Jobless Mom Demands Payment for Babysitting Grandchild

I WANT MY JOBLESS MOM (PICTURED), 64, TO BABYSIT MY KID BUT SHE DEMANDS PAYMENT. DO YOU THINK IT’S OKAY?
My mom has been a homemaker for years. She stays home ALL DAY LONG (trust me, she does not do anything besides watch TV and cook).
I asked her to babysit my newborn so I could go back to work as I struggled with my husband to pay all our debts and just earn our living. First, she said she was too old and had already raised her kids.
Later, she changed her mind but said I had to PAY her and demanded some other stuff (the list below). I decided to…..Check the first comment for the entire story…👇👇 ⬇…Check the first comment for the entire story…👇👇 ⬇Okay, here is the second part of the story and a normal ending:

…decided to ask her about the list. It turned out her demands included $20 per hour (which is more than my usual hourly rate!), only organic food for her lunches, specific brands of diapers and wipes for the baby, and a new smart TV for her living room “so she wouldn’t be bored while the baby sleeps”. I was floored. Twenty dollars an hour? A new TV? Was she serious?

I tried to calmly explain our financial situation to her again, how we were struggling, and how much it would mean to us if she could help as family. I reminded her that she always said family should support each other. She just shrugged and said, “Well, your family is asking to be paid. Raising kids is hard work, and my time is valuable now. Plus, a new TV would really make things more comfortable for me here.”

Honestly, I was hurt and furious. It felt like she was trying to take advantage of our desperation. I told her that we couldn’t afford her rates and her “extras”. I said it felt like she didn’t even want to help, and was just trying to make money off of us. She scoffed and said if we couldn’t afford her, we should figure something else out.

After a few days of stress and frantic searching, we managed to find a lovely, experienced babysitter in our neighborhood who charged a reasonable rate and was willing to work with our budget. It was still tight, but manageable.

When I told my mom we had found someone else, she actually seemed relieved. “Good,” she said, “Now I can enjoy my peace and quiet without the stress of a baby.”

In the end, it was a blessing in disguise. While it stung that my own mother wasn’t willing to help us out of love, it forced us to find a solution that worked for our family. We learned that sometimes, family isn’t always who you expect them to be, and that it’s okay to seek help elsewhere when needed. We are now managing with our babysitter, and while it’s an added expense, it’s worth the peace of mind and the knowledge that we found a reliable solution independently. It definitely changed my perspective on my relationship with my mom, but ultimately, we are doing okay.