A mom who was slapped with a $120 fee after cancelling her babysitter has turned to other parents for advice, triggering an intense discussion.
asserted
who → slap → discussion
The woman said she texted the babysitter six hours before she was due to arrive to let her know the family’s plans had changed “unexpectedly.”
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plans → say → babysitter
Despite the sitter responding that it was “no problem,” the mom was shocked to receive a $120 invoice the next morning.
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mom → respond → invoice
“I asked why.
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I → ask → ?
She said ‘I kept that evening available for you and turned down another family’,” the parent said on Instagram.
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parent → say → Instagram
Although the mom “understood her point”, she said the pair had never discussed a cancellation fee and offered $60 for the inconvenience.
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pair → understand → inconvenience
“She refused and said I had booked six hours of her time, whether I used them or not.
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I → refuse → them
Now I’m wondering if she’s right,” the mom continued.
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mom → wonder → ?
She asked others what they would do in her situation – cough up the cash or outright refuse?
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they → ask → cash
Despite hundreds of people weighing in, no clear solution has emerged as parents remain divided over the issue.
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parents → weigh → issue
Numerous social media users took the side of the sitter and urged the mom to pay up; however, others said the $60 offer was more than generous.
“If the cancellation policy wasn’t discussed, absolutely not,” one woman said.
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woman → take → mom
“Regardless of any policy, unless it was due to a medical emergency where someone was hospitalized, you have to pay someone when you book their time and cancel on them.
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you → hospitalize → them
End of sentence,” another said.
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another → say → sentence
So who’s in the right?
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who → ’ → right
Kate Heussler, a Sydney mom and etiquette expert, told news.com.au she “can absolutely see the babysitter’s point.”
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she → tell → point
“When you book someone for six hours, you’re not only paying for the hours they physically spend in your home – you’re asking them to reserve that part of their life for you,” she said, noting that in this case, the sitter turned down another family, which resulted in a genuine loss of income.
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which → book → income
“Six hours’ notice might sound reasonable on paper, but it’s not necessarily enough time to find another six-hour booking that evening.”
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it → sound → booking
That being said, good etiquette works both ways.
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etiquette → say → ?
“If a full cancellation fee was never discussed or agreed to, I don’t think it’s reasonable to introduce one retrospectively and expect the other person to automatically know the rules,’ Heussler said.
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Heussler → discuss → rules
“Her response of “no problem” also reasonably suggests to the parent that there wasn’t, in fact, a $120 problem arriving the following morning.”
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response → suggest → fact
The mom had the right instinct when she offered an alternative payment, the expert explained.
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expert → have → payment
“I’d view it as a reasonable gesture and a starting point for a conversation, rather than the mom unilaterally deciding that’s what the babysitter’s lost evening was worth,” Heussler said.
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Heussler → view → what
“Ultimately, good etiquette is less about winning the argument over $60 versus $120 and more about recognising that your change of plans can still cost somebody else something.
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change → win → plans
At the end of the day, neither person “needs to be the villain here”, she said.
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she → need → day
“Parents know better than anyone that plans can go spectacularly sideways – usually five minutes after you’ve done your hair and put mascara on.
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you → know → mascara
Life happens.
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Life → happen → ?
“At the same time you can’t pull a cancellation policy out of your handbag the next morning and expect everyone to know it was there.
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it → pull → handbag
If you charge for cancellations, say so upfront.”
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you → charge → cancellations
Mom refuses to pay babysitter while child is sleeping
In the meantime, a separate sitter drama has gone viral on TikTok after a mom tried to shave $70 off her babysitter’s bill.
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mom → refuse → bill
When the caregiver informed the parent she should be paid $192 for the eight hours she was at their home, the mom argued that her daughter was asleep for three of those hours.
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daughter → inform → hours
“Correct, but she is still my responsibility, even when she’s sleeping,” the sitter said, to which the mom responded: “We just don’t feel comfortable paying someone to sit on our couch while our daughter sleeps.”
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daughter → sleep → couch
The young woman pushed back and asked if she was supposed to stand instead.
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she → push → ?
Much to her horror, the mom said there was plenty to do around the house, such as dishes and laundry, and paid her a total of $120.
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mom → say → 120
To make matters worse, the parent asked the young woman to come over and take care of her daughter again that night.
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parent → make → daughter
The sitter urged the couple to eat quickly as she would be leaving promptly after the child’s 7.30pm bedtime.
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she → urge → bedtime
When the parents pushed back, the woman suggested the couple change their dinner reservation to a table for three.
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couple → push → three
The Aporia
