Gabriella Ferlita
It’s not uncommon for grandparents to get involved with their grandkids’ childcare needs. But one woman has seriously divided opinion after refusing to babysit her one-year-old grandchild... for free.
The grandmother, who chose to remain anonymous, took to Reddit under the r/AmIthea**hole thread to air her thoughts about her family childcare arrangements - of which she stated ‘I’m not a daycare’.
The woman wrote: “My daughter is 29, she has a one-year-old son and will be returning to work soon.
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"She works 5 days a week, about 7-8 hours a day from 7:30 am- 3 pm, and asked me if I would be willing to babysit her son either two or three days a week.”
She continued, explaining: “Of course, I am open to spending time with my grandson, but I explained to her that I would like payment of $12 (£10.61) per hour.
"She understood my need for payment but then lowballed me by requesting $10 (£8.84) per hour because she claimed that she cannot afford it even with her $22 (£19.45) per hour job," which equates to around a £40,000 salary in the UK.
“I’m not a daycare. I have my own life, I work for myself and I think she should understand that I’d be giving up my time when I work from home, and if I’m going to be giving up that time then I need money to replace the time I’m giving up from my job.
The grandmother went on to explain that while she works at home, she cannot 'simply work and watch her child at the same time'.
"She says it’s only 2-3 a week since her husband’s parents are babysitting on the other 2-3 remaining days while she works, and she’d be providing food.
"I love my grandson, but as I stated above, I’m not a daycare.”
Whilst other Reddit users didn't think she was ‘an a**hole’ for asking for monetary compensation for looking after her daughter’s son, they did think the woman was asking for too high an amount compared to her daughters’ salary.
“Dude, just say you don't want to babysit,” one woman replied. “You're asking for over 2/3's of the money she's making pre-tax. Obviously, she can't afford that.
“To clarify, you're not TA for asking for compensation, you're TA because it's clear you don't actually want to do this and instead of outright saying so you're instead demanding an outrageous (for what your daughter earns) amount.”
Another expressed that for the same money, she could enrol her child into a nursery.
They said: “Plus at this rate, she could pay a daycare centre for a full week of care (depending on her city). I’ve been searching for care and what I’ve found is anywhere from $145-$300/week.”
What do you think, is she an a**hole for refusing to look after her grandchild for free?