Parents Refuse to Pay 17-Year-Old Nanny After 3 Weeks of Work, Forcing Nanny's Mom to Pay For Gas so Her Daughter Can Drive The Kids Around

Author image for Emmy Pratt
Emmy Pratt • Senior Editor
Jul 3, 2026 8:30 PM EDT

This is absolutely ridiculous.

As a parent, there will be times when you must decide whether to intervene in your kid's affairs or let them handle them on their own. If your 13-year-old daughter has a friend who is treating her poorly but doesn't know how to end the friendship, it's a good idea to intervene, talk to her friend's parents, and let them know that your daughter no longer wants to be friends with their daughter. If your 23-year-old daughter were in the same situation, it'd be a different story, but sometimes kids need their parents to fight their battles for them when they don't yet have the tools to fight for themselves. 

One of the few places where parents might not try to fight their kids' battles is in the workplace. If your kid gets a summer job at Sonic and you don't like how many hours they're working, it's smart to let your teenager tell their boss they can only work X hours per week, because it prepares them for the adult world. However, there are times when a parent needs to step in and tell their teenager that they're being taken advantage of at work. The teen in this story is not getting paid by her mom's "friends." She has been nannying their kids for the past three weeks, and keeps saying that they're going to pay her for her work, to no avail.

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  • Cheezburger Image 10644359168
    via Brooke Cagle (Unsplash+)

    A nanny reading a book with the kids she is taking care of, despite the fact that their parents haven't paid her for her work for the last three weeks.

    The photo is a representation. 

  • My friends haven't paid my 17-year-old daughter for three weeks of nannying, forcing me to cover the cost of her gas.

    My 17 year old daughter started nannying this summer for some friends of ours. They told her they would pay her every week, on Friday, when she sends them her hours and miles.
    via u/kelppie
  • She did that and they didn't pay her week 1. Week 2 she sends them another request and combined hours and miles. Still nothing. She's three weeks in, has asked them about twice a week if
    via u/kelppie
  • they could pay her. She's told them she needs gas money to drive their kids. Still nothing. She's asking me to borrow money to pay for the gas to drive them. These people are my friends. They
    via u/kelppie
  • are apparently very flaky! Do I get involved or just let her figure it out? I've already paid for one tank of gas for them but gas is not cheap.
    via u/kelppie
  • Cheezburger Image 10644371968
    via Getty Images (Unsplash+)

    A mom fills up her daughter's gas tank because she hasn't been paid for three weeks at her nanny job and can't afford to get the gas herself. 

    Model representing situation

  • Stuffon Bookshelfs Why does she keep going back?
    via u/StuffonBookshelfs
  • kelppie OP She likes the job and they are nice people and they say they'll pay her "tonight" every time she asks.
    via u/kelppie
  • Cheezburger Image 10644382208
    via Vitaly Gariev

    Two young parents tell their children's nanny they'll pay her soon, even though they've done nothing to suggest they're telling the truth.

    Depicted by models.

  • Poem Competitive5315 Nice people pay people on time. They do not let weeks lapse without paying. If they actually meant what they said about paying her "tonight" this post would have never been posted. I am shocked you are okay with this as a mom.
    via u/PoemCompetitive5315
  • VictorianUFOLady You're teaching your daughter it's okay for people to take advantage of her. She should not return until she is paid. You should teach her, she doesn't work for free and her work and time matters.
    via u/VictorianUFOLady
  • JustKindaHappenedxx She should not return until she's paid. And then once she is paid in full she should NOT go back. Once an employer tries to commit wage theft you should be done with them. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Fool me for the third week in a row... Shame on mom for not showing up to her "friends" house and making sure her daughter gets paid in full NOW.
    via u/JustKindaHappenedxx
  • _Veronica_ She needs to tell them (in writing, so via text) that she can't return until she's been paid what she's owed. “Hi Name. As you know it's been X weeks of work without any pay, and I'm owed $X. I won't be able to return until I receive payment." Don't say anything else, don't bargain, just let her respond.
    via u/_Veronica_
  • FranceBrun I did this job for neighbors when I was 17. I'm still waiting to be paid for my last two weeks, and I'm 65. I did go to their house and remind them, and the woman pretended like she thought she had paid me. She also said, "tonight."
    via u/FranceBrun
  • These people have no regard for other people and the agreements they make with them. I'm sure my lady thought she deserved those two weeks of free labor. You need to step in if your daughter is not paid. If she's borrowing gas money to do the job, that's just not right. I would tell those people that you refuse to allow your daughter to go into debt to do that job for them.
    via u/FranceBrun
  • catandakittycat Exactly. As a contractor myself, I've had a few clients ask to pay late and I allowed them to on that one occasion. If it keeps happening then they will loose you as their contractor. Plain and simple. They hired a service, knowing they can't afford, but at the end of the day it's not right to not pay up.
    via u/catandakittycat
  • jewishlucilleball Ask your daughter if you'd like for you to get involved, but she should definitely be getting paid !! I think saying something along the line of "I can't drive the kids until I get gas money" would be good but I'm definitely getting suspicious vibes from this family
    via u/jewishlucilleball
  • MegAlligator GET INVOLVED!!!!
    via u/MegAlligator

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teenagers nanny parenting money
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