# babysitting ad ..is it unreasonable? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 10, 2018, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/babysitting-ad-is-it-unreasonable/825876 "2018-12-10T04:11:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2018, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/babysitting-ad-is-it-unreasonable/825876/21 "2018-12-10T18:17:08Z")
It is so unrealistic that it could be a gag, but not so outrageous as to actually be funny. (BTW if you are getting paid $15/hr. you are not paying 1/3 of your pay in taxes.) ---
**Author:** ![Asuka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2018, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/babysitting-ad-is-it-unreasonable/825876/22 "2018-12-10T19:31:18Z")
The Trump thing and Pitbull thing seem tailor made to have people flood it with snarky comments, the only thing they’re missing is mandating that they only leave a 10% tip at all dining establishments. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2018, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/babysitting-ad-is-it-unreasonable/825876/23 "2018-12-10T19:31:47Z")
> [@GreenWyvern](#): > > I don’t believe this is serious. It looks more like a spoof ad, a satirical post by a babysitter fed up with unreasonable requirements, and making fun of them. This is what I’m thinking. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2018, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/babysitting-ad-is-it-unreasonable/825876/24 "2018-12-10T20:12:24Z")
The new development we built in has a facebook page and we had a good laugh when one resident posted a similar (but not as drastic) type ad. She has 3 kids all under school age and wanted someone to watch them full time for $15/hr. Apparently she wanted to get her moneys worth because the candidate would also do household cleaning and chores while they were watching the kids. She even had the requirement “willing to accept criticism” in the post. I wanted to reply “good luck with that” but figured she’d get the hint when no one would respond. ---
**Author:** ![Lacunae\_Matata](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8491ac/32.png) [@Lacunae\_Matata](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lacunae_Matata)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2018, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/babysitting-ad-is-it-unreasonable/825876/25 "2018-12-10T20:29:25Z")
Idk, people are bonkers. This morning, I screen shotted a post from someone advertising availability to pet- or babysit locally. It included “I have never been around toddlers, and I don’t know the jist [sic] of changing diapers.” But even she is a bargain at $5/hour/child. ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2018, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/babysitting-ad-is-it-unreasonable/825876/26 "2018-12-10T21:00:11Z")
> [@TSBG](#): > > It smells like a joke, but who knows these days. Someone willing to advertise that they are breaking the law by paying off the books, but insisting on a BG check, no tats, and paying for snacks out of pocket? > > FWIW I have had multiple nannies and ALL of them bought my daughter snacks out of pocket, and when I knew about it I always reimbursed them over the amount spent as a thank you. (Not including times when we asked the nanny to order in/take her out, when we reimbursed the cost of meal + tip for both my daughter and nanny.) A charitable interpretation would be that the advertiser is looking for the _sort_ of person who would pay for snacks out of pocket without thinking twice about it. IOW, they may be trying (but failing) to say they want someone with a kind heart, not that they want someone to pay for all of the kids snacks. ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2018, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/babysitting-ad-is-it-unreasonable/825876/27 "2018-12-10T22:27:15Z")
I love the contradiction between getting a babysitter that hasn’t had any runins with the law _yet_ - but must be willing to ignore laws in order to be paid for the position. She wants to be the cause of their first felony. Maybe they can have something to paste in the baby book. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2018, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/babysitting-ad-is-it-unreasonable/825876/28 "2018-12-10T22:58:03Z")
> [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](#): > > A charitable interpretation would be that the advertiser is looking for the _sort_ of person who would pay for snacks out of pocket without thinking twice about it. IOW, they may be trying (but failing) to say they want someone with a kind heart, not that they want someone to pay for all of the kids snacks. What’s the charitable interpretation for paying under the table? ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2018, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/babysitting-ad-is-it-unreasonable/825876/29 "2018-12-10T23:34:38Z")
Sadly, I’m not qualified for this job, either. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Shine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr_shine/32/464_2.png) [@Mr\_Shine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Shine)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2018, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/babysitting-ad-is-it-unreasonable/825876/30 "2018-12-10T23:54:27Z")
> [@Hampshire](#): > > The new development we built in has a facebook page and we had a good laugh when one resident posted a similar (but not as drastic) type ad. She has 3 kids all under school age and wanted someone to watch them full time for $15/hr. > Apparently she wanted to get her moneys worth because the candidate would also do household cleaning and chores while they were watching the kids. > She even had the requirement “willing to accept criticism” in the post. > I wanted to reply “good luck with that” but figured she’d get the hint when no one would respond. The ad (not) in the OP is obviously fake, but the idea that $15 per hour to watch over some children and do a few domestic tasks is laughably unreasonable seems strange. It’s more than I get paid, and that’s constant effort from the moment I get in to when I leave. I know, you’re about to tell me that watching kids is also “constant effort” :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2018, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/babysitting-ad-is-it-unreasonable/825876/31 "2018-12-11T06:05:27Z")
