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 at home with a baby - Tigger
  • baby - Linda F
    • What I did - jennifer
      • jennifer - Linda F
  • working at home with a baby - Angie
  • Oh my gosh - I remember those days. sm - Carrie
    • I would like to add.....sm - Carrie
      • working at home with kids - Angie
        • I agree.....I have had many of those moments. sm - Carrie
  • I am right there with you! sm - slh
  • I used one of those gait type things - the larger plastic ones that hook together
    • I agree...the baby will adjust... - MTMommy
    • agree with gate......sm - DermMT

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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. 

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. 

I haven't read all the responses yet (I'm trying to get some work done tonight, too!), but I thought I'd just add this, in case one of the reasons you are thinking about doing this is to stay home with kids.  If not, just ignore this.  That's why I am doing it - I quit an office job when I had my second son, stayed home for a few years with both kids, but living on 1 income became increasingly difficult.  Now my kids are preschool/school-aged, and I have been doing this for about a year, working 25 hours a week now.  The biggest pro is the biggest con - you're home with your kids.  Yes, I'm here if they need me, I can drop everything and pick a sick kid up from school, I don't have to pay for child care or feel guilty over child care. 

That said, being here and working with head phones on is NOT the same as being here and paying attention to my kids, and boy do they know it!  Very often, I find myself feeling so frustrated because no one is ever happy - the kids aren't happy because I'm not with them, my husband's not happy because he has to deal with the kids as soon as he gets home (of course he's also not happy that we don't have more money!), and I'm not happy because it takes me twice as long to get my lines in as it would if everyone would just leave me alone.

Can you tell I'm having a bad day?  (I am so ready for school to start back up!)  LOL!  Some days are much better, and overall this is the best option for me.  I can work in whatever clothes I like, take a break, answer the phone, etc.  I can work with my cat curled up on my printer and my dog panting at my feet!  I definitely don't miss office politics, panty-hose, and commuting.  Sometimes I miss the company and the occasional office gossip, though.  ;-) 

Anyway, just be aware that if you are planning to work at home with kids, it really will take you much longer.  I honestly don't know how people with very young children do this - unless they work through naps and early morning or late nights.  I do mostly evening and weekend work, with a couple of hours during the day 3 days a week.

Good luck to you!  Hope this helps!

Mel

I am sorry but this really bugs me.  Anyone working at home is doing a JOB -- this is not something added to watching your kids, doing your laundry, grocery shopping or whatever.  You made a committment to do this job.  Would they let you bring in your kids to the office -- NO because they expect to have the work done.  So you need to set aside the time to do your job and if you need daycare get it.  But you cannot add on a 6-8 hour job with three kids at home. Plain and simple -- it is a job.  It is your choice to watch your kids during the day and you cannot expect young children to occupy themselves when Mom is home.  So either work at night, get a babysitter or be quiet as you made this choice.  If you hired a babysitter would you want them to be doing a job while watching your children?  

My point is that if this same OP was an MT that posted she/he would like to work in between diaper changes/bottle feedings, then other MTs would respond that this OP is ruining the profession, etc., but because this OP is a physician, everyone is goo-goo gaa-gaa... 

Also, anyone in this field knows that accepting an employee position for benefits does not result in being able to type between patients as an optometrist and finish up at night or whatever this OP says.......   

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.

get into this profession.  You sound like one of those many women who think just because they have a computer, can type and put two words together they can be an MT.  As I am sure you have discovered, there is so much more to this career than that. I agree the benefits of being available for our children is truly a blessing and when mine were young I was SO thankful to have that flexibility, but to all the newbies out there:  Do the research before you delve into this.  It is not as easy as some make it out to be.  Perhaps you should try running a daycare instead. Or put your children in one part-time until you get comfortable with MTing.   

I no longer decorate. There's no fun in it anymore. Anyway, DH always wants a tree that hits the ceiling...we have 12 foot ceilings... and the last tree we put up took up 3/4 of my 16 x 24 living room because it was almost as wide as it was tall. After the holidays, it took him another 1/12 months to get it out of here. It looked quite pathetic by then.

It used to take me 4 weeks to decorate the house, yard, etc., but no more. I kind of like it this way. No pine needles to clean up into July. No arguing on taking the tree down and out. No fighting with others over that one perfect tree at the tree farm.

Our outside lights are up all year and I turn them on Christmas Eve and Christmas day. That's it. DH misses the decorating, but I told him he knows where I keep all the stuff and he can do it if he wants, just don't ask me to put the stuff away. If he wants to decorate he puts it up, he takes it down. Works every year.

As I understand, daycare is a touchy subject here but I am looking for some opinions.  I have been MTing for 10 years now part time.  During that time I had my 3 kids.  With the PT hours it worked out great.  Now not too long ago I started FT (8 hrs/day). This has been since the school yr started.  My older two are in school all day.  My youngest is 2 and goes to the neighbors house. With summer coming all three will be home.  Its tough because they are 10, 8, 2, the older two argue constantly it seems.  I feel bad to have them have to take care of their 2 yr old sibling on summer break.  They all go in different directions.  I am weighing my options on what to do.  Anyone else in this situation or have any suggestions? If I were putting less hours in I would have no prob.  I understand a lot of you are able to do this with no prob, but it just doesn't work in my house unfortunately.

or brought it to day camp. One way or the other, this stinks.

Other than the usual shampoo; comb with a good metal nit comb; clean, spray, bug, and/or bag everything in the house, any other suggestions? I even bought a steam cleaner for the furniture and rugs.

I'm getting dirty looks at work. The kids want to go back to camp, but I'm worried about what the other kids are going to do/say. I'm keeping them home until next week. Need advice reassurance from mom who have been here.

We have a 15-year-old that is limited to 1 hour on the internet when school is not in session, and we have parental controls that allow us to see everything she has done while she was on line.

What about your household?

I've been working from home since it was first allowed, can't really remember the exact year, but for sure no later than 1984.  My family has always said, "get a real job", "why are you stuck at home, go work at an office where you can be around people", and on and on and on and on, ad infinitum!!!  I don't really have "friends" anyway because I've always been a hermit.  But guess what, now the only members of my family left alive are my brother and my sister and they STILL say I should get a real job!!  I just give them a disgusted look and say "yeah....I really want to have to deal with traffic jams, proper clothing regulations, no smoking rules, break time rules, punching in an out....does that seem to fit my personality???"  Of course they say, "well I can see your point".  However that does not keep them from saying it again some time later.  Guess it is never ending, so just ignore it and laugh at them.  That is all it deserves is a good laugh!!!  Quite honestly, I think they are jelous.   

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I thought that could only be done working inhouse. Thanks.

To make at least $15.00 an hour at home, a person would need to transcribe 150 lines per hour and be paid .10 cpl.  This comes with experience but you have to find the right company.

I am in a small rural hospital and I know our Transcriptionist does not get $15.00 an hour.