A Mom Stirs Online Debate After Revealing a Chore List She Left for a Babysitter

A mother in Missouri has devised a strategy to enhance her date nights with her husband. She provided her babysitter with a note offering additional earning opportunities through completing minor tasks around the house which went viral online.

A mother offered her babysitter to earn extra money.

A science teacher Katrina Ivan gained attention by posting a list she provided to her babysitter on TikTok, achieving over 1.5 million views.

The message to the babysitter, a high school senior familiar to Katrina for four years, was clear: “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.”

Upon seeing the list, the babysitter quickly took the initiative, beginning to clean the windows a mere 10 minutes after Katrina and her spouse had left. Katrina, observing the babysitter’s prompt action through her Ring camera, realized her strategy was effective. “She was like, ‘Heck ya!’ and got to work right away,” Katrina shared. “I left all the supplies out for her so she didn’t have to feel weird hunting around for things.”

Ivan’s idea has received mixed reactions.

At the conclusion of Ivan’s TikTok video, she invited viewers to share their thoughts on her chore list concept:

“I think this is great. especially your 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.”

“I think $10 is too cheap for some of these tasks considering the amount of work/size of the mess.”

“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!”

“THIS IS SUCH A GOOD IDEA as a babysitter I always would clean random things but wasn’t sure if they wanted me to, so having a list w/$ is so smart!!”

“As a babysitter/nanny I would 100% do this! So sweet of you to offer extra money! It’s a win-win for you both!”

“I nannied for years as a teenager and I would’ve loved this! It gives the OPTION for extra money while helping you a little more too!”

Ivan has her point on the pricing.

Ivan explains that the payment rates she proposed to her high school senior babysitter align with the prevailing standards in their rural Missouri location, where the cost of living is relatively low.

“The cost of living here is pretty cheap,” she states.

Both Ivan and her husband hold two jobs to sustain their livelihood but often find themselves lagging in household chores, leading to feelings of being overwhelmed and guilty.

“Outsourcing is the answer,” Ivan says. “The next time (she) came to babysit, she did everything on the list. And Super Bowl weekend she’s going to help me bag up my son’s old clothes for donation.”

Do you agree with the users? Also read the story where our reader encountered some stress in her life when her mother-in-law requested payment for babysitting her grandchild.