Dad Fires His 16-Year-Old 'Time Blind' Babysitter After She Can't Arrive On Time
Time blindness should not be an excuse for running late to your job.
DimaBerlin / Shutterstock A dad was open to hiring his teenage niece to babysit his three young kids, but after she continued to run late despite his specific requests for punctuality, he called her and told her not to bother coming.
The dad asked if it was wrong to fire his babysitter so suddenly.
In the Reddit post, the man explained he and his wife have three kids, 7, 8, and 10 years old. They used to have a babysitter, but she had recently left for college, so they were searching for a new one.
His sister proposed the idea of letting her 16-year-old daughter, who the man explained had high-functioning autism, babysit for them. He and his wife thought it was a good idea and hired her.
She arrived late for her first babysitting visit, which the man viewed as a red flag as he and his wife did not want to be late to their own event, but he was willing to give her another chance.
“We were able to get to our event, but it was annoying,” he wrote. “The whole night went well, and the kids had a good time. I informed her she [could] not be late since we have places to be.”
Recently, he and his wife planned to attend a work function, and they needed to be on time.
They waited for the teen to arrive for 20 minutes before calling to tell her not to bother. He was able to ask his neighbor to watch their kids for the night, and they left.
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Later, he received a call from his sister, who was upset with his decision to fire her daughter. She defended her, claiming it was “not her fault she has time blindness.”
The dad disagreed with his sister, believing the daughter should understand the significance of punctuality.
Time blindness is a real challenge that individuals with ADHD and autism spectrum disorder may experience. It can inhibit their ability to perceive and manage their time. However, most work environments do not view it as a valid excuse for being late, which is why individuals must learn how to work through this obstacle rather than succumb to it.
Once this dad agreed to hire his niece, he was no longer just an uncle, and he expected her to treat the babysitting position as any other job.
Given her youth and inexperience, it is understandable that she may not have grasped the importance of showing up on time for a commitment, especially one for family.
However, time blindness is not a valid excuse in the eyes of the workplace. Individuals need to find a way to arrive on time if they agree to a commitment, especially a time-sensitive one.
“Personally I think it’s a good life experience,” the dad expressed. “Better to figure it out now before she gets a job where you clock in.”
While his wife found his response to his niece's tardiness rather harsh, he did make a good point about teaching the lesson of promptness.
Reddit users supported the man in his decision, agreeing that he taught his niece an important lesson about having a job.
To arrive late on her first and second day is not the best impression to make. Perhaps she would have gotten the hang of being punctual at some point, but it likely would have been a hassle to her uncle and aunt.
“Maybe your sister could have assisted in getting your niece to her appointment on time,” one person suggested in the comments. “Niece can set reminders on her phone to help her. If you can't count on the person, then they are of no use to you for that job.”
“Time blindness is an explanation, not an excuse,” another person explained. “It means you don’t have an innate sense of time, not that you physically cannot see what time it is. So look at the … clock. Set an alarm. Time blindness is something that makes it difficult to execute daily errands, not impossible. It means you have to take extra steps to make sure you’re on time for things.”
“I have time blindness as a result of my ADHD, and I learned real quick to figure out how long a commute will be, how long I’ll need to get ready, and set three alarms between five and fifteen minutes beforehand,” “I am excessively anal about my scheduling because I know how easy it is for me to forget it.”
In reality, there are ways for individuals with time blindness to navigate its challenges.
Hopefully, this experience will serve as a learning lesson to the niece and will lead her to initiate a solution to her poor time management.
Luckily, she is young and has plenty of time to learn, but if her mom continues to enable her troubles with managing time efficiently, she’ll only struggle as she gets older.
Francesca Duarte is a writer on YourTango's news and entertainment team based in Orlando, FL. She covers lifestyle, human interest, adventure, and spirituality topics.