Did I do the right thing?

Miritza - posted on 01/02/2011

i fully agree with you i would have fired her on the spot and did the same thing you did thats very unresponsible and very careless

Kristin - posted on 11/30/2010

I would have done the exact same thing! She should know better,period. I don't think you owe her a dime.

Amanda - posted on 11/18/2010

I think you did the right thing. Even when there is a contract to pay I would think that because of negligence it would void a contact. There could have been serious injuries involved...for both children. As far as I'm concerned you owe her nothing. She may be a friend, but if she is going to watch children she needs to make sure she is taking good care of them. This is a situation that could have easily been prevented...it's not like it was out of her control.

Jennifer - posted on 11/16/2010

You sure did the right thing!I would of did the exact thing!You should eve tell every parent that she missed such an incident!It could of been alot more dangerous!

Jessica - posted on 11/12/2010

I completly agree with what you did, as a mom and a sitter myself the first thing i do whenever anything happens is to call the parent. Even if it just a bump cuz they fell, now his mouth getting burned is far more serious than a child getting a bump because they were being clumsy.I dont understand how she can even expect you to still pay her.

Andrea - posted on 11/10/2010

You did the right thing. Not only as your babysitter but a true friend would have called you and told you upfront! And as a sitter she should have known better than to leave out hot mac&cheese. You have to trust who you leave your children with, they come first before friends!

Lisa - posted on 11/10/2010

I totally agree there is no excuse for that. You were paying her to look after your son not someone else. I would have done the same thing.

Billie - posted on 11/10/2010

I totally agree with your actions, she should have called you as soon as it happened. She was negligent in leaving the hot food unattended and not calling you to let you know what happened, I personally would have left right away and took my child to the hospital. She obviously wasn't providing the care that you had agreed upon so she doesn't deserve anything, she didn't do her job!

Shannon - posted on 11/08/2010

you had every right to fire her and not pay her thats neglect and child endangerment on her part if ne thing she should be owing you the money you spent on taking your son to the doctors. she should have called you. my quetion is...would she have told you what happened if you didnt notice the burns on your sons mouth? makes you wonder if ne other things have happened that you dont no about cuz she "doesnt want you to worry"

Jillian - posted on 11/07/2010

I think you are justified in firing any babysitter for any reason. This is your child, your responsibility to see that he is taken care of properly, especially if it can't be by you. You should pay her for that day, but not for any time after that. General employment rules require that someone who is fired is paid for all time worked within 48 hours of being let go. If you didn't have a written contract with her that required giving notice, then I wouldn't feel obligated to pay her for the rest of the month.

Rahel - posted on 11/07/2010

I think your sitter is very lucky to not be facing legal action for negligence. Her inability to care for your child in a safe and responsible manner is unforgivable and I personally feel that instant dismissal is the least severe punishment, after all who is to say that this may not happen again to someone else's child. Not only should she have called you immediately to inform you but she also should have sought immediate medical attention after all burns to the mouth can result in breathing difficulties and the possible fatality of an infant. I am appalled that she could be so irresponsible and while I appreciate that accidents happen some should be avoidable and more to the point if you happen to make a mistake the least you can do is act responsibly after the event and take the appropriate actions in the best interest of the child. Needless to say when a child is injured the only person they want is their Mum she even denied your child that. I think your sitter was lucky to have gotten off so lightly let’s hope she has learned from her mistake!

Amanda - posted on 11/06/2010

You def did the right thing. My kids are very important and she should have called when it first happened. But for her to wait until you picked your son up (and then she didn't even tell you) that isn't right of her. I would have been pissed! You dont owe her any other money and were justified in fireing her on the spot. Your sons safety and well being is worth more than her friendship!! I dont know if its available for you, but I have my mom watch my kids and that way I know that my kids are in good hands.

Maureen - posted on 11/06/2010

I just wanted to add that I absolutely agree with you for firing her. She is not entitled to the rest of the months pay. That was extremely careless of her and I am appalled that she did not call you right away.

