This gentleman said on Reddit that he has his own life and that his daughter should understand that his time at home has a price. She must pay him the money he asks for if she wants him to look after his grandson.
Being a parent nowadays is just as difficult as it was in the past since we must work to put food on the table. However, children don’t grow up that fast and need someone to take care of them and watch over them. This task is sometimes performed by grandparents.
However, grandparents aren’t always willing to do this. In old age, what they want is to make the most of life. They have worked for a long time and having fun is their only priority in their remaining years.
The issue is when their kids ask them for the «favor», something that Reddit user u / iri_baker67 wouldn’t accept. In a thread, he told how he has a 29-year-old daughter who has a 1-year-old baby. The issue is that she’s going back to work soon, five days a week, between seven or eight hours a day.
So she asked her father if he could take over her child’s care at least three days a week, but he wouldn’t accept this so easily. He asked her to pay him $12 per hour. It was his free time, and he would lose it by taking on a responsibility.
«She understood my need for payment, but then lowballed me by requesting $10/hour because she claims she cannot afford it even with her $22/hour job (…) I love my grandson, but I’m not a daycare (…) I have my own life, I work for myself and I think she should understand that I’d be giving up my time when I work from home, and if I’m going to be giving up that time, then I need money to replace that time I’m giving up from my job.»
–Iri_baker67 via Reddit–
Of course, opinions were divided. At first many thought that asking for payment from a daughter caring for a young baby was a bit excessive, yet others agreed with him. They think it’s his old age and he has the right to spend it as he wishes. If he wants to pass the time not looking after children, there shouldn’t be any issue at all with this.
They think that there is a reason she is asking him and not a daycare center. It is likely to be more expensive and truly unaffordable, considering that her salary isn’t as high as she expressed. Plus, she would receive exclusive care that isn’t available in these centers. Luckily, they both came to an agreement, and it seems to be working for them. It’s expensive, but it will certainly help the mother return to the job market.
