Anyone who has babysat before in their life knows that it’s no easy gig. Sure, when the kid goes to sleep, you may be able to hang out on the couch and watch the monitor. But there’s a lot that goes into babysitting. You’re responsible for another human’s human, after all!

And yet, one mom recently had the nerve to tell her babysitter that she should be grateful for receiving $8 an hour to watch her not one, not two, but THREE children. Just for the record, the average hourly rate of nannies in 2020 is $17.50 per hour, according to Sittercity data. Plus, $8 an hour is lower than most average minimum wages. But we digress.

The text exchange, which was posted on a Reddit subpage, between the mom and babysitter started off rocky before they even got to agree on a payment plan. The mother initially texted the babysitter the morning of the date that she needed the babysitter to come—and the babysitter still responded cordially telling her that while it was short notice, she’d be happy to accommodate with some details.

The mom got right to the point. “We have twin 3.5-year-olds and a 2-year-old,” she explained. “Be aware none of them are potty trained yet but you’re more than welcome to work on it.”

When the babysitter told her she’d be able to charge $15 per hour to watch the three children, the mom put a halt to the conversation. “I’ve never paid more than $8,” she said, after telling the babysitter she needed her for 5-6 hours.

“I’m sorry, I can’t do that!” the babysitter responded. “$15 an hour minimum. I don’t want to waste any more of your time so that’s it, $15 or nothing.”

But the mother wasn’t about to give up that quickly.

“Our kids are very well behaved and will be sleeping most of the time anyway,” she explained. “You’ll barely have to do anything. I used to babysit for $10 a night. Be grateful.”

Yikes.

“Barely have to do anything? They’re not even potty trained,” the babysitter retorted. “Good luck! Maybe you can sucker some poor teenager to babysit.”

Good for her not backing down! Man, the things parents try to scheme for a night out.

What do you think is a fair rate for someone to babysit three young children? How do you feel about how the mom and babysitter handled this text exchange? What would you have done in this situation?