Parents how do you make your career work when talking care of a child with a disability?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's hard. My kid got sick and disabled at 3 so we weren't born like this and didn't have our world fall apart until a few years later. I had gone back to work after my second pregnancy and already had a nanny. Since then, we have kept with nannies/sitters and now have our second au pair. She takes her to therapy sessions 4 days a week after school. It is extremely stressful and never feels good or comfortable. Now in first grade. If I could afford to work part time, I would ask for it as a federal gov't attorney. Between private school tuition and an aide and mortgage and so much time off, we need two salaries. Neither of us is in the private sector making a huge salary. Career wise, I keep plodding along. I leave when I need to and no one ever complains (I do work at night sometimes) b/c they realize that I have to take her to these appointments. I am lucky to have an understanding boss. It makes me fear switching jobs so I feel stuck.

This is me exactly. I am in-house counsel at a mid size company. I work early in the morning and late at night on my laptop and leave the office when I need to. I was with the company seversl years before my son was diagnosed so I have experience and a good reputation. I am very lucky to have a flexible company.

Also an attorney, wotk for a firm. I am good at what I do and have built up credibility over the years. But I will never rise above what I am now and have accepted it, more or less.

[Anonymous]

I'm other one who had to quit. But I was only making $50k/year, so the stress of before and after care and taking off for endless meetings and appointments and therapies just wasn't worth it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's hard. My kid got sick and disabled at 3 so we weren't born like this and didn't have our world fall apart until a few years later. I had gone back to work after my second pregnancy and already had a nanny. Since then, we have kept with nannies/sitters and now have our second au pair. She takes her to therapy sessions 4 days a week after school. It is extremely stressful and never feels good or comfortable. Now in first grade. If I could afford to work part time, I would ask for it as a federal gov't attorney. Between private school tuition and an aide and mortgage and so much time off, we need two salaries. Neither of us is in the private sector making a huge salary. Career wise, I keep plodding along. I leave when I need to and no one ever complains (I do work at night sometimes) b/c they realize that I have to take her to these appointments. I am lucky to have an understanding boss. It makes me fear switching jobs so I feel stuck.

This is me exactly. I am in-house counsel at a mid size company. I work early in the morning and late at night on my laptop and leave the office when I need to. I was with the company seversl years before my son was diagnosed so I have experience and a good reputation. I am very lucky to have a flexible company.

Also an attorney, wotk for a firm. I am good at what I do and have built up credibility over the years. But I will never rise above what I am now and have accepted it, more or less.

PP attorney here. I initially took a lesser job and cut my salary by 40%. But within ten years I had advanced beyond where I had been before I had kids.

[Anonymous]

I'm a fed and have a daughter with severe disabilities and multiple medical issues. My career hasn't suffered (yet) but my managers have been great and very supportive of flexible schedules and medical leave. For a while I worked 10 hour days to take one day a week off for doctors' appointments, which was exhausting, but a regular alternative work schedule with one day off every other week became enough. We don't have family in the area but grandparents have flown to town when we've had extended hospitalizations, so we're lucky to have that support. We also found a great nanny with experience working with SN kids.

Like others, I benefited from a decade of working in my office and the credibility built up over that time. Government benefits on issues like this are great, though, and have made such a difference. I suspect I would not be able to have a fulfilling career in the private sector raising a child like mine. Most of the moms in my support groups eventually quit or lost their jobs because of caregiving responsibilities.

[Anonymous]

I have a very flexible job that allows me to work almost entirely from home. I take on as little responsibility as possible and don't manage people. I've accepted that my career isn't going to advance, but I never particularly enjoyed it anyways and I'm happy with my pay.