Estimated reading time: 11 minutes
Find out what parents do when they can’t afford a babysitter. Explore alternative options like relying on family members, friends, or affordable babysitting services.
I won’t talk about the movie Home Alone today; don’t fret. I want to discuss what parents do when they can’t afford a babysitter.
Later in this post, you will read about a parent jailed for dropping her child off at the park while she worked.
Babysitter Affordability
If you have the extra money in your budget, you may be able to hire a nanny who might double as your housekeeper, gardener, etc.
They take care of the children and the home when you are gone to work or are out on business.
If you can’t afford a nanny, you might hire a family member or a friend or search for a babysitter to take care of your child (ren).
When your child is a baby or toddler, you either stay home and don’t work or send them off to a babysitter or daycare facility.
Most parents complain they can’t get their children out of the house because they are glued to the computer, TV, or video games.
Back in the day, we were always outside playing, but my mum was a stay-at-home mum.
I never had to worry that she wouldn’t be home, but I also went out with my mates, riding bikes and going to the park from a young age (I don’t remember how old I was).
There was no cell phone in the 80s, either.
On the other hand, my wife said her parents didn’t let the children outside when they were not home.
They went to a babysitter until she was old enough to babysit her siblings.
Her mother was more relaxed and didn’t mind if the kids went to the park around the corner, where the father said no.
He was very concerned for their safety; some might call it overprotective, but that was how he was brought up.
Her parents allowed her to go to the park across the street from the family home while she was growing up.
Parenting really can be challenging, especially when two parents can’t agree.
Being overprotective can take on many boundaries, and I’m sure parents will have plenty to say about that topic.
Leaving Children Home Alone
In Canada, the Children’s Aid Society says that age alone is not a sufficient safeguard for the supervision of children. I suppose that means that not all children are at the same maturity level at the same age.
The act states that if you don’t know this and are a parent, you should read it.
The Act says that a person who has charge of a child less than 16 years of age cannot leave the child without making provision for his/her care or supervision that is reasonable under the circumstances.
Anyone who contravenes this provision is guilty of a provincial offence and if convicted is liable to a fine of up to $1,000 and/or imprisonment of up to a year.
In addition, the Criminal Code of Canada includes the offence of abandoning a child. Everyone who unlawfully abandons or exposes a child who is under the age of 10 years, so that its life is or is likely to be endangered, or its health is or is likely to be permanently injured is guilty of an offence that carries a penalty of imprisonment of not more than two years.
In the UK, it’s a bit different but very similar……
The law does not set a minimum age at which children can be left alone.
However, it is an offence to leave a child alone when doing so puts him or her at risk.
Here is the part of the UK law that ties in with my story today.
Mom Arrested For Letting A Park Babysit Her Child
The mother, Debra Harrell of South Carolina, was arrested on July 1 for dropping her 9-year-old daughter off at the park with a cell phone to play while she worked her shift at McDonald’s.
Many young children play outdoors with other children without supervision, most people would agree that this is an important part of growing up.
To leave children outdoors for a considerable length of time though, or to allow them to wander off without knowing where they are going, would be unacceptable.
The above law is for the UK, but Debra, a single mother, felt her daughter was mature enough to stay at the park and walk to McDonald’s if she needed her mom or to call on the cell phone.
The park was filled with kids and included an adult-supervised breakfast and lunch.
It doesn’t say how long the adults were supervising, but plenty of people were around.
When one mother asked the 9-year-old child where her parents were, she told her that her mom was at work.
The parent called the police, and Harrell was arrested and charged with unlawful neglect of a child. In the US, this is considered a felony of up to 10 years in prison.
The child would typically stay at McDonald’s while her mother worked, used the free Wi-Fi, and played on the computer.
I wonder if McDonald’s is ok with parents bringing their children to work.
It would mean fewer seats for paying customers, especially if it becomes a babysitting venue.
Perhaps in the future, McDonald’s will consider having daycare available for parents who want to work but can’t afford a babysitter.
Burglars stole her computer, and the child asked the mother if she could get dropped off at the park to play.
This was the third day the child was dropped off, but it was not unusual for the child to go to the park independently as she would go with her friends.
She was a 6-minute walk from home if she needed to go home or for bathroom breaks, which I didn’t note if they were available at the park.
Harrell was released on $5000 bail, but the child is still with the Social Services.
Parents Left With No Babysitting Options
Some parents, when they don’t have the money to pay for a babysitter, are left with decisions they would instead not make, but they do.
I’m not saying what she did was right or wrong, but I’m pretty sure I would not let my child hang out alone at a park all day while we were off to work at the age of nine.
This topic has been very controversial since it broke into the news.
Some parents find it not a big deal, and others say there is no way they would leave their child alone all day.
Hire A Babysitter
In Canada, we see “babysitter wanted” ads online so there’s no shortage of available candidates.
Also, if you are between the ages of 11-14, you can attend the YMCA babysitting course or the Red Cross babysitting course for a small fee.
Babysitting Costs In Canada
If you are a member of the YMCA, the cost is only $18.25, and for non-members, it’s $61.00.
