Woman Says She Shouldn’t Have To Pay Her Mum To Look After Grandchild While She Works

They say it takes a village to raise a child but does that mean we should expect our relatives to look after our kids free of charge? One woman thinks so. She’s upset her own mother is asking for $20/hour plus late fees to look after her grandchild. What do you think? Is grandma being fair or asking too much?

The first time mum is angry that her 64 year old mother wants to be paid to look after her baby when she goes back to work. Taking her grievances to Reddit, the 29 year old woman says she has no choice but to go back to work as she’s the main bread winner. When she asked her mum if she can look after her baby while she goes back to work, her mum flat out declined.

“She refused, saying she’s too old and that she has already raised her kids,” the woman wrote. “She also added that if I really wanted this baby, then maybe I should have thought about staying home like she did to take care of it while my partner goes to work and provides for us like a “traditional” family.”

She also explained that they currently live in a tiny one bedroom apartment and need to save up for a bigger place. “When I explained all (this) to my mum, she then proceeded to say that she will charge me $20/hr for each hour she takes care of the baby, plus late fees if we are late for pickup, and must provide her with a carseat, stroller, bottles, and pretty much double of everything we have at our home to compensate for taking the baby to her house,” she wrote.

Because of her mum’s response, the woman turned to Reddit to ask: “am I the a**hole for wanting my mum, who again is at home all day long (trust me, she does not do anything besides watch TV and cook meals), to take care of my baby for free while me and my partner try to fix our finances?”

The comments that came through were varied. Some agreed with the new mum while others like the one below said her mum doesn’t owe her a thing!

“Your mum is in no way obligated to care for YOUR BABY. It’s generous of her to be willing to do it for pay, and you have the gall to be mad she won’t do it for free? She is entitled to spend her life and free time however the hell she wants,” they said.

“It is reasonable to assume grandma will babysit occasionally when asked, it is entitled behaviour to expect 45+ hours a week. Not only is caring for small children exhausting but these situations almost always lead to Grandma never getting a day off,” said another.

What do you think? Is it fair to expect grandparents to look after their grandkids with no monetary payment offered?

Images: Pixabay