Jessica - posted on 11/06/2010

i would have done the same thing your child could have been hurt alot worse

Jane - posted on 11/06/2010

your gut instincts are never wrong. she shouldn't have let a child feed a child, regardless of age. pay her for the day, and call it quits. she didn't give you notice that she was gonna screw up, so why should you have to have given her notice that she was being let go for her actions. i don't know of any court that would agree w/her that she should be paid for any day past that day - you don't need service that puts your child in danger. it resulted in medical care, ask her if she wants to pay for the medical bill or tell her to drop it. you could always offer to sue her for pain, suffering and endangerment of a child or she can just move on.

Tabitha - posted on 11/06/2010

You did the right thing all the way around, and if I had been in that same position, I would have done the same thing. No, you do not owe her any money as there was no contract (written or verbal I'm assuming) and she can just sit and spin. Firing her was the best thing you could do.

Danielle - posted on 11/05/2010

i agree with you whole-heartedly at the end of the day your child comes first!!! and yes you have every right to fire her on the spot as she was not providing proper care for your child.

Lisa - posted on 11/04/2010

Thanks ladies! :)

Well she went to the bathroom and her friend (mother of the autistic boy) was in the living room...my son was in the chair waiting for lunch. The boy saw the mac and chz on the table and thought that he would be a big boy and feed the baby! I can't blame the kids for any of this because the boy didn't know any better and my son, being 21 months doesn't know any better.

What bothers me the most is that my sitter went to the bathroom and left out hot food and didn't even mention it to her friend and say, hey I am going to the bathroom, can you keep an eye on the kids.

She was paid for the days that she worked, but not the day of the incident because she specifically told me that she didn't want to be paid for that day, but wants the rest of the months pay because she has bills to pay. And I told her that she wasn't going to watch him anymore, so it's like any other time she didn't watch him. She didn't like that and tried to argue with me. I told her that it wasn't happening. Especially now that I have a medical bill to pay for.

Sheryn - posted on 11/04/2010

Number one She shouldve told you about the incident as soo nas she realised that something happened..even a quick txt msg atleast...your the childs mother and deserve to know if the child was hurt in her care...
Number two where was she when this happened?Why on earth was something like that left in the childrens reach ESPECIALLY when the other child wouldnt have understood that the hot food could hurt your child
Number Three I think you were completely justified in firing her...if she had just told you what had happened originally she might still have a job but the fact she couldnt take responsibility of what happened whilst the child was in her care shows that she shouldnt be looking after your child...But in saying this you should pay her up to the day of the incident

Chelly - posted on 11/04/2010

Just want to add that I agree with your actions and reasons. She should be paid for the time she was there but doesn't deserve extra pay for her negligence.

Laura - posted on 11/04/2010

i agree. I think she was lucky to have someone who gave her any job that would allow her to take her son. I am not sure how disabled he is (her 12 year old) but I won't let my sister watch my kids because of her autistic son being unpredictable. He is 16 now and can do odd things. If she isn't aware of what is going on then I think she needs to go. But beware that her friendship will also go, too.

Anyhow, maybe it isn't very PC for me to say it but I would be most angry she wasn't aware of what her son was doing. That would frighten me!

Sara - posted on 11/04/2010

Bottom line is you are the Mom, so you have every right to decide who you want to watch your child, unjust or not. We choose a sitter based on the comfort level we feel, so if that comfort level no longer exists, then so be it. It doesn't matter the reason. I do agree with she should at least be paid for any day that she was there, but not for days not worked.

Chrislyn - posted on 11/04/2010

I would have fired her, too, friend or not! She also is not entitled to pay for work she didn't do! If you were fired from your job, they normally do not hand you pay for the rest of the month and say, even though we fired you, here's your money for not working! I don't think so! Move on, these types of "friends" you don't need!

Alisha - posted on 11/04/2010

I agree with firing her but as much as it sucks I do think that you should pay her for all days she worked including the day of the incident. You don't need to pay her for the rest of the unworked month as she was let go as a safety issue.

Sarah - posted on 11/04/2010

i totally agree with you. she should have kept the hot food away from the kids and she should have called. shes not a doctor she wasnt sure his mouth was fine. and as for the money she dont deserve it. you have to earn it and she didnt come close. why was an autistic child feeding your child anyways? she should have been paying more attention to both kids.