A 29-year-old woman was left furious after being charged $20 per hour to have her mother babysit her child so she could go back to work.
Taking to Reddit, the woman explained that her 64-year-old mother is a stay-at-home mom so she asked her to help them take care of their baby.
“She refused, saying she’s too old and that she already raised her kids. She added if I really wanted this baby, then maybe I should have thought about staying home like she did to take care of it while my partner goes to work and provides for us like a ‘traditional’ family,” she wrote.
“(She said) that if she and my dad were able to work it out, so can we,” the woman continued.
The new mom then explained that their family can’t fully depend on her husband’s salary and she must return to work.
“She then proceeded to say that she will charge me $20/hr for each hour she takes care of the baby, plus late fees if we are late for pickup,” she went on.
The grandmother then said that the parents must provide her with stroller, a car seat, bottles, and “pretty much double of everything we have at our home.”
The woman explained that enrolling her baby in childcare would be cheaper but she wanted her baby to spend the day with a family member instead of a stranger.
Reddit users were quick to share their thoughts on the situation, with one person writing: “You chose to have a child, not your mother. Your mother isn’t a free babysitter. She is right, she raised her children. Her babysitting on occasion would be kind and appreciated but you sound entitled thinking you are owed childcare.”
Another wrote: “Sorry to be blunt and rude but maybe don’t have a child if you can’t afford to take care of them. If your plan was always go back to work you should of discussed that during the pregnancy with your mom.”
A third said: “Your mother is under no obligation to babysit for you. Why are you having a child you don’t seem to know what to do with? And why have you not worked all this out before now?”
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