But when fortune struck and the lottery winnings transformed her friend’s life, the stark truth of her own worth became undeniable. Despite the newfound wealth and luxuries, her plea for fair pay was met with cold refusal, shattering the quiet bond and forcing her to reclaim her dignity by walking away from a role she once embraced with love.

I’ve been the sole babysitter for a friend since their child was born 3 years ago. I don’t get paid supremely well, below minimum wage ($60/6hr when minimum would be $84/6hr) but it’s still been agreeable because it’s easy money and I can study while I’m there.
My friend is also not particularly well off (or wasn’t as you’ll soon read) so I was throwing them a bone by being lenient on the wage. The husband is against babysitting and daycares (he was a victim of abuse this way) but he agreed because we’re all friends and have been for a long time.
My friend won $740,000 in the lottery two months ago and everything is more or less settled in. They bought two new 2019 cars ($60,000+ vehicles), travelled a bit, etc. But they still paid me the same amount, which stung because I’m covering for them while they went to Cuba and Mexico.
They can afford to pay me more, so I told them this. I want minimum wage, and they declined saying it’s too expensive. So I decided to no longer babysit for them. This means they’ll have no babysitter because my friend’s husband doesn’t care for them.
I know I’m not the asshole for quitting over a wage but it’s not entirely that. I’m half doing this vindictively because I know they’re in a peculiar position where I’m their only option.
But all I want is minimum wage, I’m not going to gouge them over this fact. Part of it might be jealousy but if they can afford $120,000+ in cars in the span of two months, they can afford an extra $24 per shift of my babysitting.
Conclusion
The original poster (OP) finds themselves in a difficult position, having provided reliable, underpaid childcare for three years. The core conflict arises when the friend receives a significant financial windfall but refuses to adjust the compensation to at least minimum wage, leading the OP to terminate the arrangement.
Is the OP justified in prioritizing fair compensation, even if the termination causes significant inconvenience to the friend, or does the history of friendship and the friend’s past financial situation warrant continued leniency despite the new wealth?
Here’s how people reacted:
You say you are being paid below minimum wage but I assume this is a casual cash in hand affair if you were to make it official and be paid minimum wage you would lose some of that 84$ in taxes.
Point being you were happy to help them before but after a win you have admitted jealousy over you aren’t happy to help now.
If it went the other way and they had say lost a portion of their income would you happily babysit for less than the 10$?
Their good lick should have no bearing on your original agreement, of course you are well within you rights to say you no longer wish to work for below minimum wage and that’s fine, but it seems like this only became an issue for you after they won some money.
And again you can’t demand minimum wage if you are not paying taxes etc on that wage.
Thank you guys for the awards
I believe that you’re never TA for quitting a job (as long as you give however long a notice as is customary in your area/country, that is.)
Similarly, they’re not TA for not wanting to pay you more – you were willing to do it for this, they were willing to pay you this, so it was fine. Now, you aren’t willing to earn what they want to pay and they aren’t willing to pay what you want to earn, so naturally, you’re parting ways (at least in the employment-babysitting area). That’s not assholish anywhere – that’s just the way the labour market works.
(BTW – if they try to guilt-trip you into staying anyway, they’re going straight into TA and choosingbeggar/entitledparents territory.)
That said, all you’re asking for is the minimum wage. You’re not asking for $30 per hour now that they have money. It’s not too expensive to buy brand new cars or go to Cuba, but childcare for their kids? Now that’s just too much. No. You have a right to ask for the minimum when you were doing it for less as a favor because they literally didn’t have it. Now they do.
NTA
> I’m half doing this vindictively because I know they’re in a peculiar position where I’m their only option.
Sorry, but if your heart is in the wrong place, you are being an asshole. I totally think quitting is the right decision given the circumstances, but don’t do it to be vindictive, that’s not good for anyone involved.
But yes, your friends are totally being assholes about this. Who expects to pay anyone less than the (criminally low) minimum wage, especially when they can obviously afford to pay you minimum wage.
Interesting that husband is against babysitters or daycares, and was fine with you caring for his child for below minimum wage. Look, you’re a decent and trustworthy person. But who willfully underpays someone watching their kid?? Does he also insult his servers at restaurants?
So they couldn’t afford it. They can now. Ultimately, if they are buying new vehicles and taking vacations while underpaying you, they’re taking advantage.
I mean…a bonus is definitely something I would have expected, once you had provided childcare under minimum wage while they went on vacations.
No one in their right mind can say an additional $24 for an evening of freedom from their child(ren) is too much when they’ve just gone and blown 5,000 times that amount.
Edit: I understand that it’s not “just an evening” or a “one-off” childcare arrangement. I was suggesting that an additional $24 for each occasion of said childcare is a drop in the ocean in comparison to the cost of the 2 cars. They could have paid OP’s request of minimum wage for over 5,000 days of babysitting for the same cost of their cars.
EDIT: A lot of people are pointing out that OP could be Canadian and therefore wouldn’t pay taxes on lottery winnings. This seems like it’s probably the case so will revise my previous statement.
*Between the cars and the trips, they have spent 1/6 of their money in 2 months. They will be broke by summer 2021.
The kid(s) have gotten used to you and you abandoned them.
The parents get ghetto rich and skip town
And where TF is minimum wage over ten dollars an hour?
This post is a cluster-hump
You should get at least minimum wage for your work. It sounds like they are blowing through the money too fast and are starting to recognize that.