How does my 14 year old daughter politely ask for babysitting money for a job un

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   pjlacy5posted 12 years ago

   How does my 14 year old daughter politely ask for babysitting money for a job unpaid?
   
   The woman with the daughter she babysat for, is a friend of mine and my friend told my daughter she would pay her asap.  It's been about two weeks.

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   krillcoposted 12 years ago

   I would suggest that like any professional business, she send an invoice, and keep sending them until she gets the fee satisfied.

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      pjlacy5posted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I never thought of that!  My friend would probably actually get a kick out of an invoice and might prompt her to hire daughter in future if she is such a professional.

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   Denise Handlonposted 12 years ago

   Wow...delicate subject, I would think.  It's your friend...do you know of any outstanding circumstance for the nonpayment? i.e.  out of work...husband out of work?   
   
   A promise is a promise and your daughter deserves to get paid for her time.  This is a great opportunity for your daughter to learn assertiveness.  I have a few questions: 
   1. Has she approached the woman herself and asked her for her pay? 
   2. If she has, what was the woman's excuse for not paying her on the spot?
   3. If she has not...why not? 
   
   Perhaps the woman has forgotten...we all get busy, or she 'thinks' she has paid your daughter already.  Maybe she needs a gentle reminder. 
   
   If it were me, I would encourage my daughter to go there (if walking distance), and politely assert herself.  I would suggest role playing that scene with her prior to it if she is shy or timid.  "Mrs. M, do you remember when I babysat on Oct 6?  Well, you asked me to wait for my pay, but its been two weeks and I need the money.  I'm just wondering if maybe it slipped your mind?"  Remind her that she worked hard for that money and her time is valuable and she deserves this money.  I've done role playing with my very shy nephew for job interviews and he thinks it's silly at first, however, he admits it does help.
   
   Then, if that fails, I would take the next step and support her by going with her to your friends house and approach her together.  If the woman does not pay up I would find out what the problem was and go from there.   Good luck.

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      pjlacy5posted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Thank you so much for your time and thorough answer! I will share it with my daughter and believe it will help

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   duffsmomposted 12 years ago

   Trying to put the best spin on it, let's assume she just forgot.  I would tell your daughter to call her and say something polite and just remind her that she still needed to be paid. 
   
   Denise laid it out very well.

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      pjlacy5posted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks!!!

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   Glimmer Twin Fanposted 12 years ago

   Good question.  This happened to me when I was in high school.  It was our next door neighbor.  I reminded her politely a couple of times, my mom asked once and we never got it so I never babysat for them again.  We let it drop and never mentioned it to them again.  It was a sticky situation, and even though she was a neighbor she was not our good friend.  Good luck!

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   Garifaliaposted 12 years ago

   I think she should politely say: "Mrs. B, I hope I don't inconvenience you but I really need the babysitting money. May I come by tomorrow?" I have a friend's daughter tutour my son in maths because her family really needs financial help. The girl was in depserate need and asked for the money at the end of the month. I wanted to get paid to pay her because I didn't have anything in the bank nor cash. The poor girl felt awful asking for the money when I too had difficulty in paying her on time, but I felt bad about myself not the girl. Adults are obligated to look after youth---end of story. And since she's your friend she'll be understanding. If she's not, you'll know what kind of friend you have.

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      pjlacy5posted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Thank you!  I appreciate your speaking from your own experience from your life.

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