WORKING WITH KIDS
Posted By: TESS on 2006-02-23
In Reply to:
I have an in home MT position with a company and I am required to work set hours pt. Does anyone have to work set hours and have an infant at home? Can this be done successfully?
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working with young kids
I have been working at home since my first child was a day old and all I can say is you get used to it and so do they since they don't know any different. I think it would be harder having them a bit older and then starting to work at home. I took short breaks for feeding but worked during the regular work day other than that, just had the baby lying on a blanket next to my chair or in a bouncer seat or sometimes on my lap, and as he got older he started playing next to my desk. The second time around I had twins, and well, that was a bit harder, but I fed them both at the same time and put them on the same feeding and nap schedules to maximize both work time and my sanity.
Ya do what ya gotta do.
working at home with kids
it's nice to hear all the positive things about mothers who work from home and have had good experiences keeping their kids home...I have had a different experience, though not negative, but honestly, my working from home and my kids knowing that I'm here was kind of hard in the sense that because I am at home, they think that I can stop typing and do for them...that is when they were smaller...now that my girls are older, they definitely respect my working at home, but when my son came along...it was kind of the same thing...he knows mommy is in a room typing at his home, and he wants to play with me or come in and talk or wants to go outside and play, which I would love to be able to do instead of work anyday! LOL but of course, as you all can relate to, we have to work!
Anyway, I just find it a little more difficult to work at home with kids...there are some days that I truly wish that I worked out of the home because it's stressful to try and work when you hear chaos going on in the other room.....not always, but typical arguing, my son crying about something, etc., but then when I look at all the good things that comes from that...me actually being here to go in and help them work through their problems, and knowing exactly what's going on in my home at all times, I wouldn't change it for the world and really feel fortunate, though I do have those moments when I'm ready to move my computer to my mother's house and drive to work everyday!! LOL
working full time with kids
If it is about taking off a couple years, there is nothing wrong with that. However, you just can't say that it cannot be done - because there are several of us here that, obviously, can do it.
I've been home working with my kids for 10 years now sm
I worked outside of the house for one year after my first boy was born. I hated leaving him. So I was home working by the time he was a year old. I really enjoyed it. 10 years later, I'm still working at home, and have a 6 y/o boy too. Both my kids are in school. I'm so thankful to be home so that I can get them off the bus, attend parties at school, go on field trips with them. I can take care of house chores and keep and eye on my three dogs. The only thing is sometimes I miss being around people, being able to leave my work at my job (at home it's here all the time). My hubby works midnights, so he's home during the day too, but sleeps. Sometimes I feel like I have no "me time". After my boys get a little older, I may get out of the house to work. Sometimes I would like to actually change my career to sometime more hands on with patients. I love the medical field, I've been doing transcription for about 14 years. Another plus for working at home with kids is if they are sick, you don't have to call out of work. You can do your job and take care of your kids. You don't have to look your best either, on those days or any days. I'm guilty for sitting here in my PJs a lot, not having any makeup on or hair fixed.
Good luck in the future.
Have to agree. Kids do make working at home "different" (sm)
Mine are grown, but the grandchildren occasionally are over. The oldest one will play his Gameboy or some cube thing all day and only occasionally ask to be fed. However, when the youngest one can't go do daycare for some reason my world is turned upside down. The granddaughter has it in her head that when I ask her to be quiet it means come over to my desk and whisper. All in all, it isn't too often that I have children in my house when I work. My hat is off to those of you who do it on a regular basis, you are queens of organizational/concentration skills.
Me, too. I told my kids that since they're not in school and I'm working two jobs
just to try to keep the utilities on, they get to do chores. Don't even get me started on holiday stress. My extended family sent me gift cards, so I'm using those to buy for the kids. I even offered to pay them $5 an hour for cleaning so they'd have Christmas money. Instead, what are they doing? Watching TV in their pajamas still. That's OK. I'm about to go unplug all the electronics in the house and give them a big chore list with NO pay.
