This is a simple question that is bothering me for quite some time. Should I pay my kid to babysit younger siblings? I grow up with 2 younger brothers that I babysit from time to time. My mom never paid me for that but I have to admit that made me angry sometimes. I was wondering – my mom was paying other people for babysitting, why doesn’t she pay me? Is it my job to look after them? I don’t think so. But, they are my brothers and I am the oldest one. Maybe it really was my job.
After talking with lots of adults with siblings about this topic, I found it very often that people resent their parents for making them look after their siblings. Could that be avoided if mom or dad would give them some money for babysitting or some other sort of compensation?
Should You Pay Your Kid To Babysit Younger Siblings
As I said, it’s a simple question, but very hard to answer.
In my opinion, if we are talking about occasional babysitting like when your kid is looking after their siblings while you run to the grocery store, you probably shouldn’t pay your kid for that. If they are watching them while your work every day until 6 pm or every Sunday – then perhaps you could work something out.
It doesn’t have to be about the money. This can be some other sort of compensation – like making cookies together or going for an ice cream. The important point here is that your older kid needs to know that he or she is appreciated for babysitting the siblings, and not just taken for granted.
‘She should babysit them for free because they are her siblings’. But hey, your oldest kid shouldn’t do something just because he or she is the oldest. That really doesn’t sound right.
So, I really believe that if it gets to a point babysitting takes a huge chunk of your kids time and he or she is doing it well and responsively, there’s really nothing wrong with wanting some compensation. Of course, I am talking about amounts that your family can afford.
What do you think about this topic? I would really like to her your opinion!
Hmmm…great question! I’ve never really thought about. We only have one child, so it’s not an issue for us. I remember growing up, though, I’d babysit my sister. But it was when we were older, and I didn’t really have to do much other than be there in case something went wrong. I remember my parents would let us go out and get dinner to bring back home on those nights…and that was enough ‘payment’ for me! 🙂