babysitting and dinner question

[Anonymous]

I am sitting for a family with 2 kids under the age of 5. I will be getting to their house around 6:30. The mom texts me to confirm and throws in that the kids will be all dressed for bed an fed already so no worries and we can take it easy and do a movie until they go to bed around 8:30 because she lets them stay up a little later on weekends. Usually when I sit around dinner time on date nights I bring my own dinner and eat with the kids or the parents have dinner they offer, though I prefer to bring my own salad. I will be coming straight from a class near their home and planned on bringing my own food.

Now I feel like I will appear rude if I show up with my own food at dinner time knowing that the kids will already have eaten and I will have to wait hours until I can eat. Or should I just turn on a film for them and go to the side and eat my dinner? These particular kids love to beg for a taste and one has allergies so is used to not eating everything but still...

what would you do?

[Anonymous]

OMG, how old are you?! How can you not figure this out for yourself?

[Anonymous]

You're not being rude, and it's important for the kids to hear the word "no". Believe me.

[Anonymous]

This is your three paragraph issue?! Holy hell, you are stupid!

Eat before you arrive or after the kids are in bed. Simple.

[Anonymous]

Bring your salad but wait until after the kids are in bed to eat it. Munch on a quick snack on the way over so you aren't ravenous.

Really, if I hired a sitter for 6:30 I would probably expect her to eat before coming. It's not your bosses problem that you have other plans before.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You're not being rude, and it's important for the kids to hear the word "no". Believe me.

I agree. they are definitely not used to hearing it. But they will have to tonight because I wont have a choice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is your three paragraph issue?! Holy hell, you are stupid!

Eat before you arrive or after the kids are in bed. Simple.

Seems you're the stupid one. Op mentioned she will be in class before. Also this is 2 paragraphs and a sentence. You all are so nasty here. You complain when there are run on sentences and complain when someone structures their posts correctly.

[Anonymous]

Play for a few minutes, thenturn on the movie and ask if they want a small snack while you eat your dinner since it will be dinner time. If I were hiring you I would have leftovers available or expect you to have something with you. Not everyone eats at 5 pm.

Ignore the rude comments. There is nothing wrong with wondering about proper etiquette.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Bring your salad but wait until after the kids are in bed to eat it. Munch on a quick snack on the way over so you aren't ravenous.

Really, if I hired a sitter for 6:30 I would probably expect her to eat before coming. It's not your bosses problem that you have other plans before.

Why would you expect someone to have eaten dinner so early when you yourself would be leaving for dinner? Op isn't arriving at 8. Jeesh some of you are insane.

[Anonymous]

I think you should eat before you get there unless you know them super well.
You can eat in the car if need be.

[Anonymous]

People just like being rude for the sake of it here, nothing better to do.
I would just take something small which you can eat in the car or on the walk over. Something you don't need to heat up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bring your salad but wait until after the kids are in bed to eat it. Munch on a quick snack on the way over so you aren't ravenous.

Really, if I hired a sitter for 6:30 I would probably expect her to eat before coming. It's not your bosses problem that you have other plans before.

Why would you expect someone to have eaten dinner so early when you yourself would be leaving for dinner? Op isn't arriving at 8. Jeesh some of you are insane.

Because she is being paid to watch children, not to eat her dinner. If the work hours completely envelope typical "dinner hours," such as 3 pm-9 pm--then OF COURSE I would expect the babysitter to eat during the work hours. But if my own kids can eat before 6:30 pm, it's not unreasonable to think an adult babysitter can as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Bring your salad but wait until after the kids are in bed to eat it. Munch on a quick snack on the way over so you aren't ravenous.

Really, if I hired a sitter for 6:30 I would probably expect her to eat before coming. It's not your bosses problem that you have other plans before.

Why? I don't usually have dinner until 7 pm or later. No reason why anyone should change their dinner time. OP said that she was coming from a class so she cannot eat before.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bring your salad but wait until after the kids are in bed to eat it. Munch on a quick snack on the way over so you aren't ravenous.

Really, if I hired a sitter for 6:30 I would probably expect her to eat before coming. It's not your bosses problem that you have other plans before.

Why would you expect someone to have eaten dinner so early when you yourself would be leaving for dinner? Op isn't arriving at 8. Jeesh some of you are insane.

Because she is being paid to watch children, not to eat her dinner. If the work hours completely envelope typical "dinner hours," such as 3 pm-9 pm--then OF COURSE I would expect the babysitter to eat during the work hours. But if my own kids can eat before 6:30 pm, it's not unreasonable to think an adult babysitter can as well.

You are ridiculous.

[Anonymous]

I wouldn't expect my sitter to watch the movie with the kids. Be close by in case they start acting up, but she doesn't have to sit right there. So I wouldn't care if she ate something while they watched.