How much would you pay a 10 year old to help out?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I wouldn't do more than $5/hour for a 10 year old that you have to supervise.

Teens get $10-$15/hour.
Adults supervising kids, particularly teachers, can command $20/hour.

If you may the tween more, think about the shock she'll get when she really has to work for her living...
we don't want to raise a generation of entitled brats (more than we're doing already!).

$10 to $15??? That is more than minimum wage!

Yep, because they're caring for your children, not serving you coffee.

Give me a break. My daughter is 13 and she charges $25 for a 3 hour date night and is thrilled to receive that much. Kids too young to work do not need to make $15/hr. That is insane. Most of my daughter's time babysitting is watching tv/on her iphone as the kids sleep. This isn't preschool.

OP, my daughter was a mother's helper at 11 and 12. She was given between $3-5/hr depending on the time and family. She was happy no matter what. If a mom just had a baby, she would do it for free. She loves kids. She doesn't need tons of money. Doesn't matter if it is 1980 or 2015. Young kids are not owed nor need a large amount of money. Most kids did it for free to get referrals and jobs for babysitting when I was a kid. Stop acting like your snowflake deserve high pay. Ridiculous.

I don't think my snowflakes deserve high pay. I think those who help me out with my "snowflakes" deserve decent pay.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I wouldn't do more than $5/hour for a 10 year old that you have to supervise.

Teens get $10-$15/hour.
Adults supervising kids, particularly teachers, can command $20/hour.

If you may the tween more, think about the shock she'll get when she really has to work for her living...
we don't want to raise a generation of entitled brats (more than we're doing already!).

$10 to $15??? That is more than minimum wage!

Yep, because they're caring for your children, not serving you coffee.

Give me a break. My daughter is 13 and she charges $25 for a 3 hour date night and is thrilled to receive that much. Kids too young to work do not need to make $15/hr. That is insane. Most of my daughter's time babysitting is watching tv/on her iphone as the kids sleep. This isn't preschool.

OP, my daughter was a mother's helper at 11 and 12. She was given between $3-5/hr depending on the time and family. She was happy no matter what. If a mom just had a baby, she would do it for free. She loves kids. She doesn't need tons of money. Doesn't matter if it is 1980 or 2015. Young kids are not owed nor need a large amount of money. Most kids did it for free to get referrals and jobs for babysitting when I was a kid. Stop acting like your snowflake deserve high pay. Ridiculous.

It's called inflation.

A kid being paid $2/hour would have to work a lot more hours now to save up for something than they would have had to in 1980.

Do you think you should be paid the same amount for your job as you would have been in 1980?

[Anonymous]

$3-5 an hour. No way would I pay more than that. If some rich mom with lots of money on her hands wants to overpay, that is her business. But the reality is no preteen deserves a non-taxed wage $10 and over.

There is obviously one poster who keeps posting and disagrees but most here agree that $5 or less is totally normal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:$3-5 an hour. No way would I pay more than that. If some rich mom with lots of money on her hands wants to overpay, that is her business. But the reality is no preteen deserves a non-taxed wage $10 and over.

There is obviously one poster who keeps posting and disagrees but most here agree that $5 or less is totally normal.

I don't think anyone that's posted here has an issue with $5/hr for a preteen (though a couple of PPs have suggested giving more for the first hour). It's the suggestions of $2/hr that some of us PPs (& it's definitely PPs, plural, as I only posted twice) find a bit ridiculous. As one PP (not me!) stated "it's not 1960". Prices have gone up, so should pay rates -- even for kids.

[Anonymous]

The helper came to my house this morning, I paid $5 for a little over an hour, and it was the best thing I've done in a long time. Should have done this eons ago! Thanks all for the ideas. --OP

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The helper came to my house this morning, I paid $5 for a little over an hour, and it was the best thing I've done in a long time. Should have done this eons ago! Thanks all for the ideas. --OP

It is great isn't it! We were going through a rough time and one of our neighbors sent her middle school daughter over to do 'community service'. She got school credit for helping us and we were amazed at what a relief it was to have her. We later hired her and it was always fabulous.

[Anonymous]

Doesn't depend on what she is doing?


