When it comes to babysitting, what’s normal? I had my first babysitting job ever last night and I got home at 1 a.m. Is it always going to be like that? I’m worried that it will affect my schoolwork and my social life. I’m also having trouble deciding on a reasonable price--$5 an hour, $10 hour. What’s normal?

“Normal” depends on the situation. For example, some families have a parent working the night shift and need someone all night long. Others need someone during the day, or right after school. Most date nights are on weekends, and only last a few hours.

Be proactive
What you need to do is clarify with the parent beforehand what times you will be expected to babysit. Make sure you ask before agreeing to the job, and let them know if you need to be home by a certain time. Usually if you do this, the parents will respect your wishes and be home in time.

Cha-ching!
As far as pay goes, that’s negotiable and is dependent on how experienced you are, how many kids you are babysitting, what day and time you are babysitting, and how big the city is that you are babysitting in. For example, for someone with 5 years of experience in a mid-size to large city, one child on a weekend evening would cost the parents about $8.50. The same person in a smaller town would expect to be paid a little less. You can usually search on the Internet for babysitting pay calculators to help you decide.