Tough decisions regarding payment

[JCrakers]

My dd is 10 and is in yr 6 at school. She has a nice group of friends who come round for tea/sleepovers etc. Last summer her friends Mum asked if I could have her dd 1 day over the summer. I agreed, had her dd and didn't charge as I had her round in a non working capacity. She was grateful and then she had my dd round to play the week after.
I also had another of dd's friends round 2 days over the summer but charged as I don't know her so well and her Mum insisted.

2 weeks ago another friends Dad asked me if I could pick up his dd from school and have her until he finished work. I said no probs and didn't charge as I saw it as a friend for tea. He wanted to pay but being that I'd not seen his dd for 2hrs as they were in my dd room playing I said no.

He asked if I could have her again the day after and said he would pay this time and I agreed. So I had her 8am-8.50am and 3pm-6.25pm and charged him £15 (little less than my rate of £3.50)
I have her again today and my dd is happy and has someone to play with so it makes my job a lot easier so 8.30-5pm I've said 'give me £20'
I'm happy with that and I'm sure he is too. It gives me a bit of unexpected money.

Its a difficult area having the kids friends over and charging for it.

He wants me to have his dd next year after school as he has a job starting for a few weeks. He's taken my EY number for tax credits and is going to looking at that so I better get myself in to gear and get some proper invoices made up.
Still find it weird though

[mama2three]

Ive had similar with a friend of ds.

In the end I decided that it depended 'why' they friend was coming!
If it was so their parents could earn then I charged.
If it was because ds wanted his friend over I didnt.

[lisa1968]

I used to care for my niece and as it was every day,then i did charge (bit cheaper though!).It does feel strange but we agreed right from the start that the business side of it was completely separate from the family side of things and if we ever had any issues we would discuss them as I would any other family.it worked really well.

[Mouse]

I've always gone by the rule that if they ask me to have their child I charge, if I offer to have them, I don't.

Obviously if it's a play date I don't charge.

[lynncjt]

I've always gone by the rule that if they ask me to have their child I charge, if I offer to have them, I don't.

Obviously if it's a play date I don't charge.

I do the same, I don't have kids myself but before I was childminding I often had my friend's kids in, we have agreed that now I'm working if I ask then no charge, if she would have asked me before as a favour eg stuck at the doctors then no charge, but if she would like me the have the kids just to have some free time or go shopping then I charge 'mates rates'.

[fionamadcat]

I have the same situation, I have my 8 yr old dd's best friend after school every monday, I charge for this as it is regular and she takes up a space although I do charge lower than my normal rate (although I still feel bad for charging because I don't really feel I do anything with her as they just want to play upstairs). Then if she comes over because I've invited her then I don't charge, if her mum asks if I can have her then I will charge but that is quite rare.

[samb]

I got myself in a pickle over this sort of thing earlier in the year. When my dd started going to a club I agreed with another mum that I would pick her dd up on the way and drop them both off and then she would drop my dd home. This then turned into me collecting them both from school, giving them an early dinner and taking them and her dropping my dd home. Then that turned into her ds needing to be collected at the same time and so I was doing both runs inc dinner. Mum then offered to have mine a couple of times for the collecting from school and giving dinner bit but then started "babysitting" for her friends kids and so suddenly couldn't do either run again - only I didn't find out this was the reason until a few weeks later! I was actually really upset as I felt completely used and felt that my actual childminding business was being disregarded by a "friend". I had my ds and 2 sibling mindees as well in the equation! Anyway, my dd decided to stop the club at the end of last school year and I was so relieved! I really didn't want to fall out with the mum as we have known each other for 5 years but at the end of the day I wish I had charged and just done it all as I wouldn't have felt so used.

[miffy]

I've always gone by the rule that if they ask me to have their child I charge, if I offer to have them, I don't.

Obviously if it's a play date I don't charge.

This is what I used to do too when my children were younger.

Miffy xx