If she is helping pick up and keep an eye on kids, maybe more, if she is just generally around to go fetch now and then maybe less.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The helper came to my house this morning, I paid $5 for a little over an hour, and it was the best thing I've done in a long time. Should have done this eons ago! Thanks all for the ideas. --OP

Glad it worked out! Being a mother's helper is a great way for preteens to experience being given an age appropriate amount of responsibility (by someone other than their parents), gain self confidence. Kids also really start appreciating the value of money -- & the fact that it really doesn't "grow on trees!" -- when they are earning that money themselves!

I'm also happy you didn't take advantage of the kid by paying her 1980 wages as some PPs suggested. IMO, $5/hr was a reasonable & fair amount to pay her.

[Anonymous]

The child is 10!! $5 an hour is more than sufficient.

[Anonymous]

OP, I will give you the advice I always give on this forum about paying a mother's helper. If you find one and she is good with your kids, even better if she lives right on your street and can get to and from your house on her own... don't nickel and dime her. She is worth her weight in gold!!!

Yes you can pay more per hour than you would pay a babysitter or an adult, because her value to you is in the hours she is available, her availability in general, and the fact that she isn't looking for 10 hours a week or a full time gig.

Kids these days have a lot of competition for their time. Extracurriculars and school work, then wanting to be online with their friends. Depending on where you live, they may also be not much in need of cash. $2 an hour a couple of hours a week does not add it to much spendable cash.

Mother's Helpers are amazing and can make a parent's life so much better!! Having a neighborhood teen come by a couple times of week during the witching hours or on a snow day is FANTASTIC. PAY HER WELL, and give her constant raises. Every 3-6 months up it a dollar. (Trust me when she is 13 she will no longer have time to come be a mother's helper or you won't need one anymore.) You want that girl eager to answer the phone and come on over and play with little Ava.

[Anonymous]

10 y o paying taxes?

[Anonymous]

Why hasn't anyone suggested asking the helper herself? If she is responsible enough to be involved with watching your kids, then she should be able to start to learn to advocate for herself.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why hasn't anyone suggested asking the helper herself? If she is responsible enough to be involved with watching your kids, then she should be able to start to learn to advocate for herself.

Because those 2 qualities don't necessarily have anything to do with each other. And if you have next door neightbor's kid who is happy to come over and play with your kids, and you ask her how much she charges, and she says "Oh, whatever, I don't know... $2?" because she is shy and you think that's great so she comes by a few times but then the money isn't really a great motivation after a little while, you are in danger of losing a great mother's helper on some stupid principle that you should be helping kids learn to advocate for themselves through the school of hard knocks. If you want a mother's helper to come help you out in the afternoon hours and you FIND ONE, pay her WELL! Trust me on this one!

[Anonymous]

$5 IS paying well, for a 10 year old mother's helper!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, I will give you the advice I always give on this forum about paying a mother's helper. If you find one and she is good with your kids, even better if she lives right on your street and can get to and from your house on her own... don't nickel and dime her. She is worth her weight in gold!!!

Yes you can pay more per hour than you would pay a babysitter or an adult, because her value to you is in the hours she is available, her availability in general, and the fact that she isn't looking for 10 hours a week or a full time gig.

Kids these days have a lot of competition for their time. Extracurriculars and school work, then wanting to be online with their friends. Depending on where you live, they may also be not much in need of cash. $2 an hour a couple of hours a week does not add it to much spendable cash.

Mother's Helpers are amazing and can make a parent's life so much better!! Having a neighborhood teen come by a couple times of week during the witching hours or on a snow day is FANTASTIC. PAY HER WELL, and give her constant raises. Every 3-6 months up it a dollar. (Trust me when she is 13 she will no longer have time to come be a mother's helper or you won't need one anymore.) You want that girl eager to answer the phone and come on over and play with little Ava.

Well what if your perfect mother's helper asked for $20/hr? You would pay her that? I mean seriously, there are kids all over the place and last time I checked 90% of 10 year olds do not need spending money and 90% of 10 year olds need less screen time and more responsibilities. Treating them like gold? No. Making sure they are appreciated? Yes.