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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Giving neighbouring kids little jobs to do for a bit of pocket money?

69 replies

Foreverlodger · 21/12/2021 11:16

We have a fairly normal neighbourly relationship with next door - put bins out for each other when we forget, make small talk, share the occasional garden tools with each other but we’ve never been each other’s houses.

They’ve got 3 kids (12? 14? 16?) who seem pretty sensible (no worries of them using our keys for a house party/stealing). I asked their mum in passing if any of her kids wanted to water our house plants for a £5 a go - they’d be left in the utility so they’d just have to let themselves in, fill up the jug, water them and lock the door behind them but I’d explain where everything was if she wanted to send one over before we went.

She’s sheepishly came over to say that her kids are impossible to do anything outside of their bedrooms and that she’ll happily do it for free. I’ve sorted it out as I didn’t want to be a CF.

DP said it was really weird offering in the first place but I don’t really think it is? As a kid I would have jumped at the chance to earn £15 as a kid and I often did vacuuming out cars/running down the shop/bit of weeding/posting Christmas cards for neighbours for a couple of quid but maybe that’s because half the time I asked if anyone needed a hand?

OP posts:

WorraLiberty · 21/12/2021 13:20

@colourfulpuddles

Yes YABU. That is really weird; children aren’t skivvies to be given jobs to and you’d be given short shrift if you tried to offer any to mine.

You’re not their parent or their employer. You’re a neighbour. Water your own plants.

And yet in the real world, kids/teens having been doing odd jobs for pocket money since forever...

nokidshere · 21/12/2021 13:26

My boys would have done this gladly. They used to help out our next door neighbour with minor tasks and she always gave them something, either a bit of cash or food.

Original poster

Foreverlodger · 21/12/2021 13:29

@NMC2022

That’s really sweet and I bet she does well in this world. I wonder if her mum has any idea what she’s up to. My mum told me to give my ‘earnings’ back as I should be help those who help for free. No way was giving back the £2 for delivering Xmas cards across the village.

OP posts:

Cameleongirl · 21/12/2021 13:39

@colourfulpuddles

Yes YABU. That is really weird; children aren’t skivvies to be given jobs to and you’d be given short shrift if you tried to offer any to mine.

You’re not their parent or their employer. You’re a neighbour. Water your own plants.

You clearly don’t know much about preteen/teenaged children. My two (13 and 16) gladly do chores for money. DS regularly waters plants for one neighbour who’s away a lot and they also have a nice pet sitting arrangement with neighbours who have several pets, ranging from a gecko to a cat. It all adds up and they sometimes get tips for doing a good job.

There’s an older teen I’ve seen in the summer with a lawn mowing business. He puts the lawnmower in a wagon on the back of his bike and pedals around the neighborhood. Very entrepreneurial!

Lemonyfuckit · 21/12/2021 13:39

Not weird at all, I used to do stuff like that for my best friend's mum eg watering the garden when they were away (albeit not for money as the favour was also returned, plus I often used to have cake there after school )

DogsandCatsB4u · 21/12/2021 13:58

Not weird and teaches kiddos about working

INeedNewShoes · 21/12/2021 14:01

I remember my mum being horrified that one of our neighbours had given me 20p as a thank you for carrying her shopping home up the hill (I'd just done it to help and it hadn't crossed my mind there might be money in it - I was very young!). My DM knew that this lady didn't have much money and that the 20p would have been a lot for her. I think she made me give it back!

SquirrelFan · 21/12/2021 14:04

Imo, you were not being weird at all.

Otoh, my teens would definitely not want to do this - they get a small amount of pocket money but they really don't buy anything ever! They stay in their rooms on their phones. (If anyone has any suggestions...) So not all kids are money - motivated. This last year has made mine averse to risk, responsibility, interaction with humans, etc. I would have been the sheepish neighbour in this scenario...

mewkins · 21/12/2021 14:05

Crikey, you can't give money away these days! I used to do stuff like this as a kid and my daughter would bite your arm off to do this. If I were there parent I would be pretty disappointed that my kids couldn't get off their arses for ten minutes to earn a bit of extra cash.