How much does it cost in Canada to hire a babysitter?
Since we have no kids, I asked my CBB fans about the active rate that a couple of the fans paid, which was $10 per hour.
My wife remembers when she used to babysit and was paid just $3.00 per hour.
How times have changed, although she never did have a babysitter certification course under her belt at age 14 nor in her 20s when she was still babysitting.
Some parents who hire a babysitter have a strict job description, especially if they have children with support needs.
In the news, we read about what happens to children who are left with babysitters and have little to no lifesaving skills.
At the same time, parents leave children with their parents who might not have CPR/First Aid through a babysitter’s course.
If it boils down to the cost, paying for a certified babysitter might benefit your child more than a free babysitter.
That’s your call as a parent, though.
The parents might believe it should be fine since their parents cared for them as children, and nothing happened.
Age Difference For Babysitting Hire
There is also a difference between a 14-year-old and an adult babysitting with or without CPR/First Aid.
Life skills do count for something because we grow through experience.
I think it’s up to the child’s parents to decide what is important to them when hiring a babysitter.
I don’t know how much a babysitter costs in the USA, but Harrell could not afford to pay for one to watch over her child while she worked at McDonald’s.
If the minimum wage in Canada is $11.00 an hour and you pay your babysitter $10.00 an hour cash (tax-free), is it worth it for the parent to go to work?
I also don’t know if there is a subsidy program for parents in Canada who can’t afford child care, but either way, when you are faced with deciding to leave your child, it can’t be easy.
Know your rights as a parent and ensure you aren’t breaking the law and putting your child in harm’s way.
You never know what can happen.
Discussion: Would you drop your child off at the park unsupervised while you went to work and no one was home if they went home?
Leave your comments below.
CBB At Home And Blog
Home and Garden
As you can see, the garden seems to be coming along well.
I had to put a circle around the small figs growing on the tree because they were still tiny.
We thought we had lost our fig tree this year. However, it came back to life.
Happily, we counted 18 figs on the tree and are happy it’s not dead.
Our lime tree is growing bonkers in the back garden and has limes all over it.
The size of the lime tree and the limes, considering we bought the lime plant last summer at Home Depot for around $20.
I have some plant trimming, and the ants love it so that I will research it.
Our basil is doing very well, considering we had to buy new packets of basil seeds later in the season because not all of the first packets popped up.
Now, we have what looks like too much basil, but you can never overeat basil in our eyes.
We’ll trim the basil this week and make our basil cubes in the freezer for winter storage.
Flowers
Other than that, our orange, pink, and purple lilies are coming out in full bloom.
Our roses and other shrubs we have planted in the past few months are doing well.
We are trying our best to keep up this year, but so many other tasks are getting in the way.
Next year, I will concentrate on putting the weed barrier down and dumping mulch to finish off the back garden once and for all.
Currently, the bathroom needs my immediate attention.
We’ve spent a good chunk of change this week on the shower alone.
I’ll have the update on our budget at the end of the month.
I have about four weeks to finish this bathroom, so cross your fingers, and I can pull this off.
I’m so meticulous, and my wife is skeptical, but with the planning I’ve been doing, the only things that would set me back are unforeseen circumstances.
Blog Update
Thank you to Rock Star Finance for sharing my blog post about “Young Adult Teaches Us About Being House Poor in 15 Minutes“.
Lifehacker Australia and Lifehacker.com also picked it up.
It was one of the busiest days ever at Canadian Budget Binder, and it hasn’t stopped.
I know it may not be a viral post in the millions, but when a post gets seen by thousands in less than one day, that puts me over the moon.
Big thanks to Life Hacker for sharing with their millions of fans worldwide.
Blog Redesign
I’m developing a page called “Our Budgeting Series,” a landing page for the fans to find all the blog posts related to budgeting I’ve created.
I’ve also been unsubscribing to the blogs I re-subscribed to until I found out my old blog had somehow stopped sending me blog posts from those I subscribed to.
I’m getting double posts, so I have to sort that out.
If you are a blogger reading this and notice I unsubscribe, you know why.
Other than that… life goes on.
Have a lovely week.
-Mr.CBB
Weekly CBB Posts
If you missed any CBB posts from the week, here is the list of posts you can catch up on reading!
- How to tackle financial fears so you have no regrets
- Do you spend more or less when grocery shopping alone?
- Young adult teaches us about being house-poor in 15 minutes
- Homemade Lemonade
- Would you spend money at a restaurant without free-wi-fi
- House staging empty posh homes with a family for cheap rent
Google Search Terms
Every week, thousands of people visit Canadian Budget Binder because they searched online and found my blog.
Remember any spelling errors below? I shared with you how they typed their search engine query.
- Canadian Budget Binder App– You never know, maybe one day.
- Does Save on Foods track how much money a cashier sells at their till? If not, they will now.
- Being anorexic saves money on grocery bills- Then it puts a strain on your healthcare costs, let alone your life.
- Forged signature on passport photo- Oh, that is smart…not!
- How does Kijiji make money- Advertising and promoting ads costs $$.
