Woman praised for refusing to look after newborn grandchild for free
18 May 2023, 16:00 | Updated: 18 May 2023, 16:12
A woman has been praised after refusing to babysit her new granddaughter for free, instead charging £16 an hour.
A grandmother has caused a debate after refusing to babysit her granddaughter without being paid.
Taking to Reddit, the woman’s daughter explained that she had to go back to work soon after having her baby to make money.
As she can’t work from home, the anonymous woman asked her mum to look after the little one so she didn’t have to spend lots of money on childcare.
But her mum refused to look after the child for free, saying that she was 'too old'.
Instead, she suggested she would need to be paid $20 (£16) an hour, as well as late fees if they didn't pick her up on time.
The new mum wrote: "I (29f) asked my mom to help me take care of my newborn so I could go back to work once my leave is up.
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“Mind you, my mom is 64, has been a homemaker/stay-at-home-mom since 1992, and hasn't been part of the workforce since then. She refused, saying she's too old and that she already raised her kids.
"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, and that if she any my dad were able to work it out, so can we."
Unsurprisingly, users were completely divided over the issue, with many agreeing that grandparents shouldn’t be expected to look after their family.
Someone wrote: "Your mother is under no obligation to babysit for you. Why are you having a child you don't seem to know what to do with? And why have you not worked all this put before now?"
While another user commented: "Sorry to be blunt and rude but maybe don't have a child if you can't afford to take care of them. And if your plan was always go back to work you should have discussed that during the pregnancy with your mom."
Someone else disagreed, writing: "You're not in the wrong for wanting it, but she's not in the wrong for not wanting to do it. Go with the daycare, it sounds cheaper and you won't need to duplicate everything."
While another shared: "No, you’re not in the wrong for asking for help, but she can indeed refuse.
“But your mom is wrong because of other reasons. She’s suggesting you should be a stay-at-home-mum.
"That’s totally fine, but she doesn’t understand that now is completely different from when she became a homemaker. A family could survive on one income back then, you can’t. Not with they way things are now."
