Mum sparks debate after sharing list of chores for her babysitter

A mum has sparked debate online after leaving a list of household chores for her babysitter.

Katrina Ivan, from the US, is a school teacher and also runs a small business on the side, which means she's always super busy.

So, when her 17-year-old babysitter came over to look after the kids, she took the opportunity to leave her a list of chores.

But not everyone thought it was a good idea.

TikTok/@kivankc

Katrina - aka @kivankc - didn't expect her babysitter to do the chores unpaid, and offered between $3 (£2.39) and $15 (£12) per chore, depending on the work involved.

“I am a teacher and I have a small business that is in the busy season. Little things have been let go for too long. If my sitter decides to do this, I’ll be forever grateful,” the mum said.

”If not, I’ll get to it later like I already had planned.”

The note read: “You are more than welcome to hang out and watch TV all night but if you want to make some extra cash, these jobs are up for grabs.

“Just let me know if you decided to do any of these and the grand total I owe you on top of the babysitting money.

“Thanks for being here.”

Jobs included organising the kitchen island, cleaning the glass, hoovering the sofa and re-organising drawers.

“She’s a teenager who appreciates the extra money,” Katrina said.

“She would make $12.50 at a part time job and makes between $20-$30 an hour working for me.

“So she did the chores while he was sleeping and it was a choice, she didn’t decide to do all of it and that’s fine.

“She did have to watch the monitor to ensure he was safe but he never woke.”

In total, the babysitter made $115 (£91) for four hours of work.

And many people thought it was a great idea, considering the teenager had the choice between doing the chores and not doing them.

TikTok/@kivankc

One wrote on Katrina's video: “I think this is a great opportunity for your babysitter. You’re giving a choice, and I love that."

While another said: “This is a great idea!! Sometimes it’s boring to just to sit and watch TV, this makes time go by quicker and sometimes it’s things I would do to help.”

Others were less convinced, however, with one commenting: “As a teen who babysat nearly every weekend, I would have been incredibly offended by this... horrible idea."

What do you think?

Topics: Parenting, TikTok, Social media, Home, Cleaning

Lucy Devine

Lucy is a journalist working for Tyla. After graduating with a master's degree in journalism, she has worked in both print and online and is particularly interested in fashion, food, health and women's issues. Northerner, coffee addict, says hun a lot.

@lucedevine