Babysitter and dinner dishes

[Anonymous]

Make your expectations clear.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you expect your babysitter to do the dishes? What about tidy up?

We make dinner and leave it on the table for the kids and babysitter. We have one babysitter who always does the dishes (loafs the dishwasher, puts leftovers in rubber ware in the fridge, wipes down table) and tidies up and another who doesn’t do either. We get to come home from date night and do a half hour of cleaning up. We pay really well. Feels ridiculous that she puts the kids to bed and then sits in a messy room watching tv for hours. And it’s so annoying to come home to. Both babysitters are adults. Are my expectations out of whack?

Half an hour for you both to clean up? I doubt it. I also doubt you pay “really well”.

$20/hour + tip

That was “really well” about 5-6 years ago.
How old are these sitters?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why aren’t your kids cleaning up?

Because they are four years old.

At four, they ABSOLUTELY should be helping with the clean up. Why not?

OP?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why aren’t your kids cleaning up?

Because they are four years old.

At four, they ABSOLUTELY should be helping with the clean up. Why not?

OP?

What is your point here? This has nothing to do with OPs question about whether babysitters should tidy up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why aren’t your kids cleaning up?

Because they are four years old.

At four, they ABSOLUTELY should be helping with the clean up. Why not?

OP?

What is your point here? This has nothing to do with OPs question about whether babysitters should tidy up.

Good parenting (and sitting) would have you teach these able bodied preschoolers how to carry their dirty dishes to the kitchen counter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why aren’t your kids cleaning up?

Because they are four years old.

At four, they ABSOLUTELY should be helping with the clean up. Why not?

OP?

What is your point here? This has nothing to do with OPs question about whether babysitters should tidy up.

Good parenting (and sitting) would have you teach these able bodied preschoolers how to carry their dirty dishes to the kitchen counter.

From there, the babysitter can put them in the dishwasher.

We stopped using the sitter who left a mess. Leftover pizza on the counter, her dishes on the table. Wrappers from her candy in the living room.

The best one we had used to get ds to help even if he was just splashing in the sink. Dishes were done, and toys put away when we got home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why aren’t your kids cleaning up?

Because they are four years old.

At four, they ABSOLUTELY should be helping with the clean up. Why not?

OP?

What is your point here? This has nothing to do with OPs question about whether babysitters should tidy up.

Good parenting (and sitting) would have you teach these able bodied preschoolers how to carry their dirty dishes to the kitchen counter.

From there, the babysitter can put them in the dishwasher.

We stopped using the sitter who left a mess. Leftover pizza on the counter, her dishes on the table. Wrappers from her candy in the living room.

The best one we had used to get ds to help even if he was just splashing in the sink. Dishes were done, and toys put away when we got home.

What do you think about this solution, OP?

[Anonymous]

If those are your expectations, you need to be clear about them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why aren’t your kids cleaning up?

Because they are four years old.

At four, they ABSOLUTELY should be helping with the clean up. Why not?

OP?

What is your point here? This has nothing to do with OPs question about whether babysitters should tidy up.

Good parenting (and sitting) would have you teach these able bodied preschoolers how to carry their dirty dishes to the kitchen counter.

From there, the babysitter can put them in the dishwasher.

We stopped using the sitter who left a mess. Leftover pizza on the counter, her dishes on the table. Wrappers from her candy in the living room.

The best one we had used to get ds to help even if he was just splashing in the sink. Dishes were done, and toys put away when we got home.

A sitter should clean up after herself. She should not clean up after YOU.

[Anonymous]

$10-15/hr high school kid? I expect them to load the dishwasher, but not to wash dishes.

$20-25 “professional” sitter - yes, I would ask for them to supervise / manage the kids picking up toys and loading dishwasher and expect them to wash any additional dishes they or the kids dirtied.

I always did dishes, wiped down kitchen surfaces, and tidied the living room and play room when I babysat. But that was in the 90s and all I had to entertain me was TV or magazines / books I brought with me.

[Anonymous]

You can bet these kids aren’t doing these things in their own home either. They’re not clueless; they just don’t know any different. I have teenagers, and when they have friends over, there is a huge disparity in how they as guests. I’ve had kids get up from the dinner table and walk away without so much as a thank you for feeding them. At the other end of the spectrum is the kid who compliments me on the meal, helps with dishes and asks if there’s anything else they can do before excusing themselves from the kitchen. What kind of kids are you raising?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You can bet these kids aren’t doing these things in their own home either. They’re not clueless; they just don’t know any different. I have teenagers, and when they have friends over, there is a huge disparity in how they as guests. I’ve had kids get up from the dinner table and walk away without so much as a thank you for feeding them. At the other end of the spectrum is the kid who compliments me on the meal, helps with dishes and asks if there’s anything else they can do before excusing themselves from the kitchen. What kind of kids are you raising?

Why doesn’t OP get it? She needs to let her children learn some important habits of success: when you make a mess, you clean it up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Make your expectations clear.

THIS. Communicate with people and make your expectations clear.

[Anonymous]

$15-20 is more than reasonable for an unskilled job that they don't pay taxes on.

Yes, babysitter should clear the table and put food away. They should leave the house how they found it in terms of toys, etc.

[Anonymous]

This should take you five minutes not half an hour.