Thank you for your question on receiving income, “My parents pay me to watch my little brother when they’re away. In a biblical sense, is it wrong for me to profit off of this?”
Congratulations. This means that your parents trust you more than most babysitters. It is a great honor to be entrusted with the well-being of your little brother.
If your parents were to pay you for doing extra household chores that is not normally your chores, that’s great. You are learning about the value of money and the work that accompanies it. Other teenagers received extra spending money for mowing the grass or washing the car.
You know what your brother can and should not be doing. You know the household rules while some neighborhood teenager or an adult would not know all the family’s rules. This gives you an advantage over them.
Since I don’t know your age, I am assuming that you are old enough to be legally home alone without an adult supervision. As others have written, they would have paid someone else to watch your little brother and they prefer to pay you instead. It’s not a right to be paid, but it a privilege to be paid.
Use the money wisely, perhaps even consider giving a portion of it to the Lord. As you honor God in what he has given you, he will entrust you with more as you mature and age.
You have a unique opportunity to develop a wonderful relationship with your younger brother. It’s just you and him. Do things that he likes, and he will respect you forever. Don’t just give him the iPad and send him off to a room by himself. Do something fun together as well. You are learning parental skills and how to interact with younger children. This will give you an advantage in life.
Summary: Be a responsible babysitter for your brother and he will love and respect you forever.
-Kingston