A female Redditor shared her situation with her mother, explaining that she needed help caring for her newborn as she was returning to work after giving birth.
She thought her mother, a 64-year-old homemaker, would be perfect for the job. However, her mother was not interested in a full-time babysitting role, citing her age and the fact that she had already raised her own children.
The grandmother suggested that the Redditor should have considered staying home if she wanted to have a baby.
Despite the financial strain caused by the pandemic and their small living space, the Redditor could not afford not to go back to work.
Her mother requested $20/hr for babysitting, including late fees, a car seat, a stroller, and compensation for driving the child back home, as she did not want to babysit at their apartment.
The Redditor found her mother’s request unreasonable, especially since she would have to invest in additional baby gear.
This disagreement caused conflict between them, leading the Redditor to consider using an infant care center instead.
She asked other Reddit users if she was wrong for not wanting to pay her mother for babysitting, but the responses were harsh, with many suggesting she should not have had children if she could not afford to take care of them.
Commenters emphasized that the grandmother had the right to refuse the offer and that the Redditor sounded entitled in her approach.
They suggested that occasional babysitting out of kindness would be more appropriate, given the grandmother’s retirement status.