If you don't have kids, have you considered working in-house at a doc office or the nearest big
s
I assure you, MTs NOT taking care of their own kids while working at home is NOT the rule. Its the
exception, and only on THIS negative board. I think that's why so many kid-hating MTs hang on this board, while all other MT boards are populated by MTs who not only work and LOVE their jobs, but also love raising their kids at home as well. So, please, don't go quoting exceptions and rules based on YOUR single opinion. There are LOTS of MTs who lurk on this board, who love their kids, and who have chosen to MT for the #1 reason to be with their kids, and they SUCCEED easily. To go with your thought process, honestly its just mothering skills - some mothers are just natural mothers and love it, while some...well, this board and the posts attests to their hearts...So many of you think one has to be a rocket scientist to MT, and even more of a rocket scientist to figure out how to amuse a baby for a day! Its NOT that complicated at all...not if one cares or loves.
It IS the perfect arrangement...no kids, no husband, and working at home...priceless!
:-)
My kids have suffered greatly from me working at home with them home. SM
I have been working at home as an MT since my two kids were born. They are now 4 and 5. In the first few years, I had no help whatsoever. Their father was a bum who didnt work or take care of them while I worked. Your children get neglected while you work basically. And babies and young children desperately need your attention while they are home with you.
My kids have so many behavioral problems right now because of their neglect. I would try to set them up with things to occupy themselves, like coloring or a movie, etc.
I finally put them in day care and things have improved, but there are still a lot of issues because of the damage that was done. They still try to seek attention by doing bad things and they dont listen to me because they are so used to me letting them get away with a lot of stuff because I was too busy typing to discipline them in their early years.
If I could do it all over again, I would definitely have put them into day care from the very beginning.
My advice would be to seek PT care for your baby. Maybe you can do some work around her schedule a little when she is home, like when she takes a nap, and then bang out a bunch of work while she is in day care.
Do little kids like caramel? My big kids won't even eat it! We make the basic Baker's chocolat
s
I never said you shouldn't have kids! Feeling guilty? I asked WHY you had kids.
You clearly stated in your post that you ship the kids off to camp all day, and they're TIRED AT NIGHT!! You know exactly what you said. You said it as a PERK - AS IN GREAT! They're gone all day, it wears them out, and so I shovel dinner in their mouths and off to bed! You can try to paint it any way you want, but YOU SAID IT. Again, I only hope your kids never hear you speak that way or write that way. Shame on you. Why have kids at all? Just another parent who has them, gets rid of them for day AND night, BRAGS ABOUT IT, and then calls ME wicked! Give me a break! Camp is fine - its WHAT YOU SAID AND YOU KNOW IT. Your own words showed your heart. Period.
Kids are demanding and so is MT work. My question is how CAN you do this with kids, rather than how
When you have two young kids, 11 months apart, (like I stated they are now 4 and 5) and have been doing this since they were born with no help from their father and no family around, YES, the kids get neglected. Part time might work but living on one salary, part time, is not an option. How can you possible tell me that anyone with two young kids can stay at home and work a full-time, 8-hour shift, and still give their kids the attention they NEED. I dont care how good you are at multitasking and how great your organizational skills are. It is a very difficult thing to do. And I am offended by your post making it sound as if it is easy to do.
I do agree that it can depend on how well your kids behave and how well they are able to play on their own. But my kids were not able to play well on their own. They needed constant attention.
So please take the time to realize that there are people out there in different situations than your own.
Reading our posts should help you to understand that everyone has a different situation. I believe everyone should have the right to shares their experiences as it might benefit the original poster in her questions and concerns.
I dont think anyone should be bashed for taking the time out to write about their experiences. I dont usually come on here to argue but you really ticked me off with your post. And try reading the post correctly. I said next time around I would have put them in day care. What I DID do with them was set them up to an activity like art or put on a movie for them. Geez.
