How much notice do you give someone if you want to quit baby sitting for them

Well, I think my decision is made. This morning the boys came and their mom STILL didn't pay me. She currently owes me for two weeks previous, this week and she tells me this morning that she cannot pay me until the 27th which would mean two more weeks before she pays me. So basically she will pay me for 5 weeks on the 27th. I am really angry. I almost told her to take her boys to someone else. I realize that things happen and sometimes you get behind on your payments, but she hasn't paid me yet for anything and I watch her kids 11 hours a day, 5 days a week! I feed them breakfast, lunch and dinner out of my pocket! I had to tell her that while I understand she is a bit short on cash, I MUST be paid for the last two weeks when she picks up her kids or I cannot watch them until she pays. I figure if she skips out, then I only lost two weeks and two days. I am just afraid that come the 27th, she won't have the money and then I will have lost 5 weeks worth of pay.

I want to keep my promise to her, but I cannot keep the boys if she won't pay me. I cannot continue to baby sit for the rest of this week and then another week without pay. She already owes two weeks pay. I stated above that she would owe me for five weeks, but that was wrong, it would be 4 weeks. I just can't count when I get upset. I hope she brings me some money this afternoon. I would be willing to wait if she at least paid me something as a show of good faith. I think maybe I make too many allowances for her because she is my sister's friend, but I also think that she attempts to take advantage because she is my sister's friend. She knows that I only agreed to watch her kids as a favor to my sister. If she doesn't at least pay me something today, I will have no choice but to cut my losses.

The only notice I gave her was this Wednesday when she told me that the boys wouldnt be coming back until Monday so she would pay on Monday or whenever the boys came back. I told her and her mother when I talked to her mother, that if I am not paid on Friday as promised and paid back for all the things I have had to buy for the boys as promised, she cannot bring the boys back until I am paid. I also told them that I MUST be paid in advance for any future babysitting as agreed upon when I said I would watch the boys. Big Mama is furious. She told me that she will make sure that I get paid on Friday because I am the best babysitter the boys have ever had and she begged me not to quit. Apparently the behavior of the older child has vastly improved since coming to stay with me during the day. He is also talking more, has a bigger vocabulary and has started eating with a spoon regularly. He also does not fight when it is time to take him medicine anymore and helps pick up his toys. Big Mama told me that she had no idea how I did it, but I have worked a miracle with that child. I told her that I treat him like a person and talk to him. I don't know any other way to deal with him. I treat him like I treat my kid. Anyways, we will see what happens. Bottom line is, if I don't get paid on Friday, then I am done watching the boys.

I complained to my sister about what was going on and it turns out my sister is very very good friends with the woman's mother. She called the mother and told her what was going on. Then Big Mama called me and wanted to know exactly what had been going on. Turns out that the boys' mom was telling her mother that she was paying me in advance and that she had brought me everything in advance and that is why she was leaving the diaper bag at home. Well, I was so frustrated already that I spilled it all out to Big Mama. She was livid. Turns out that she had given the her daughter the money to pay me. Only I never got the money. I told Big Mama about having to buy the boys their supplies, having to buy medicine for them because they were sick and not having any emergency contact info or medical info on the boys after having asked for it since day one.

whoops, ought to've read your other comments. if the mom's an unreliable payer i'd defintiely go for the other job. two weeks is the sugeested time most employees give their employers, so i see nothing unreasonable about that.