Finding a good babysitter that you can trust and who gets along with your kids can be challenging.
But one dad has been slammed online after he revealed why he fired his kids' babysitter.
In an anonymous post on Reddit, the dad explained that he and his wife hired 18-year-old Adeline to care for their five children aged between five months to seven years.
While the couple agrees she's "great with the kids," the dad has some concerns.
"She never cleans up in the playroom because she claims it's always messy and she doesn't know where anything goes, and will only clean up what she did with the kids," he said.
"For example, Adeline did an art project with my older 3 kids and cleaned the counters and the floor after that art project but she didn't pick up the toys that were in the living room or do the dishes."
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"Another problem is that her outfits can be a little inappropriate for kids so young (crop tops, shorts/skirts/dresses that are a little too short, low cut shirts, etc).
"I've asked my wife to talk to her about it (I felt that it would be more comfortable coming from another woman) but she refused, even though she admitted that she would like Adeline to wear slightly less revealing clothes."
"My parents are in town and they wanted to take the kids on a walk," he went on.
"While on the walk, they saw Adeline on a run wearing a sports bra and shorts that barely covered anything. All of my kids had seen it and we heard about how they had seen Adeline without a shirt for days."
"My five year old has also been talking about how pretty she is and that he's going to marry her when he's older, which is completely inappropriate."
He decided to fire her based on the reasons listed above.
But when he told his wife, she started "screaming" at him because she thinks Adeline is a "great babysitter and is reasonably priced."
"I told her Adeline is a bad influence and I don't want her around my kids," he recalled, "but she's refusing to speak to me until I call Adeline back and offer her job back. She even wants me to offer her a raise if she says no."
Reddit users were quick to share their opinions, and the majority sided with the wife.
One said: "I have also been in childcare for many years, and what he expects, without asking her, is ludicrous. If you want a maid too then you need to ask her AND PAY MORE, or hire a maid."
Another wrote: "How Adeline chooses to dress, especially on her own time, is none of your business."
A third commented: "Ya’ll are addressing only one situation the other glaring one, his problem with her not cleaning. Is it her job to pick up after your kids, do your dishes?
"She’s there to care for the kids, not the housemaid or nanny. The kids are old enough to clean their own messes and your and your wife are old enough to clean your own damn dishes."
And someone else put: "That is a ridiculous number of young kids to leave with a single babysitter. You should be counting your lucky stars she's willing.
"Go back on your hands and knees, apologise, and offer her a raise."
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