Stayed "because of the kids?" I say "leave because of the kids"
You're in no position to buy right now. Keep saving, keep paying down your bills, and for heaven's sake get rid of that dead weight of a BF you're living with. You can do better.
So, should I return the $75 (x2 kids) in music cards I got the kids for x-mas...sm
My son has been telling me about free music sites and I was very leary. How do they skirt the law Radguy?
I don't have kids, but my Mom was from the "old school," and still had everyone, kids inclu
call her by her first name. The little neighbor girl next door from the time she could speak called her Aggie (my mom's first name), and they were great buddies until the day my mom pased away.
I don't think there really is much in a name, but more in the respect you are given and the way you are treated. Personally, I kind of cringe inside when someone calls me Ms. Anything or God forbid, "maam" (makes me feel like Methuselah!) ... I'm always just plain Merrie. :-)
But, as someone pointed out, to each his own. If you want to be addressed a certain way, you have that right, and people should respect that. I'm glad you corrected the child ... hope it "sticks." 
Please do not simply give up, kids or no kids!
Talk with a professional. This can be worked through if he really puts forth the effort and you participate. The right counseling can truly make your marriage even better than it was before, if BOTH parties are willing to be honest. Give it a try. Nothing to lose at this point and everything to gain!
You get more working the evening or night shifts and working w/o benefits. And producing like a mad
,
Ditto....granted I am not working much these days, but am currently trying out a new way of working
when I do work which seems to be helping. I am timing myself and keeping a log of how long it takes to to type however many minutes. I am averaging anywhere from 13-18 minutes of dictation an hour now doing this. Granted the time fluctuates between who I am typing, and if I have to look up names, addresses, etc., just depends on the division I am doing at the time. But work that used to take me 3 hours to do is now taking me under 2 hours, I am also trying to put in more macros as I go along, which slows me down initially but pays off in the long run of course. I was working "all the time" before but took forever to get done since I was not applying myself. This new "attitude" has helped me a lot. My goal, in the Fall, is to do 90 minutes a day consistently at 6 hours, and then maybe get up to 120 minutes a day at 8 hours, still while having at least half of the day free (do 60 minutes at night, and the other 60 by Noon). Thereby doing 1200-1400 lines a day. I have never really buckled down and done more than 8000 lines per pay period, so it will be a nice change. Maybe you can do something like that and have a specific knock off time as was suggested below. 
Working holidays? Out shopping in stores where someone IS working
that holiday you refuse to work? Grocery stores, food joints & seems any store is open on holidays and you expect them to be fully staffed, so why shouldn't we?
Yes, I took off for the first time on Christmas day, in 18 years and it was great, but I worked Christmas eve and this whole past weekend.
Someone has to do it!
working IN A HOSPITAL is different than working at home.
Someone can steal you identity from the internet if they want to. Why would you go to the time and trouble to jeopardize a job that requires some level of skill to steal someone's identity or medical records? You could get a job as a retail clerk and get info easier than going through the testing required to become an MT.
Somehow working at home translates into not really working
My in-laws are the worst. Whenever they plan something last minute and my husband says that I had to work, they say, "but she works at home!". When I one time mentioned I had a "schedule" and basically punch a clock and work full time, I don't think they believed me. They will sometimes call mid-day during the week if they are in the area to see if I want to go for lunch, etc! The best is, my husband doesn't make all that much money, so where is it coming from, the money fairy? I am ready to strangle someone! So I know how you feel and I'm sorry it upset you. You are not alone.
I daydream about NOT working while I'm working.
There are so many other things I need and want to get done. I've been working way too hard lately, and summer is just slipping by again. Well, I'm outty.
No I said thank God I do not have kids
I think the wrong point is being taken here. Yes he does not worry about money and is used to that. I am afraid of not making ends meet if I stop working my day job and I refuse to stop working either MT jobs as we all know it takes a lot of education to make it.
