# How do I convince a cousin that this is NOT right? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 1, 2012, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-convince-a-cousin-that-this-is-not-right/611467 "2012-02-01T21:56:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2012, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-convince-a-cousin-that-this-is-not-right/611467/21 "2012-02-02T03:22:00Z")
> [@The\_Man\_In\_Black](#): > > If your cousin pulled this on me, I’d call the cops when I found the sub in my house and let them sort it out. nm ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2012, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-convince-a-cousin-that-this-is-not-right/611467/22 "2012-02-02T03:55:27Z")
She’ll get caught. I pulled a stunt like this in my younger days (though not with kids, and with someone in the same business who was extremely trustworthy) and I got caught in less than an hour. ---
**Author:** ![Fionn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Fionn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fionn)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2012, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-convince-a-cousin-that-this-is-not-right/611467/23 "2012-02-02T04:18:05Z")
> [@Cazzle](#): > > Why doesn’t she start a club for babysitters? They can all nominate which days they want to sit and no one will have to work when they don’t want to. They can put a percentage of their earnings into the club treasury, and eat candy bars in Claudia’s bedroom while they have meetings. It sounds like super keen fun! The drawback of this plan is that she’ll stay the same age forever. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2012, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-convince-a-cousin-that-this-is-not-right/611467/24 "2012-02-02T05:06:08Z")
She would effectively become an employer. And when she gets found out, the IRS will come after her for back taxes. Or at least, you could tell her this. ---
**Author:** ![Grestarian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grestarian/32/3227_2.png) [@Grestarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grestarian)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2012, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-convince-a-cousin-that-this-is-not-right/611467/25 "2012-02-02T21:09:56Z")
You don’t talk to the cousine who’s not listening anyway. You talk to the potential sub and say, “Hey, you wanna make triple what my cousine is paying you? Talk to the family directly and offer your services at 25% less than what they’re paying my cousine.” That ends up being what your cousine is keeping from the subcontracting scam. So your cousine gets nothing, the expected sub makes more than ever, and the family needing a sitter gets a better deal. No doubt the expected sub will go to the rest of your cousine’s clients and offer the same deal – the same work for less than they’re currently paying, just to cut out the middleman… —G! \*If you pay this invoice, I can pay my grocer, my grocer can pay his tailor his tailor can pay his sitter his sitter can buy candy the candy maker can pay for electricity the electric company can pay employees –one of whom is your wife. Never mind… Janice, can you pay your husband’s invoice?\* ---
**Author:** ![Sateryn76](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@Sateryn76](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sateryn76)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2012, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-convince-a-cousin-that-this-is-not-right/611467/26 "2012-02-02T21:22:11Z")
> [@Cazzle](#): > > Why doesn’t she start a club for babysitters? They can all nominate which days they want to sit and no one will have to work when they don’t want to. They can put a percentage of their earnings into the club treasury, and eat candy bars in Claudia’s bedroom while they have meetings. It sounds like super keen fun! Except Stacy has diabetes! ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2012, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-convince-a-cousin-that-this-is-not-right/611467/27 "2012-02-02T21:27:16Z")
If the sub wears a _Mission Impossible_ style mask, it just might work. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2012, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-convince-a-cousin-that-this-is-not-right/611467/28 "2012-02-02T21:33:41Z")
> [@Diamonds02](#): > > What are some arguments that I should use in this case? If something goes wrong, she’s going to get sued, and she’s going to lose, and she’ll be 100% responsible for all the damage her new friend causes. I suppose she could sue her sub for compensation, no doubt this new immigrant who’s willing to work for $3 an hour is swimming in cash. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2012, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-convince-a-cousin-that-this-is-not-right/611467/29 "2012-02-03T16:02:22Z")
What’s her plan for when the parents call the house halfway through dinner and her sub answers the phone? If the parents get nasty and know a cop, your cousin is going to wind up arrested for child endangerment. The charge may not stick, but she’ll spend a night in jail and have an arrest record. That’s what I’d do if a sitter pulled that crap on me. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2012, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-convince-a-cousin-that-this-is-not-right/611467/30 "2012-02-03T16:39:11Z")
If she wouldn’t want the homeowners to find out, it’s probably wrong. And it is. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2012, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-convince-a-cousin-that-this-is-not-right/611467/31 "2012-02-03T16:46:07Z")
Didja convince your cousin yet, **Diamonds02**? ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2012, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-convince-a-cousin-that-this-is-not-right/611467/32 "2012-02-03T17:58:35Z")
I would rat the cousin out in a heartbeat. I’m extremely protective of my house and my cats–to think that someone I trusted (and _paid!)_ to take care of them would farm the job out to some random person I don’t know who may or may not be honest and/or reliable…that just makes my blood boil right there. I can only imagine how angry someone would be if this happened with their _kids._ ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2012, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-convince-a-cousin-that-this-is-not-right/611467/33 "2012-02-03T18:53:47Z")
> [@Cazzle](#): > > Why doesn’t she start a club for babysitters? They can all nominate which days they want to sit and no one will have to work when they don’t want to. They can put a percentage of their earnings into the club treasury, and eat candy bars in Claudia’s bedroom while they have meetings. It sounds like super keen fun! I think you mean more like dibble or fresh. Or dibbly fresh. ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2012, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-convince-a-cousin-that-this-is-not-right/611467/34 "2012-02-03T19:20:44Z")
In addition to the excellent points everybody else has made, try telling your cousin, “How would you feel if it were your child being babysat by somebody you’ve never met?” I’m a parent, and just the idea of running home to pick up something I’d forgotten and seeing a stranger there… ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2012, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-convince-a-cousin-that-this-is-not-right/611467/35 "2012-02-03T21:30:58Z")
I’m going out on a limb and guess that the individual in question is not a parent. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2012, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-convince-a-cousin-that-this-is-not-right/611467/36 "2012-02-03T22:41:42Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > If the sub wears a _Mission Impossible_ style mask, it just might work. I love it when a plan comes together! ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2012, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-convince-a-cousin-that-this-is-not-right/611467/37 "2012-02-03T23:28:02Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > I’m going out on a limb and guess that the individual in question is not a parent. Probably not, but you don’t have to be a parent to realize that people don’t want a stranger to show up when they’ve hired a specific person to do a specific job. I think this is more of a case of idiocy rather than not being a parent (I’m not a parent either, and I wouldn’t even _consider_ doing this). ---
**Author:** ![Diamonds02](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5a626/32.png) [@Diamonds02](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diamonds02)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-convince-a-cousin-that-this-is-not-right/611467/38 "2012-02-06T18:29:32Z")
I talked her out of this. 🙂 I’m so glad that she finally listened to me. And no, she is not a first cousin. :rolleyes: But a close cousin, nevertheless. ---
**Author:** ![whiterabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/cab0a1/32.png) [@whiterabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whiterabbit)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2012, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-convince-a-cousin-that-this-is-not-right/611467/39 "2012-02-06T18:40:04Z")
Hell, I’m not a parent but the thought of finding a total stranger looking after my kids, in my house, is pretty awful. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-convince-a-cousin-that-this-is-not-right/611467.md?page=1)