TikTok Weighs in on Mom Offering Babysitter Extra Cash for Chores

In today’s economy, parents have to make the most of every expenditure. So, when one mom found her house in a bit of disarray, she decided to kill two birds with one stone and see if her babysitter might be interested in earning a little more money on the side in exchange for picking up some chores around the house.

In a video that has now amassed 1.5 million views, Katrina Ivan (@kivankc), a busy mom, teacher, and small business owner from Kansas City, showed off a note that she had left for her teenage babysitter offering up a variety of “optional” (keyword, here) chores to do.

“I am a teacher and I have a small business that is in the busy season. Little things have been let go for too long” Ivan explained in the caption. “The clutter is making all of us feel stressed. I was going to stay home to clean, but I could use a date night. [This] seems like a good compromise.”

The note shown in the video reads at the top, “You are more than welcome to hang out and watch TV all night, but if you want to make some extra $$, these jobs are up for grabs.” The list depicts several chores, from organizing the fridge to sweeping and mopping the floors, each for a different cost ranging from $3 to $15. “Just let me know if you decided to do any of these and the grand total I owe you on top of the babysitting money. Thanks for being here,” it concludes.

At the end of the video, Ivan asks if parents think it’s “a good idea or not” and to leave their comments. Responses came in droves. “I think this is a great opportunity for your babysitter. You’re giving a choice, and I love that,” wrote one user. “This is a great idea!! Sometimes it’s boring to just to sit and watch TV, this makes time go by quicker and sometimes it’s things I would do to help,” added another.

Some users agreed that the idea was great, but the prices could use some tweaking. “I think $10 is too cheap for some of these tasks considering the amount of work/size of the mess,” commented one user. “Those are 1990 prices,” chimed in another. “Hey! As a teenager who babysits, I think these prices are totally reasonable. There’s a few that might need to be a little more, but it looks good,” argued one babysitter.

Overall, commenters believed that the idea, while solid, hinges on emphasizing that this is an extra ask, not a must-do. “I think just communicating in person like ‘hey seriously no obligation to do any of it, but I will compensate you if you do,’” a user noted. “I think this is great. Especially, you’re saying pick and choose if you want to do some or all or none. I would have loved the list to know how to help,” added another.

Clean house and happy kids? Sounds like a win to us.