To not want to be watched by cameras

[Englishrose223]

I'm babysitting my neices (6 and 3) while sister and brother in law are out for the evening. She has cameras in both of their rooms and can listen in and watch and it makes me feel really uncomfortable. She's been texting me about what the kids are doing (eg one was playing with a toy in bed) and asking me to go back upstairs to see to them. I wish she'd just leave me to it.

I'd wait until the kids are asleep, put a sheet on and pretend to be a ghost for the cameras.

She's your sister, just tell her it makes you uncomfortable being watched and ask her not to. If she says no, don't babysit again.

In what world is it normal to watch the cameras when out for an evening and issue orders to the unpaid babysitter through them?? Fuck. That.

I completely agree. Babies ok but a 6 year old deserves some privacy.

She’s your sister, just tell her to sod off. So many people on MN seem afraid of their own nearest and dearest.

Cameras are acceptable. The micromanagement is not. Your sister should be ashamed of herself.

So why don't you just say this to her OP? If you're not happy, then tell her so, then if she does it one more time, just tell her you're going home, you're not even being paid, and you sure don't expect to be micromanaged when you're doing her a favour!

Tell her to get he arse home as you've had enough. I'd have the row me.

At 6 and 3, I wouldn't think it was normal to have cameras monitoring in the bedrooms.

I'd be telling my sister that she has a choice here, to switch off and enjoy her evening out, leaving me and trusting me to mind her children, or to cut her evening short and come home and do the hands on minding of her children for herself, rather than micro managing from afar.

Worlds gone mad! Bloody wifi cameras. A camera is normal in a kids bedroom if youre sitting downstairs maybe.

We have a monitor in our toddlers room but not 7 year olds. It's only switched on at bedtime and only covers her cot, not the whole room. And we can't access it if we're not in the house.
All seems a bit OTT for me and I wouldn't be helping them again.

She's been texting me about what the kids are doing (eg one was playing with a toy in bed) and asking me to go back upstairs to see to them.

I think I'd tell her that, if she's not prepared to leave you to exercise your own judgment on this, she'd better come back and see to her children herself.

YANBU, that’s incredibly inappropriate. I’d never babysit again. She should trust you. And I think it’s pretty sad she don’t have an evening out without checking her kids on video. It’s a massive invasion of privacy weve never had any cameras in the house, never had baby monitors either

Not normal at all. It’s obsessive and huge invasion of a child’s privacy

I absolutely agree. I wouldn't be prepared to babysit if my every action was being monitored, and beyond babyhood, children deserve their privacy.

It's absolutely shocking the amount of privacy that's been lost in recent years. I'm fine with anonymous CCTV in cities and shops, but parents filming their children in bed? And having cameras on when friends and relatives come to visit? It's appalling.

A few years ago, I was asked to feed a family members' cat while they were away. On the third day, just after I got in the house, I had a message from them. I hadn't realised that I was being monitored from the moment I walked up the path. I found it horrendously intrusive. What if I'd picked my nose or something?

I took a toy off the 6 year old and she told me she hated me, is that normal?

It's your sister. You must be close.

Text her and say.
Don't be so ridiculous, enjoy your night off and don't look atcthe camera anymore!

Yes unfortunately! They don't really hate you, they just lack the language skills to explain the finer points of their feelings. Don't take it personally.

What's the big deal with the 6yo playing with the toy in bed?

I had similar once and terminated the agreement. I didn’t tell them why, just made up an excuse. They were also underpaying me 😕

My sister text me and asked me to take it off her because she had seen her playing with it through the camera so I did.

YANBU at all. I used to be a nanny and they had cameras all around the house. I put up with it because they paid me very well and it was my job and discussed before I accepted it. But I did always absolutely hate it and (even though I’d never do anything wrong) it felt so invasive.

I wouldn’t put up with it when I was doing someone a favour, and presumably not being paid for it. I wouldn’t be babysitting for them again.

I'm another one who finds the cameras neurotic and unnecessary. We also didn't have baby monitors. The magic of my own hearing is enough.

Ring door bells and dash cams have normalised cameras everywhere and I do find it a bit much actually.

If she can tune into the cameras to watch them whilst she's out and about then that means they are hackable and paedophiles could be watching a live stream of her children in their bedrooms too.

I think that's really stretching the meaning of the word "normal".

I'd call it disturbing and foolish.

From my pov the cameras are for those who is at home with children. So you have to have access to cameras to be able to react in case of something, not parents who are somewhere far away.