~I Feel Like A Bad Person-Am I?~

Why would she even ask you how much when she had no intentions of paying you anyway? You are definitely NOT the bad person in this situation.

No, and well done for saying 8 dollar's an hour, well worth it. You did right. If you did it for free you would get taken for granted I'm sure, and that not a thing to do. Well done

First, no you aren't a bad person. I also commend you on stating how much after her asking and not moving. I read through all the comments to gather as much info as I could. This was for a personal day for her and to expect you to do this for free for such a long duration of time, was unfair of her to even ask. If she didn't have the money she have stated up front I have no money. Also I believe that she was the unreasonable one in the amount of time she asked you to watch her children for so that she could have a day with her boyfriend. I used to be a stay at home mom and I can't tell you how many times friends and family would ask me to watch their children for free. Since I babysat other children (I got paid for) they felt that I should be able to take their's in for free. I was walked on for years never being able to stand up for myself. My husband at the time always said you can say no, you do't have to put yourself through all of this. I always felt guilty if I said no, and back then, if I said no it was for a legitimate reason and still I felt guilty. I have learned that it's ok to say no, and to charge for your services when asked. You did the right thing, glad your husband was on your side.

no not at all lf she d oes not want to pay she should not have spoiled her kids so that they are brats and hard for anyone to watch them you are a very good person and very smart too . a brat is a brat even if its related l ol.

They know it's what you do for a living so i don't see anything wrong with what you did.

No, you are not a bad person. Let her take them to daycare if she needs a sitter. She wanted and expected you to do it for nothing. It is not right of her to expect you to watch her unruly children for free. She must not value your time. If it was an emergency it would be different, but you have a lot going on. There is nothing wrong with you wanting a little compensation for your hard earn work. In my opinion $5.00 an hour is a bargain.

i would understand if she doesnt have the money but at least offer you something, anything that'll compensate. its not even easy for me to take care one kid, how much more 6? dont worry about it..

No you are not a bad person for not babysitting her children for free why should you do that anyway. If she doesn't have any money than she won't have a baby sitter at all. Sounds like her children are a handful anyway so you are better off not watching them.

I wouldn't feel bad, if I were you. If it means that much more work for you, it's not a bad idea to charge something. I think you did the right thing.

First read tells me to stay away. Money and family or friends do not go well and it spoils relations. I would have tried finding smart ways of denying her. But I know, within family it is difficult to come up with lies and also I am not the guy who would prefer to lie. So I might have consulted my spouse. his niece so he should be suggesting me ways not to do it. If not, I would have little options. But then, as it is your profession, you should charge. You cannot be a bad person for not doing it for free. It is your profession and in a profession there is no family or relationship.

I wonder what amount she had in mind when she asked you "how much"... Sounds to me what you charged her was very reasonable and why didn't she at least try to negotiate the price with you instead of just saying "never mind...". Don't feel bad, you are definitely not a bad person.

No, you are not a bad person. You need to put a value on your time. Those two will take a lot of care and you already have as much as any person could handle. I think she wanted to use you.

You're not a bad person and you did the right thing. She can't expect it to be free considering the circumstances of her kids. It's your profession, just fair for you to charge her.

You're not bad. If the kids are tough and you have your own then heck yeah you should charge them.

I don't think you are mean in this case. I think in the west countries this is common. Even if you say no, that's still OK for you. If she thinks you are bad, she shall understand that today not many things can be free of charge. Even if you are relatives, it is still fine that she pays for you.

You were not a bad person. It´s just that as any other work, this one required a payment. I think you could have charged more for taking care of two children.

She asked for the price and you just gave it to her. It doesn't make you a bad person. It's tough to take care of spoiled brats.

Never feel bad about yourself for such small things. some times we have to think of ourselves too before helping others. so it's alright in my opinion.

No you're not @LovingMyBabies . You've got your hands full as it is.

I don't think so! If it was your sister or sister-in-law, maybe I would feel differently. I feel bad because I won't keep one of my step son's children at all. There are three of them and they are all very "active" I will say. They are all always into something they are not supposed to be and don't mind very well at all. My children know that I do not have patience for kids that don't mind.