Mother-In-Law Wants To Be Paid For Babysitting Grandchild

Mother-In-Law Wants To Be Paid For Babysitting Grandchild
It’s normal to require some assistance when you first become a parent. Having a child might make it tough to be well-rounded when you are in your 20s or 30s and trying to grow your profession and maintain the status quo.
We frequently receive assistance from our parents, who are the new baby’s grandparents.

This is something that many people rely on, yet it is not universally held in every household. That includes this family, and when the mother-in-law expressed a desire to be compensated for babysitting the grandchild, things became heated.

I’m in a difficult situation right now. For the past ten years, my husband and I have been happily married. We have a beautiful six-month-old baby and both work full-time. My husband works from home, and I go to work.
My mother-in-law recently retired and offered to care for our kid while we work. We accepted her offer, and things have been going well. She’s amazing with kids, and I appreciate everything she does. She not only looks after the infant, but also assists with cooking, cleaning, and dishwashing.
My mother-in-law and I had a talk yesterday that shocked me. She really requested that we compensate her for the time she spends with our lovely Katie.

I can’t believe she’d put a monetary value on spending time with her own grandson. My grandmother used to babysit me and my sister when I was a kid without ever seeking anything, money, or gifts. She did it because she genuinely cared about us. When I was younger, I used to babysit my siblings for free for hours on end.

I can’t think of anything to say. I’m very frustrated, and this circumstance is causing conflict in my marriage. My husband believes she should be reimbursed since, without her assistance, we would have to hire a complete stranger to care for our child, which could be more expensive. I’m at a loss for words. I’ve considered everything, yet I’m still at a loss. My head is simply AAAH.