AITA for saying my babysitting rates are $35 an hour?
Caught between the quiet pull of family and the relentless drive of ambition, a software engineer finds himself at a crossroads during a holiday meant for rest.
With a steady full-time job and a thriving freelance side hustle, his time is his most precious currency, carefully measured and valued.
Yet, faced with the unexpected request to babysit his cousin’s three young children in a remote countryside, his plans—and his well-earned solitude—are suddenly upended.
In the stillness of a rural Christmas break, where every hour is accounted for in dollars and d**dlines, the engineer confronts a profound dilemma: pursue the work that fuels his independence and pa*sion, or embrace the chaotic, unpredictable demands of family.
It’s a story of sacrifice, priorities, and the invisible costs of success when life’s unexpected moments challenge even the most disciplined of souls.
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The original poster (OP) faced a conflict between their es**blished professional self-valuation ($60/hour freelance rate) and a family request for childcare services, ultimately setting a rate ($35/hour) significantly below their usual standard due to the nature of the task.
The core conflict stems from the cousin and her husband vehemently rejecting this proposed rate, perceiving it as exploitative and ent*tled, which led to an emotional exchange where the OP was insulted regarding their age and perceived lack of understanding about childcare costs.
Was the OP justified in proposing $35 an hour as a minimum rate for intensive, unfamiliar childcare labor, despite it being lower than their professional freelance rate, or did the family's expectation of low-cost family favors override the OP's right to set a value on their time and labor?
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