Woman says it's 'absurd' to charge family members for occasional babysitting, sparks debate

Family members come together and support each other in their time of need. Often, aunts and uncles find great joy and pride in babysitting their nieces or nephews. Earlier, a relative would consider it an opportunity to bond with the children of their family. However, in today’s times, due to many reasons, family members are expecting monetary reimbursement in exchange for babysitting. While the majority find it normal, a selected few make a strong case for vice-versa. A woman named Kaitlyn shared how she was taken aback when she heard of the idea of charging for babysitting nieces and nephews. 

In her video, Kaitlyn explained how she was telling her friends about a time she had to babysit her nephew. “I was telling somebody the other day that I had to watch my nephew for my sister like once a week roughly, just whenever she needs and they were so shocked that I did it for free,” the woman exclaimed. “Are other people’s families out here charging them to watch their kids for a few hours?” she inquired. Kaitlyn deemed the idea of making the same a business “absurd” and said that being able to babysit one’s nephew or niece is an opportunity to bond with them.

“I get the opportunity to create a relationship with my nephew by babysitting and being around him,” Kaitlyn pointed out. She added that the very idea that people would even consider being paid to hang out and care for their family kids is “messed up.” Kaitlyn pointed out that babysitting is a necessary and efficient way for aunts, uncles and other family members to connect with kids at a young age. “These are the same aunts and uncles who come to parties and be like, ‘Why doesn’t someone want to hug me or talk to me?’ They don’t know you!” Kaitlyn highlighted. 

“I feel like it’s not hard to show up for and support your family,” Kaitlyn concluded, indicating that babysitting for a family member’s kid is part of relationship duties that one should warmly be open to. There were mixed feelings on the comments Kaitlyn made but a majority of people expressed that her point on support and bonding made a strong case for what she was trying to convey. @skylar.sell said, “Babysitting is an investment because you’ll have your nephew to care for you when you’re old and lonely because they’ll want to see you.”

@ninailic28 joked and said, “My mom, grandma and others would throw themselves into oncoming traffic before accepting payment to watch my son.” @ashleyemmell shared another alternative saying, “I feel if you’re an adult, you do it for free because you have a job but if they're teenagers you can pay them. My uncle used to pay me earlier but now that I have a job, I do it for free.” @wermified suggested paying only when it’s frequent saying, “If it’s consistent, I’m not doing a full-time job without getting paid but if it’s once in a while, it’s okay.” 

You can follow Kaitlyn (@kaitlynnnwils) on TikTok for more lifestyle content.