This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Kayla Sweeney. It has been edited for length and clarity. As a teenager in the 90s, I might have gotten paid $20 for babysitting kids for the ...

This babysitter agreed to watch six kids at a chaotic 50th birthday party for $300, after negotiations with the parents. What was supposed to be an easy gig quickly turned into a nightmare, with kids ...