> [@Lacunae\_Matata](#): > > Idk, people are bonkers. This morning, I screen shotted a post from someone advertising availability to pet- or babysit locally. It included “I have never been around toddlers, and I don’t know the jist [sic] of changing diapers.” > > But even she is a bargain at $5/hour/child. So? I’m sure there are plenty of parents who have older children who’d be happy to hire her. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2018, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/babysitting-ad-is-it-unreasonable/825876/32 "2018-12-11T06:21:17Z")
Wow, if I didn’t know what the ad was for, from just reading the list of criteria I would have thought it would be a post hiring a hospital administrator. The babysitter who meets that criteria ought to be paid $50 an hour; half of that being just for putting up with such a mother. ---
**Author:** ![Lacunae\_Matata](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8491ac/32.png) [@Lacunae\_Matata](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lacunae_Matata)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2018, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/babysitting-ad-is-it-unreasonable/825876/33 "2018-12-11T06:25:33Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > So? I’m sure there are plenty of parents who have older children who’d be happy to hire her. There are plenty of jobs I can do a little bit of. (For example, I can install PVC water lines all day long. But I’m not a plumber. Drains? Water heaters? Nope.) And I would certainly be glad to accept half the pay of a real plumber to do the bits I can do competently. I phrased it badly, but the observation was supposed to be that someone who recognizes and identifies the part of the job she can’t do (yet) prices her services accordingly. Expecting to pay someone $10/hour, with all of the expectations listed - including tax shenanigans - is bonkers. I would be glad to pay $10/hour for an occasional Friday night sitter who can’t change diapers! (For someone with a degree, I’d expect to pay more. And buy the snacks.) ---
**Author:** ![Urbanredneck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ea5d25/32.png) [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2018, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/babysitting-ad-is-it-unreasonable/825876/34 "2018-12-11T13:20:49Z")
Sounds like a Hillary fan making fun of the right and of course, the left jumps on it. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2018, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/babysitting-ad-is-it-unreasonable/825876/35 "2018-12-11T13:27:22Z")
> [@Urbanredneck](#): > > Sounds like a Hillary fan making fun of the right and of course, the left jumps on it. A _Hillary_ fan? What the hell does this topic have to do with the monsters hiding under your bed? ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2018, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/babysitting-ad-is-it-unreasonable/825876/36 "2018-12-11T18:11:55Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > A _Hillary_ fan? What the hell does this topic have to do with the monsters hiding under your bed? The babysitting ad specifies that they are looking for someone who is a Trump fan. If the post is intentionally satirical or spoofing (as many think) and is therefore making fun of Trump fans, then it’s not much of a leap to think that the post is actually from a Hillary fan, or at the very least, someone who is anti-Trump. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2018, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/babysitting-ad-is-it-unreasonable/825876/37 "2018-12-11T18:18:27Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > The babysitting ad specifies that they are looking for someone who is a Trump fan. > > If the post is intentionally satirical or spoofing (as many think) and is therefore making fun of Trump fans, then it’s not much of a leap to think that the post is actually from a Hillary fan, or at the very least, someone who is anti-Trump. _If_ it is satire, then being “a Hillary fan” is only one of the many possibilities when it comes to authorship. ---
**Author:** ![Trafalgar\_Laura](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trafalgar_laura/32/2907_2.png) [@Trafalgar\_Laura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trafalgar_Laura)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2018, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/babysitting-ad-is-it-unreasonable/825876/38 "2018-12-11T19:06:45Z")
While a lot of people have pointed out the “Must be a Trump fan” requirement as silly and a possible sign of trolling, a direct accusation to a certain group of people (“Hillary fans”) seems different, and also seems to be inviting this to change from a discussion of the list to a discussion of which political groups are more likely to be conniving trolling liars. That list, also, is trolling. From somebody. Maybe fans of beets. Freakin’ beet lovers. ---
**Author:** ![Urbanredneck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ea5d25/32.png) [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2018, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/babysitting-ad-is-it-unreasonable/825876/39 "2018-12-11T19:21:26Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > _If_ it is satire, then being “a Hillary fan” is only one of the many possibilities when it comes to authorship. So you think it could be a Bernie Sanders supporter? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2018, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/babysitting-ad-is-it-unreasonable/825876/40 "2018-12-11T19:31:13Z")
> [@Urbanredneck](#): > > So you think it could be a Bernie Sanders supporter? Or a Republican disgusted with what has happened to his party, or maybe it is a shallow, self-righteous Trump supporter. edited to add: Or maybe a beet lover. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/babysitting-ad-is-it-unreasonable/825876.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/babysitting-ad-is-it-unreasonable/825876.md?page=3)