That's what I get for opening my big mouth
I posted in the Lounge last week how happy I was to have a Mother's Helper this summer. Of course, the next night she texted me at 11:30 pm to say she has some other commitment and can't come this week. I told her we could do a different day/time, but apparently she is busy all day, every day this week (did she not understand when I hired her three weeks ago what I meant when I said I needed her every tuesday/thursday??) She was supposed to have gotten a friend to cover for her, but that friend was supposed to be here 40 minutes ago and hasn't shown up. I don't know this kid (the sub) or how to get in touch with her, so I'm stuck here wondering if I have childcare at all this week.
This is the same thing that happened to me last year, too -- found a high school kid to babysit who promised 2 days a week, then flaked after a week or two because suddenly she was too busy. When I interviewed this year's kid, I asked her specifically if she had any camps/volunteer work/activities that would conflict with her working and she promised me she didn't.
Is this normal now? When I was a mother's helper back in the 90s, it was considered a job. I would never have left "my" family in a lurch unless I was seriously ill. Do kids these days just not take commitments seriously, or have I run into a few duds?
DC1 -- 2005 DD -- 2009 DS -- 2011