Thanks for joining me for The Saturday Weekend Review #81 edition.
Mr.CBB
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- First day of summer and family activities
- Celebrate Canada Day and enjoy our beautiful country
- Would you forget that you had money in a bank account?
- Would you spend money at a restaurant without free Wi-Fi?
If you can’t childcare and there’s no way child can assist you wherever you’re going you DON’T GO. Honestly. Congrats on the viral post 🙂
Thanks Catherine… it was a nice surprise. It was like logging into your bank account to see thousands of dollars that came out of nowhere haha!
Let’s be honest, it probably costs more for a babysitter than the mom is making at McDonalds. For low income parents without a social support group it’s hard to find affordable care so you can work. Instead of arresting these parents, the US needs to create a system that supports working families.
Was it right that Debra was arrested? Well…yes. Child neglect and endangerment is serious. The biggest problem is the breakdown of the family. Where is the father or extended family?
It always comes back to welfare for single mothers (for me). Unless you are in a stable relationship, with a house,(preferably paid off) you have no business having children.
Welfare encourages single parents..and this situation becomes more prevalent.
If welfare was stopped, it would take 12 years to fix this problem, as all the existing children would be old enough to stay home for a few hours each day, while a parent worked.
It’s not hard..to not get pregnant. There is reliable birth control. Making it free, would be cheaper than welfare.
What options did this woman have? She could have offered free room and board in exchange for child care. Send the child to the grandparents or father’s home.
We need to return back to having two parents caring for the children..not just one.
This could take many forms.
Thanks so much Mr. CBB for featuring me in your Making A Difference section!!! 🙂 I appreciate the attention and interest.
Take care and all the best.
Lyle
Because we live in the snow belt and close to where hubby worked there were times in the winter I drove him to work, and then picked him up. He was working an afternoon shift at this time so the older two kids were in school when I drive him in and I just took the younger boy in the car with me. When it was time to pick him up the kids were all sleeping and the oldest was 12. I locked the door and went to the plant. Had the kids been younger I would not have left them alone for those few minutes. The plant is only a couple of kilometres away so if hubby was ready to leave as I got there I could be home again in 10 minutes. The kids knew I was doing this and were fine with it.
My kids went to visit their friends from home but I knew where they were going and they were told when to be back. Of the three our daughter was the only one to take a babysitting course when she was 12.
I babysat as a teen but it would be for a neighbour or a friend of the family. I babysat the daughter of a woman my Mom worked with for a fair while and would get a ride home after. Other than that I was within sight of home so I walked home by myself. The people I was sitting for usually stood on the front lawn to watch I got home safe. These days I do look after the grandson and have since he was a baby. I get paid in little boy hugs and kisses!!!
I see some mighty arrogant comments here, made on the basis of some huge assumptions.
The assumptions lead me to make some assumptions of my own, like this one: Clearly people who blame poor people for being poor, who urge the revocation of welfare, who state that all families should have two parents, have never been poor or alone themselves.
Everyone is fighting a hard battle. We have no idea of the backstory that led to Debra’s situation nor have we any right to make judgements from a distance about her decision. Wouldn’t it be better to err on the side of compassion? Wouldn’t it be more productive to work toward providing safe, affordable childcare for people in need? And to campaign for all workers to earn a living wage?
Well it’s just so sad that parents are not able to make good decisions to see their way to supporting their own children they bring into the world and that includes paying for child care when they are working! It’s that simple. If you can’t afford it, don’t have kids! I would desperately love to get a dog since ours passed away last year. But realistically, we can’t afford it ATM since we are aggressively paying off our debt so we can retire. And it’s only a dog which is a lot less expensive than a kid, plus I have a 6 figure income. Some one could say to me that it’s about choices, and yes, I can work longer, but eventually I will run out of rope. I have to make hard choices now, even though it’s not what I would like to do. We have created a society of irresponsibility and I drank the koolaid. Now I am paying it all back and becoming financially fit and hope to inspire others not to drink that koolaid because it’s not worth it!
Congratulations on your post being featured in a big way! Totally cool! 😀
We are like this with cats. We are only home for about 4 months a year, but we miss having a pet. We have been foster parents for the SPCA for the past 3 years, and we love it. We care for momma cats and her kittens until they are old enough to be put up for adoption. Sometimes we are given just the orphaned kittens, if there isn’t a momma cat. The SPCA provide all the litter, food, vet check ups etc…all we need to provide is the interaction, socialization and love 🙂
They may have similar programs with dogs/puppies, but we signed up for cats.
When our kids were young, I took in children to care for. This would be a better solution than leaving them at the park.
We’ve been thinking of fostering too. We become so attached we are afraid that we will not want to give the dog up!
We were worried about that at first too. I think the difference is, we knew at the beginning what our role is. We are there to socialize them, to give them the best chance,for when they get to their ‘forever’ home. We still spoil them rotten while they are with us…and even though they encourage us to name them..we don’t.
I think we’d do it, even if we had to pay them 🙂
Rock on brotha – you deserve all the press! Keep on pouring on the passion here w/ these posts 🙂
Thanks mate, I appreciate the support.