Do you pay the full week's pocket money when they are sick?

[Simply]

Our ap has just had another week of feeling unwell. She has only done about 13 hours this week as she has been in bed and resting most of the time. The gp said yesterday that it was just a cold and recommended a hot lemony drink so I know that she's not fighting flu or anything.

The first time I paid the full £60 and expected her to say "Thanks very much, I'll make up the hours when I'm better" or something but she didn't, she just took the money. She is inclined to not do things if she's not feeling 100% fit (which is often but not for anything major i.e. a headache or feeling cold) leaving me to fit them in (amongst all the after school running around with the children) when I return from work.

Would it be wrong of me to give her half the pocket money this week and say that she can make up the hours and get the rest over the next few weeks? She wouldn't be short of money I'm absolutely sure. She doesn't usually work her full hours anyway. It's often 3 or 4 hours less than the full 25 each week (this is partly due to the children being at school and partly due to her not knowing how to cook despite saying before she came that she could and this is okay with me on the whole) and we rarely need her for any evening childminding.

Also, looking at the record she keeps of her hours, she didn't make up the time from one short week when she had a mini holiday soon after coming here despite saying she would. I'd paid her the full amount that week so I lost out but she didn't. So...if I gave her the full money this week then I think she won't make the hours up.

We're now halfway through a 6 month placement with 3 weeks off for Christmas (her choice and unpaid) btw.

Time to bring out the timetable I did a month or so ago when I last felt I was being taken for a ride, I think.

I pay mine the full amount if she's ill (which she is at the moment - has a bad cough and is some sort of medication from the GP) and I tell her not to do some of her jobs (cleaning and dog walking) to save her energy for the most important job - taking care of the kids from 4 til I get home 3 days a week. She has ignored me and done all the cleaning/walked dog anyway.
Does your AP have a lot to do which isn't childcare? I suppose I have always thought that as long as our AP is in the house when the school bus drops the kids and can keep them from killing each other for the next hour and a half then anything else she does is extra...and anything that is vital to the household I tend to do myself (washing kids' uniforms etc)

It does sound as if your AP is swinging the lead though. Could you ask her to do some extra hours at the weekend ?babysit so you could get Christmas shopping done without kids or something?

Thanks for your posts Millarkie. As I was previewing a previous reply my ap came into the room and I lost it hurriedly. In short, I've paid her the full amount and she is going to make up the remaining hours (probably not all but some of them) over the next week or so. Roll on March when I'll be happily ap less.

Yes, she does do a lot which isn't childcare as mine are teenagers and are out of the house 8am to 4pm plus there's all the after school stuff they do. My two are pretty good and would only fight over first use of the toaster! My ap does sometimes do extra hours at the w/e if she can fit them in with her social engagements. I stressed this time that I wanted someone who'd go out and about as the last one would only be out of the house literally for 10 to 15 hours a week and that was a bind, so I work around this one's social engagements willingly.

Thanks again for your posts.