I am my kids mom
My children are lucky to have their mother taking care of them, not a stranger. I work my butt of taking care of my kids and have made many sacrifices to be able to live this life of working PT and being a full time mother. I know that I am my kids mom.
I know that it must be hard for you to look at your kids and tell them that you don't want them to be with you everyday. The sacrifices could be made.
Thank God you have no kids. NM
x
How much can you get done with 2 kids?
I haven't done transcription for a few years and would like to get back in. My question is--if you don't mind me asking--how many lines a week can you get done with kids? Is 1000 reasonable or way out there? I have 5 kids, but 3 of them will be in school during the day and the other two nap...any advice?
For kids
Tacos, as son to work and daughter off too, and me and hubby home made wedding soup, ummm ummm good, and sweet italian sausage on hard rolls, not stale, just good.
28 WF, M, 2 kids. nm
nm
Kids come first for both of us, then each other, I don't think I'd want a man who
and catering to me constantly. I like the fact that he does all the cooking, and most of the grocery shopping and gets me things I like w/o me having to ask him to buy them. I do the same for him. We don't get much alone time but enjoy what time we do get together. My man does a lot other men don't but doesn't act like a doormat either.
Same here... kids come first, then each other. sm
Our kids are still at home, and the kids come first. I've seen lots of other parents who put themselves/each other first, and the kids always seem to be second thoughts to them. That's not how it works in our family. We're all equally important, but the kids' needs come first. If I only have $30 and we all need shoes, the kids get them first. I wouldn't have it any other way.
How old are the kids?nm
We have three kids.
x
DH does his own. So do the kids.
I used to have Mount Everest on the basement floor every single day and then I just got fed up and stopped doing laundry except for my own and household items, i.e., towels, etc. Half of the pile was clean stuff that I had folded and put in the kids' rooms that they just put back in the pile when they "cleaned" their rooms.
It took them a while to adjust, but the youngest was 8 and the older ones were 12 and 17 and I left their stuff in the mountain until they realized that they couild actually work the washing machine AND the dryer. They also know if they put the washer on the extra small cycle for only one pair of pants, one shirt, one pair of socks and one pair of underwear for themselves, and I actually find it, it gets hauled out of the washer and thrown back on the pile wet.
And don't even think about not scraping AND rinsing your plate. You won't get fed.
hee hee 
I
yep and even KIDS..........nm
xx
How many kids do you have?
x
My kids are now in their mid-20's and
we always had them save their money. I'd give them $20 of their paychecks and put the rest in high-interest CD's for them.
My son recently used the money from his childhood savings as a downpayment on his house.
My daughter is using hers to pay off her student loans from college.
They are now very responsible savers/investors.
Teach them young. It's a great learning experience that can be applied to the rest of their lives.
We pay our kids...
to watch the baby, but it works like this. They are 14 and 16 and the "baby" is 4. They watch her for more than 2 hours, they get $6 an hour. Those first 2 hours are considered just being part of our family.
It would be the end of it for me. Not something I would want as an example for the kids, either.
x
Do you have kids?
x
Your kids will be gone before you know it.
sound like an experienced MT and I'm sure if something happens to the job you have, you can find another one with no problem. And there are ALWAYS hospital jobs open. When the time comes that you need it, a job will be there. Don't stress out over it and enjoy the time you have with your family. That time goes by so fast. We really are lucky or blessed or whatever you want to call it to be able to do what so many people would love to do - bring in some income and still stay home with our families. MT has served me well over the years. I never tried to work with little babies or toddlers, but have ever since they got a little older. AND - so many kids are own their own between the time that school is out when a parent gets home. I saw my kids' friends through middle school and high school just run wild after school, cause there was no one to know they weren't home or to even care. I realize my kids would have been running with them if I had been at work - and I'm glad I was at home!
I have kids to think about
I'm a single mom. No way am I dragging my kids around the country constantly for any job.
