"Ridiculous": Debate erupts over whether grandparents should be paid to babysit
Any parent knows how difficult it is to get your child into daycare or preschool. With limited spaces across the country and rising costs, many are turning to their families for help.
Many rely on grandma and grandpa to help out with the kids, and while some say they'd happily do it for free, others think it's time to put a price on it.
According to a Nine.com.au poll 42 per cent of Aussies believe that grandparents should be paid for babysitting, while 58 per cent of them believe there's no need to pay grandparents for their services.
However, the question is more complicated than a simple yes or no, with many explaining that it depends on the circumstance.
"If grandparents are babysitting for special occasions or at their request then I don't think they should be paid. Most would do it for love and time with grandkids. If grandparents are providing child minding then that's different. If it's a regular occurrence then yes they should be paid," explained one person.
"Grandparents should be paid to babysit if they are required for more than two full days a week," echoed another.
"Grandparents should be paid, it is cheaper than creche and the kids won't be as sick mixing with a batch of others," a third wrote.
For many there's a big difference between babysitting on a weekend or a one-off day versus during the week.
"Being paid as a grandparent to babysit in my opinion is ridiculous, however if a grandparent is enlisted to provide child care more than two days a week so that parents can work, I think a payment in some form isn't unreasonable, even if it's a surprise gift intermittently," one wrote.
"I babysit my grandchildren while my daughter works she pays me $20 for petrol, but if they want to go out and I babysit then she doesn't pay me which I'm OK with," added another person.
The parents and grandparents' financial position was also a big factor.
"I think the grandparent babysitting for payment is a personal thing. Some parents can really afford it, some are struggling and the grandparents do it to help out," one explained.
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