"Playground Assistant" -- hire a 5 year old at $5/hr

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:On the one hand, this sounds an awful lot like trying to host paid playdates.

On the other hand, my older kiddo, at age 5, would have made an excellent playground mother's helper for the younger kids. She was very interested in helping 2-3yo kids and less interested in playing with other 5yo. I say this mostly jokingly. At 7, that same kid would've made a great playground monitor and would have 100% told everyone how to use every single piece of equipment.

If that was my kid I would have been concerned that she didn't seem to have age appropriate friends or behavior. Nobody wants to play with the kid bossing them around telling them they're doing it wrong.

DP with a similar kid, and your concerns are ridiculous. My daughter became a CIT at 12, junior counselor at 16 and head counselor at 18 with several college students reporting to her. Graduating with a degree in Early/Elementary education next year. She just loves little kids.

Whatever. Kids work on social skills for reasons. It's important that kids get along with their peers. Kids constantly seeking out younger peers would concern me.

Np. Do you have experience with kids other than raising your own? This is normal.

It is not developmentally appropriate for kids to exclusively play with much younger playmates. I have 3 kids. One with special needs. Why do you think social skills groups exist?

It's normal for kids to seek out younger children to play with. The only person saying pp or OP's child is doing this "exclusively" is you.

Ok. The PP above said her kid was very interested in playing with younger kids and not in playing with kids her own age. That's a red flag. Ignore red flags at your own risk.

"Less interested" is not the same as "not interested."

Great. You can do as you please. I would have been concerned for the stated reasons. Live and let live.

[Anonymous]

I thought it was super strange too but plenty of people are replying saying they love this little girl and she'd be great at this "job." I want to know who's really pocketing the $5 though!

[Anonymous]

So funny! My 8-year-old has been lobbying to do something like this for over a year now, and she would be awesome at it. (She’s clearly gonna be a camp counselor/babysitter when she’s a little older.) But we keep telling her to wait until she’s 10. Maybe she should just go for it…

[Anonymous]

I was at the playground on Sunday with my 2 y.o. And there was a five year old there with her 8 year old sister. They played with my kid (who seemed to like the 5 year old more) and I got to sit back, rest, and read a little.

If I had money to spare might go for this…

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:On the one hand, this sounds an awful lot like trying to host paid playdates.

On the other hand, my older kiddo, at age 5, would have made an excellent playground mother's helper for the younger kids. She was very interested in helping 2-3yo kids and less interested in playing with other 5yo. I say this mostly jokingly. At 7, that same kid would've made a great playground monitor and would have 100% told everyone how to use every single piece of equipment.

If that was my kid I would have been concerned that she didn't seem to have age appropriate friends or behavior. Nobody wants to play with the kid bossing them around telling them they're doing it wrong.

DP with a similar kid, and your concerns are ridiculous. My daughter became a CIT at 12, junior counselor at 16 and head counselor at 18 with several college students reporting to her. Graduating with a degree in Early/Elementary education next year. She just loves little kids.

Whatever. Kids work on social skills for reasons. It's important that kids get along with their peers. Kids constantly seeking out younger peers would concern me.

Np. Do you have experience with kids other than raising your own? This is normal.

Agree. Such a weird "concern" to have.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Letting your kid go around begging ("selling" junk) is a good way to make the neighborhood dislike you.

+1. We had a couple of kids in our neighborhood selling their junk. The first time, I gave them a couple of bucks out of politeness and threw the beads in the trash. Then I stopped answering the door. Then they would come while I was doing yard work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My daughter used to go door to door selling painted rocks and drawings she had made to the neighbors, she made a lot of money that way. At age 5 or 6. A few years later she sold bracelets she had woven. I had nothing to do with any of it.

No one needed it. They were buying it because she is a kid. My DC at 6 offered to give our dinner guests a shoulder massage for $1. I put a stop to it as soon as i found out. he had made $1 in the meanwhile.

[Anonymous]

I‘m also a member of that Facebook group and thought the post was really cute- and clearly something that at least several responders ere interested in taking her up on.

I think it’s pretty mean spirited of op to post mocking it here, given there’s a good chance the girl’s mom will see/hear about it.

[Anonymous]

Aww this is a bit silly and over the top but my mother (who is excellent with children) started babysitting at 7. Seriously. Different times back then.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Letting your kid go around begging ("selling" junk) is a good way to make the neighborhood dislike you.

This is ... just not a nice thing to say.

[Anonymous]

She’s basically offering to watch your kid for 5$. It’s a steal.

[Anonymous]

And of the paid-for-supervision doesn’t work out, there’s legal liability potentially.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I thought it was super strange too but plenty of people are replying saying they love this little girl and she'd be great at this "job." I want to know who's really pocketing the $5 though!

The IRS gets its share?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And of the paid-for-supervision doesn’t work out, there’s legal liability potentially.

Really? Like there is legal liability when you pay a 13 year old to baby sit for an hour? It’s basically the mother babysitting and giving her kid the 5$

[Anonymous]

P.s. May be the kid has older siblings who baby sit and wanted to do that too.