From: Anne
Subject:: My sister got offended at the amount of money I asked from her for babysitting

My name is Anne, I’m 28 years old, and I have a flexible job that allows me to work from home. Last weekend I was planning on finishing up some of my work tasks so I’ll have a more relaxed schedule during the week. On Friday, I got a call from my sister Emma who I haven’t seen that often recently.

She asked me if I was willing to babysit her 3 small kids over the weekend because she and her husband wanted to go on a spontaneous trip. I told her I was quite busy and had other plans, but Emma offered to pay me for watching her kids. I then said I would do it if she paid me $25 an hour, which is well below my hourly rates at my full-time job.

But Emma got very offended at the amount of money I asked from her, saying babysitters make much less than that, and I am also her family. I explained to her that I planned on working so if I have to watch her children I’ll no longer be able to do that. After calling me selfish, Emma hung up on me, and later I also got a message from her husband telling me that they had to cancel their trip because of me. Bright Side, I hope you can help me with some advice. I’d like to fix my relationship with Emma after our argument.

Your faithful reader, Anne