CatsArePeople · 21/12/2021 14:13

YANBU, very great of you. But check with parents first, so people may get funny.

Cameleongirl · 21/12/2021 14:17

@SquirrelFan

Imo, you were not being weird at all.

@SquirrelFan. I clearly have the expensive type of teen, mine have a constant need for clothes, games, jewelry, makeup…the list goes on.🤣

IKissedSantaClaus · 21/12/2021 14:24

YANBU, it's a totally normal thing to offer a neighbour's kids, and a decent amount of money for the job. I'd be absolutely mortified if my kids said they weren't doing it.

IKissedSantaClaus · 21/12/2021 14:26

Yes YABU. That is really weird; children aren’t skivvies to be given jobs to and you’d be given short shrift if you tried to offer any to mine

You’re not their parent or their employer. You’re a neighbour. Water your own plants

Come off it 😂

ImustLearn2Cook · 21/12/2021 14:30

Back in the olden days when I was young (I’ve always wanted to say that) my Nana would pay us grandkids 1 cent (Australia) for every snail we caught in her garden. She gave each of us a container. I remember faithfully counting each snail till I caught 100 of them for a $1 note. When I showed her and said I had caught 100 snails she gave me a $1 note. I was very pleased but did ask Nana if she wanted to count them first. She laughed and said no, she trusted me. Then Nana walked with us to the bridge over the canal and we fed them to the fish.

That activity kept us grandkids busy and occupied for a while, kept us out of mischief and helped her garden

PiesNotGuys · 21/12/2021 14:33

Both my teenagers would have snapped your hand off for that rate. Next door, two minute job? Quids in.

Both of mine do the odd job rounds. One mows lawns in the summer and rakes leaves/clears snow in the winter. Doesn’t have a set rate, just has regular families/elderly people who are happy to have the job done, some pay tiny amounts and some generously. The other has the pet sitting/baby sitting thing nailed and is very responsible. £5 is about the rate for an hour of pet sitting/walking, it’s a lot more responsibility and it’s not next door so there is time spent walking there and back too….

caringcarer · 21/12/2021 14:43

My 15 year old would have been pleased to do it. He gets £10 pocket money a week but is always on look put for more. He has to do a chore every week. Sort out recycling into coloured bins and put out for collection. He sometimes asks for extra jobs in return for extra money, carrying in bags of shopping or cutting small lawn grass in summer, walking dogs, helping with wrapping gifts for others etc. We encourage him. He will buy small Xmas gifts for family from money he earned himself. We could easily afford to just give him more money but are pleased he is learning to be independent. He saves a bit of his money too when he does several extra jobs. One week when cleaner could not come he offered to vax stairs for me as he knows I hate doing that job.

Bookworm20 · 21/12/2021 15:01

Not weird at all.

Perhaps they get a lot of pocket money, so didn't need the money.

Mine would've jumped at the chance! Though you'd of probably had them knocking on your door a few weeks later asking if there was any other jobs you needed doing.lol

Original poster

Foreverlodger · 21/12/2021 15:23

@Bookworm20

This is what I was expecting! I thought as there’s three of them in the future I’d have to be ‘fair’ to all of them with giving out gardening tasks.

I don’t mind gardening but I’d happily pay someone to pull weeds in the pavement or gather up the trimmed foliage or even mow the lawn when we go away in the summer.

I think it’s down to the kids being painfully shy, I’ve never had eye contact from them let alone a hello. The idea of popping over for me to show them where they were/what to do probably filled them with dread.

OP posts:

DeepaBeesKit · 21/12/2021 17:51

God not weird at all, lovely idea. I pay a neighbouring 14 year old to come & feed my cat when we go on holiday, she's always thrilled to have a chance to earn some cash.

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