done full days yet, I'd not sign her up for a week's worth. (ETA: Whoops, just reread the OP and you said you already knew you wouldn't do that!) I would think about your daughter's need for a break, and your own activities/plans/traditions during that time. As my kids are getting older and we are getting closer to that empty nest, I am hoping we will have a lot of time together this Christmas...even as I am encouraging my son to apply for a seasonal job. (My daughter already has a part-time job.) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted October 24, 2015 Share Posted October 24, 2015 It really is whatever you feel comfortable with. My friend's daughter was a nanny of sorts and would stay with the kids 4-5 hours every afternoon. She would pick them up from school around 2:30pm (across the street from their house), walk them home, play with them, fix them and the parents dinner, and then get picked up between 6pm-7pm. On holidays, like Christmas break, she worked full days. Maybe you could say 25 hours per week max? What do you think is appropriate? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Word Nerd Posted October 24, 2015 Share Posted October 24, 2015 If the woman needs childcare during the days the kids aren't in school, then she'll be looking for someone who can do full days (not 12 hours, though--not sure why that number came up), not a few hours here and there. I would guess this would be an all-or-nothing situation, as it would be a logistical nightmare to find multiple part-time babysitters whose schedules all coordinated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmrich Posted October 24, 2015 Share Posted October 24, 2015 I think it is to have a dialogue with the mom. More than likely the kids can do 1 week at camp and will need care for the actual week of Christmas. If you let the mom know your hesitation about a full day, perhaps she can arrange a play date for her child so your daughter can be finished around 2 or 3 those days. It also would not surprise if the mom could leave work a little earlier during the holiday week unless she works retail. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted October 24, 2015 Author Share Posted October 24, 2015 Dd has worked full days before. Neither dd or I are interested in becoming this mom's childcare so some of the boundaries I'm thinking through are for the mom, not my dd. I talked to dd last night. I told her that she needs to tell the mom that she (dd) needs to discuss the situation with me once she knows exactly what the mom is asking, so that we can look over our calendar. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marbel Posted October 24, 2015 Share Posted October 24, 2015 Dd has worked full days before. Neither dd or I are interested in becoming this mom's childcare so some of the boundaries I'm thinking through are for the mom, not my dd. I talked to dd last night. I told her that she needs to tell the mom that she (dd) needs to discuss the situation with me once she knows exactly what the mom is asking, so that we can look over our calendar. Perfect! I hope it works out well for your daughter. And you. :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted October 24, 2015 Share Posted October 24, 2015 Dd has worked full days before. Neither dd or I are interested in becoming this mom's childcare so some of the boundaries I'm thinking through are for the mom, not my dd. I talked to dd last night. I told her that she needs to tell the mom that she (dd) needs to discuss the situation with me once she knows exactly what the mom is asking, so that we can look over our calendar. Sounds like a good plan! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadia Posted October 24, 2015 Share Posted October 24, 2015 For one thing, that would break child labor laws. Not implying that your child should work more than 8 hrs per day :) My dad and uncles did work that kind of hours during school breaks for my paternal granddad's family business but that was to keep cost down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gingersmom Posted October 24, 2015 Share Posted October 24, 2015 I would think 15-20 hours max for the whole week. I can count on one hand how many times I babysat :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted October 24, 2015 Share Posted October 24, 2015 I think for a 13yo, full time may be too much, but maybe between 20-30 hours per week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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