Yes, I do just like most have kids but
I used to work in an office and do not let them or others interfere with my working. It is called teaching your kids, I believe. Same works for all outsiders I know. Oh, for your info, I mostly was telling the person above how to save on costs (they mentioned about how much more it cost working from home, things you can take off on taxes and the like. I saw nothing wrong with it myself. Did you get up on the wrong side of the bed this morning?
Sorry kids?! You are QA?
What do YOUR kids have to do
Not everyone chose this career in order to stay home with their kids. I know I didn't, and I worked inhouse first. I liked the job and mastered it outside the home; then took the opportunty to work at home once I was a good MT, and I'm sure I'm not the only one. Don't assume everyone joined this profession merely to sit home with a bunch of rugrats. Some of us actually consider it a career, vs an alternative to paying a sitter, or a supplement to hubby's income. So leave the hubby and kids out of it, many MTs don't have either.
Use the kids for an example...
If you have kids, they do that yearly testing and the classrooms always send out a printed sheet to make sure your child is psychologically and physically ready for the test.
I don't remember all of the tips, but one was to make sure you've had plenty of rest the night before and to eat a good breakfast so being hungry or having low blood sugar at test time doesn't interfere with your processing abilities.
Not a lot, but I think those are 2 pretty good tips. Nothing can be as distracting as an empty tummy or being amped up on adrenaline from lack of sleep or being tired from a sudden drop in blood sugar.
I'm going to tell you just as I always told my daughter. Just do your best, no one can expect any more nor any less from you.
Good luck to you!
You could do it with kids
I have 3 kids at home all day long while I work. I don't recommend MT though. MT34+ is right...its not what it used to be. I'm thinking about medical billing/coding myself. I think they make a little more too, although I would like to work in a hospital to do it.
I did it before I had kids so that when I did (sm)
have them I could stay home. I thought it would be better for me to be established in this field. I have 2 more years and my youngest will be starting school. I have been in this business since 1996. So, in that sense it has been good to us, because I was able to raise my children and not send them to a daycare, which was my dream.
My kids. sm
After my husband died, I wanted to move out of the city and work from home in order to be there for my 3 boys. I was working for a law firm, and I did not like it.
I took an at-home course and moved south. I volunteered at a hospital for 8 weeks in the MT department, and they offered me a job after 6 weeks. I moonlighted to get clients so when JCAHO came in, I got laid off, but I had clients by then. The great thing was that during the night there had been blizzard that came through. I could literally cross the yard and be at the hospital to work, but I was at home enjoying the beauty of the snow.
My kids are grown now, and I feel so lost. The money in MT is drying up, with EMRs and national companies entering the scene. I'm afraid I didn't keep up or at least learn to work for national companies sooner. Now I'm trying to figure out what to do from here. I'm greatful I'm working and being at home, but now I make less than $1000. I used to pull in about $3000 a month.
Went to school for computer repair, but it was not a course to prepare me for A+ certification. Waiting to start a mentor program for acute care transcription.
Sorry for the long post. I'm hopeful things will change, but it's really testing what I'm made of.
The kids are going to bug you any time you're
not focused solely on them. That's why mommies never get to go potty by themselves, talk on the phone, go shopping, read a book, or any of those other fun things that we used to do before children. You're going to need to concentrate on medical billing as much as medical transcription. Plus, I don't know that there's really as much of a market for it. I tried to get into it before I got into MT, but those ads are often bigger scams than the other work at home ads. A lot of the hospitals and clinics don't use medical billing services because it's all been automated through their computer system.
The transcription will get better when your kids get older. If your kids are interrupting you that much, what about hiring a neighborhood teen to "babysit" or entertain them for a few hours? You can pay a younger teen less since you'll be there anyway. Work while the kids are asleep.
Kids at home?
Do your kids stay at home and how old are they? I have three, one that is 9, 4, and 1, and it is becoming increasingly difficult to type this summer. I am considering a sitter once school starts, so I will be all aone during the day. What do you do?
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