Cheeky to order room service or not?

[Itsanotherworldisntit]

I’m babysitting in a 5 star hotel (live abroad, I’m a teacher and babysitting on the side pays well)
Lovely family, just put baby down, the mum texted and said to make yourself comfortable etc and help myself to anything, but that as they’d just arrived, don’t have anything really and to feel free to order something to be sent up (assuming that would go on their bill?)
Been here since 6, will be here for 6 hours, should have brought some snacks really but was sorting out my own Dd before I left and no time to nip to the shop on the way,

I’m hungry, but that’s cheeky right?

Would you order or no?

This is insane.

Just order a burger or a Caesar salad and be done!

Thank you for posting this eminently sensible post. Read it @Itsanotherworldisntit

I agree with this. As a babysitter, your job is to hold the fort so the parents can enjoy an evening out. They made sure you were set up for this when they left by telling you to order food. To message them questions about it would actually achieve the opposite.

OP, you should have ordered a club sandwich and soft drink without further ado. If you are honestly so worried about this you maybe need some help with asserting yourself more. Next week you need to order that sandwich :)

This has to be a wind-up

@Itsanotherworldisntit

I get it, I would rather eat my own feet than risk getting it wrong. The fact is though that what they are paying you for tonights sitting is probably a tiny fraction of what they spent on dinner. Doesnt help though does it?!

When they get back, or before next week, say "I didnt order anything as to be honest I have not been in this situation before so wasnt sure what the expectations are re payment for food etc. Could you confirm that for me please?"

This thread is ridiculous. Waiting for the next instalment from the OP - “is it cheeky for me to use the hand wash in the hotel bathroom?”

Why are you surprised that people take others at their word and don't overthink or over analyse and work themselves up into a state over something so clear and simple?

If you were babysitting at someone's home and they left a takeaway menu and told you to make yourself comfortable and order food, I'm assuming you wouldn't overanalyse it?

Goodness I’m worried that babysitters expect me to have food for them (I don’t) I’d assume they’d have eaten before or after. I do say help yourself but there isn’t always anything actually meal like, if I’m going out myself. Is this expected? Id hate it if they were hungry & scared to ask

Just know that if they come home and realise you didn’t eat all evening they won’t be thinking ‘oh that Its she’s so honest’. They’ll be thinking ‘she was a bit wet for sitting there hungry all night’.

Well no but unless they left money to cover the takeaway as well, Iwould be paying so different thing!

I agree with you and think like you but I have quite severe mental health disorders so take that however you want 🤣🤣

Telling them you felt awkward and making a thing out of it would be mortifying

Yeah I’d expect food in return for babysitting

Mortifying for you, confirming boundaries for me.

We are all different.

Well quite. I should've clarified that they'd have left money too 😅

isnt money enough? And you buy your own food. I think it’s a bit different in a hotel room where you don’t have a kitchen / can’t necessarily deliveroo

The boundaries have already been confirmed!
Microanalysing it with her employer who's also possibly tipsy is just going to be awkward as hell

Because we are all different and not everyone thinks the same way as you.

"Getting it wrong" is a fear that a huge amount of people have, hardly uncommon. I was brought up by a WC boomer who became MC as a result and was always in fear of "getting it wrong". That leaves a scar. You dont want to bee seen as "cheeky" or "demanding" or "greedy". So you go hungry instead. Not at all uncommon.

I was wondering the same thing

Well, not really in that we have had regular babysitters for a while and I assume they wouldn't stick around if they hated our approach.

But I don't provide food and I don't see it as an essential thing. I do encourage them to make use of the kitchen - tea, coffee. If they have brought their own food, plates, microwave, condiments. But I don't particularly see it as my role to provide a meal.

Don’t worry op i think exactly like you but it is exhausting and I wish I didn’t:) It must stem from somewhere but I hide it well and friends and family would not know.

@Differentstarts Oh no 🙈😂

@allwillbe Surely there must be more like us

If I was babysitting, I'd eat something light before I went, and would appreciate
something like some nibbles at the house.
If I was getting a babysitter, I'd tell them at the time of booking if I was going to get them a takeaway etc, so it wasn't ambiguous

@Twonewcats If a menu was left with money and explicit instructions to get a take away, I would with no issues. This text was sent after leaving and sort of an afterthought