Mom refuses to pay babysitter $16/hour rate for 8 hour day, gets offended when she quits the job: 'She has been saying I'm unprofessional'

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Ally Perry • Writer and Editor
May 2, 2026 7:45 PM EDT

Most parents need occasional childcare, but many of them are not willing to pay the price for it.

Understandably, many moms and dads balk at the costs of daycare and babysitting. In this day and age, it can work out as one of the biggest expenses for working parents, and kids are expensive as it is. 

At the same time, childcare professionals deserve to have their job taken seriously and to be given fair compensation for the work that they do. Holding full responsibility for someone else's kids for multiple hours a week is no light task.

Many babysitters find themselves in awkward positions with their clients, where they expect them to take on a lot of work for not enough pay. They have to weigh up the pros and cons between losing an income or retaining one that simply isn't good enough. It usually proves to be the better option for them to put their foot down and insist on a certain rate. Lowballing parents are a phenomenon that will not quit unless those who provide their childcare are not willing to budge on what they expect to be paid. It is an awkward fight to have, but a worthwhile one.

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  • A young woman sits at a kitchen table, pouring a jar of cereal into the bowl of a little girl sitting beside her
    via Vitaly Gariev

    A young woman sits at a kitchen table, pouring a jar of cereal into the bowl of a little girl sitting beside her

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • Am I wrong for quitting a babysitting job on the spot after the mom insulted me?

    I (22F) have been babysitting for a family every weekday morning for an hour. I take care of two kids, get them ready, and drop them off at school using Uber. I charge $16/hour and I've often stayed a bit longer without charging extra.
    via PossessionTop9791
  • Recently the mom asked if I could babysit from 7:30 AM to 3:30 PM during the kid's break. I said I'd be more than happy, she asked about the rate and I said my rate would stay the same, $16/hour.
    via PossessionTop9791
  • She said we should talk a flat rate for the entire day instead. I suggested that since it's about 8 hours I could do the whole day for $115. She immediately said I was taking advantage of the situation and said she would only pay $50 for the entire day .When I said that doesn't work for me she started yelling and said I was greedy, along with some really harsh personal comments about my appearance that felt completely unnecessary.
    via PosessionTop9791
  • I told her I wouldn't be continuing at all, quit on the spot, and left. Since then, she has been constantly texting me saying I'm unprofessional and that I didn't give them any notice to find someone else among other things. I told her I won't be returning.
    via PossessionTop9791
  • Am I overreacting for quitting and refusing to go back?
    via PossessionTop9791
  • A young woman touches the hair of a little girl while they both sit at a kitchen table
    via Vitaly Gariev

    A young woman touches the hair of a little girl while they both sit at a kitchen table

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • Emergency-Minute-112 No, as a childcare giver myself i wish more babysitters/nannies would stand up for themselves like you did.
    via Emergency-Minute-112
  • Helpful-Alligator Of course not. You determine what kind of treatment you allow.
    via Helpful-Alligator
  • seamonstre if she doesn't want to pay you a professional rate then she doesn't get to expect 'professional' behavior out of you. NOR
    via seamonstre
  • HagathaPathetica NOR: at $115, you basically gave her an hour for free. If she didn't want to pay $16 an hour, she should have said, "let me think about it." And tried to find someone cheaper. Idk why she got mad at you for this, especially when she already knew your rate, but even if she hadn't, no reason to yell at you!
    via HagathaPathetica
  • sitnquiet Lol she FAd, and now she's FOing. Maybe it will teach her to be kinder and more gracious to people. But I doubt it. NOR. $6/hour for two kids is absurd.
    via sitnquiet
  • One_Entrepreneur_520 You did the right thing. Next time she texts you tell her you would be willing to be a reference for her next babysitter.
    via One_Entrepreneur_520
  • Rude_Kaleidoscope641 NOR and i absolutely LOVE that you have a sense of your self worth!!! I'd tell my the mom her behavior is immature and unacceptable.
    via Rude_Kaleidoscope641
  • ww_adh77 That's awful. Your daily rate was completely reasonable given what you make per hour. Your time is valuable. You could certainly babysit for others willing to pay what you're asking. And, judging from this toxic exchange, I hope that you do! Good luck.
    via ww_adh77
  • Low_Recognition_1557 NOR. Your price is your price. Just because you're not in her budget doesn't make it unreasonable.
    via Low_Recognition_1557
  • sukki_ricecake719 NOR more like she was trying to take advantage of the situation. asking for a flat rate.
    via sukki_ricecake719
  • Elegant-Opinion-9595 NOR: So ahe thinks ypu should be ok getting paid $6 25 an hour? Yeah, walk away from her.
    via Elegant-Opinion-9595

  • In this story, a babysitter had been watching two kids for an hour each morning before school. She had been doing this at an hourly rate of $16, getting the children ready for school and dropping them off.

    The mom of this family asked if she would be able to watch them for eight hours a day during the school holidays, and she initially agreed. However, the mom wanted her to do this for a flat rate of $50 a day, which the babysitter did not feel was acceptable. 

    Things escalated, and the mom began to insult her and claim that she was greedy for wanting her normal hourly rate. This led to the babysitter quitting altogether, but she wasn't sure if she had taken things too far.

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babysitter kids wages parenting babysitting money quitting entitled people
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