Reddit Babysitter and the Police Call: It’s a Tie, You Both Lose

Houston Moms is always proud to offer differing perspectives on a range of issues from our diverse team. For another take on this news story about the Reddit babysitter and the police call, check out Tiffany’s post

babysitter on phone with upset expressionIn a recent Reddit Article, a babysitter repeatedly accepts jobs from a delinquent and extremely tardy mom. After one of the mom’s repeated stunts, the babysitter calls the police, and the kids are eventually taken into custody by CPS. She concludes her post with asking if she’s petty for calling the police. Petty may have been if she told the mom she was going to arrive for sitting the kids at 6 and came at 9.  Immature is taking the job repeatedly and then calling the police when you have had enough.

Mom was wrong…dead wrong. But the question still stands—Why did the babysitter keep taking the job?

The issue I have here is intent. The babysitter did not intend to call the police because she was sincerely worried about the kids or the mom. The babysitter called the police because she was annoyed. And now kids {and the mom—even though you might not feel bad for the mom} are now in the system. As a former social worker, I can imagine the kids’ faces when the police told them to get into the backseat of a car and be taken to the Child Protection Office. And not because they were in immediate danger, but because a babysitter wanted to teach the mom a lesson.

As a single parent and a teacher, I have had to rely on friends and family to help at times, and one thing I know to be true:: if I mess up the schedule, they will call me out. I leave multiple numbers and resources on the first babysitting service. The mom never left the babysitter this information, and yet she continued to work for the mom. Now, we don’t have all the details {we never do}. But from what I see, the babysitter needs to work on valuing herself and advocating for herself a little more. If she wanted to ‘get back’ at the mom, she could have just stopped working for her, right?

Moral of the story: If you don’t set clear boundaries, people will take advantage of you.

The babysitter went back repeatedly, and although she missed out on events and her own personal time, she kept coming—both adults were an irresponsible, and in the end, the kids suffered.


 

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