Working with a Sn.. child

[sassy_sweet_blu]

out of curiousity how many of u momma's  have found that you can work outside the home with your Sn child ? 

Heres my stitch......   I have always been i guess u can say the bread winner of the household...   I got laid off and was on unemployment for the last two years. To be honest..  i made more on unemployment then actually goin to get a job.  Long story but i couldn't see myself giving up money that we could use.   History of most in todays economy.     Anyho....... unfortunely unemployment is running out.  yes i have put job apps in but i am so nervous to even think about going to an interview.    I mean we still dn't know results of testing or what is to come with my 6 year old and with the 12 yr old lets just say she keeps me on my toes with being at the school all the time for her.    i don't know how to juggle having appts... school meetings... counselor sessions... etc.  plus have to get a job.    Dh does not make enough for us to be a one income household.   

How do u start a job and tell them.......  Hey i gotta have these dates off because we have important doctors appts..  etc..  

[sassy_sweet_blu]

Hubby got his unemployment too....... didn't have to fight it though go figure lol.....    They basically got rid of him because of him hurting himself on a broken piece of equipment.    Thats when they started harassing him was after he broke his wrist.   Sayin the crap about "can't ur wife do it"  and  "what special circumstances do u need now" 

Quoting lasombrs:

we lived in FL before we moved to NH and it was also an at will state. My husband worked for Sears and they moved locations from Orlando to Sanford. They fired him for being less then 3 minutes late a few times in a month once they moved to the location that was much further from our home (even though the handbook said being less then 15 minutes late was okay). He took them to court and won unemployment for almost 3 years ( he was ctively looking) because they did not offer him anything moneywise for the cost of the move when the company moved and used it as a bogus reason to fire him even though it was techincally within the law. Took a lot of time and effort to fight them on it but it was worth it in the long run

Quoting sassy_sweet_blu:

u do it thru ur employer........... but there is also circumstances in the state of michigan.    the state is a at will employment.   meaning they can get rid of u for any reason......    it doesn't have to be "ur family is sick so see u later"     it can be any thing simple.   I will tell u guys my hubby's last job did this to him.    He actually hurt himself on the job....    he unloaded trucks.. and there was a broken piece of pallet sticking out that caught on his leather shoes.   It made him fall backwards and he landed on his hands which made a fracture thru his wrist up his arm.    They wrote him up for being to fast and careless......      After 3 months of them harassing him after this  they finally let him go because of being to slow.    If they want to fire a person they will find away and its all comes down to at will employment. 

Quoting lasombrs:

The family medical leave act (I think its something you have to sign up for through the government not your employer) http://www.dol.gov/whd/fmla/

it should protect you from losing your job to take time off to care for a sick child. I would personally probably mention it during the interview, but its my dh's plan to not say anything and hit them with it after he is hired ( he only works part time overnights right now and is looking for better work) because its descrimination if they fire him, or not hire him for it. But if he says it in the interview and they dont hire him his feeling is how can you prove thats why they didnt hire him? So he just isnt going to say anything. I am not as underhanded I guess you could say though.

I had started and ran my own business from home for a while. I had my own cloth diaper company. But eventually my son got to sick to be able to have time to sew all the orders so I am curently closed and wish we still had the extra income

 

[sammygrl77]

Bump for when i can get on the computer and do some research.

[kalista]

You have to be at your job a year and work a certain number of hours per year to qualify for FMLA. I was already at my job before my son was born. I was able to go part time after he was born. This means I do not work enough hours to qualify for FMLA but they always give me the time when I need it. Because I am part time I can schedule appts on the other days but when I needed time off for his heart surgery 3 years ago it was no problem. My preference would be to be upfront with a new employer about previously scheduled obligations and see if there is a way to flex the time and make it up.

[natesmom1228]

Thank goodness I have always had great bosses that I am pretty much able to come and go. My boss right now also has a special needs child and knows all too well what happens.

[sammygrl77]

kalista did the reaearch for me:)

Some companies will allow FMLA at 6 months.

For a while, dh and I worked separate shifts. The money wasn't as good, but figuring in saving on day care and not having to take off for appointments, we were better off financially.

[Hottubgodess]

If you can find a job with flex hours or work from home, you can do it.  Otherwise, DH needs to get a second job or cut to make the budget fit.  :)  It can be done as long as DH has the insurance.

ETA:  we are self employed.  If we did have our own  little company, I dont know how we would do it with the time off I needed to deal with the school and my son's appts last year, and he doesnt require much.  I cant imagine trying to work with requiring multiple therapies. 

[ashleywheeler13]

Sometimes I wonder how my mom does it. There's six of us kids. My brother is married and has a kid lives 2 hrs away. I'm married and out of the home. There's my other brother who 19 going to college lives at home, my sister 15 is in hs and sports. Then my 13 sister who has cp and mr. My youngest brother who is 8 and is autistic. Se also does foster care has 3 foster kids they all have ADHD Plus sleeping issues and the middle child has learning diablitly. And my mom some how still some how works and get kids to therapy, sport events, practices. Now my brother sister and I try help out but I still don't know how she does it

[mom2zachy122]

After we adopted DS, it quickly became clear that daycare was not going to be an option due to his "issues".  I worked full-time as a professional and so did DH.  I made about 1.5x more than he did and had better benefits.  He quit his job and went to work as a deli clerk in a grocery store for three, four hour shifts a week.  We took a drastic cut in pay.  We live paycheck to paycheck, buy at discount and at thrift shops, drive a nine year old car and a fourteen year old car, I work extra hours every week. It's not ideal; there's always a need for money and never enough, it seems, but somehow it works.  The stress I feel about finances is offset by the knowledge that he's being cared for by the only other person I trust 100% to understand him and his needs.  Not sure it would work for every family but it's working for us......

[lifeisajoy]

I worked until last year (so over 20 years) I just told them and prayed they would be ok with it-luckily I was in the social service field so more flexible there-