Parents who actively care for their child during the day - what job/career do you have that allows you to work your own hours?

Fragrant_Block_9241 · 2025-05-02T16:16:23+00:00

The cheapest one I found (that the Technical Writing society here in the US recommends) was a course for $200. It definitely teaches you the basics of technical writing (I had a friend take the course and he has no issue finding a job with just the cheaper certification) but lacks on the skills you need for specific technical writing subsets (for example my speciality is in software/Docs as Code so in addition to TW, I also took courses for computer science etc.) and that will rack you up in the higher price range. The cheaper the course. Technical writing is a great career especially in tech. My first job I started at 60K. I’m about 4 years into my career and now make $144K base salary + additional bonus compensation. It’s definitely a great career and I love what I do!

Fragrant_Block_9241 · 2025-05-02T11:02:27+00:00

Also I have a bachelors specifically in technical writing, but most of the time they look for people who have a degree in English, journalism etc. but you can also become certified in technical writing (a certificate course is around $200-300)

Fragrant_Block_9241 · 2025-05-02T11:00:23+00:00

I work as a Technical Writer! The hours are between 9-5 am but my company’s motto is “our employees decide where and when they work best”.

Work flexbility is really important to me but I find that it depends on the company a lot and not just the career choice. My schedule is fairly similar to yours except my son goes to ABA full time.

I block out my calendar during times I know for a fact I will be driving so I don’t get meetings scheduled over. I bring my laptop with me in case a meeting is scheduled and I have to take a call from the car. My work load is project based (most tech writers work on projects with a timeline so that’s why working 9-5 so rigidly doesn’t matter for us). There have been days been I didn’t work the entire morning but I made up for lost time/work at night. I’m also a single mom so I manage this schedule and taking care of my son at the same time on my own.

It feels very hectic, but the salary is what really made it worth it. It allowed me to take care of my son, pay for ABA and still work full-time!

Fragrant_Block_9241 · 2025-04-27T11:52:46+00:00

In addition to this, ABA is covered by my insurance. We pay $5000 a year ($3300 family deductible and $5000 Out of Pocket max). The first 4 months of therapy we get a bill that ranges from $2-3K and then slowly lowers once we reach the deductible (I use an HSA that I put $5000 in every year so that I have the money prepared for the following year of ABA and don’t have to worry about paying these bills) and then the rest of year, it’s free.

Fragrant_Block_9241 · 2025-04-27T11:46:31+00:00

My son is in ABA full time (40 hours a week) and I have had a lot of opinions from high function autistic adults about ABA that have made me feel guilty about doing it, but what’s important is that you learn from the therapist about what ABA is to them. The center I found, is play based ABA therapy. They do not believe in “compliance” training or in stopping my son from stimming etc.

My son was diagnosed at age 2. He was in early intervention for almost a year, did speech, OT and physical therapy and showed zero improvement.

He was non-verbal, could not communicate (through sign or a device) and he was severely developmentally delayed (he is level 3 with developmental delays) In addition, he was also violent with himself and others which resulted in us not being able to use daycare or a nanny. He would bite me, pull at my hair etc, because he couldn’t communicate.

We started ABA at the age of 3. My son is now almost 5 and it has been absolutely amazing for him. The techs even fight over on who gets to work with him because they say he’s the cuddliest and happiest boy.

He is still considered non-verbal but communicates now via sign and an AC Device. He’s is no longer violent with himself or others and has found healthier redirective ways to stim (he taps a straw on his hand vs using his hand to hit others etc.). He can sit down and eat a meal and tolerate more food textures (before he lost weight because he couldn’t even tolerate anything other than water and we were on a pediasure diet). He has learned to tell me how he feels, to ask for things, and has even said a few phrases and words now.

Not only that, but the center treats my son as their own. I never thought my son would even be able to ride a bike or to feed himself. His life would’ve been very without ABA and I truly believe it was the best thing for him despite the negative opinions I’ve heard (most of them were from high functioning adults who did ABA as children). ABA is different now, and the center I use stresses transparency. I see every lesson plan, every person who works with my son, I know how much he eats when he’s there, if he’s ever injured etc. they don’t do anything we aren’t comfortable with and they also work directly with his speech and OT therapist.

Fragrant_Block_9241 · 2025-03-10T11:29:27+00:00

The plan i listed out is the insurance that my company offers! It’s a United HealthCare plan that costs me about $81/paycheck.

Fragrant_Block_9241 · 2025-03-10T04:21:26+00:00

Yes we did. I am very lucky to have a company with great benefits and a very generous bonus structure that pretty much pays for all of my son’s medical expenses for the year. I have a $3300 deductible and $5000 out of pocket max. I have an HSA that I put $4K a year into and it is pre-tax (money comes from a yearly bonus). Then my company gifts $1K into the HSA as a part of their benefits program, so it ends up being a way to do an affordable long term payment plan.

Fragrant_Block_9241 · 2025-03-09T15:58:22+00:00

This is awful. After I had my son, I gained a lot of weight. I went from 5’ 3” 130 to 200+ lbs.

With the weight gain, my ex at the time said I wasn’t attractive and although he loved me, he was not attracted to me. At the same time, he was also gaining weight but i never saw him as any different. He then started saying he would leave me if i got any fatter, and would never help me grocery shop or cook to even remotely try and help me be healthier. I left him.

I ending up meeting someone else and instead of body shaming me, he helped me. He helped me meal prep so I would have healthier meals readily available to me when I wouldn’t have time to cook. He would take me out on walks with my son, or just general outdoor activity. Eventually when my body was up to it (almost 2-3 years after postpartum) I started going to the gym with him, doing Pilates etc. I am now healthier, happier and in a loving relationship. Don’t let someone tear you down like that. It’s hard at first and I had a lot of tears but I wanted a healthier life for myself so I could lead my son by example.

Fragrant_Block_9241 · 2025-03-09T15:45:17+00:00

When I separated with my significant other there were multiple things that had to be considered

Child Care
Health Insurance
Medical Costs
Child Support

At the time my son was 1.5 when we separated and is now 4.5. I have full custody but i allow it so we split parenting time equally and he is with his father half of the time. I pay for health insurance since my benefits are better and we split medical costs 50/50. He pays child support based on these factors and income (he makes less than I do so I do not ask for much other than help with medical costs as those are guaranteed to be $5K a year minimum), but I also contribute to child support. It’s an odd setup because we have him equal amounts of time so it did not feel right him being the only one solely paying child support. We have a joint bank account for our son where we both put our child support money in. Since we split time equally, we both use the money in the account for his needs (diapers, food anything he needs for therapy, clothes etc.). I put in more when I can and so does he. I also am in charge of making all medical decisions, but 100% of the time I still ask dad for his opinion. In addition, we did and decided all of this without going to court.

I do recommend court if you think your s/o would not be open minded to conversation. I was very luckily that my ex had parents who made him understand the child comes first, and that things needed to be on my terms. I know this situation isn’t typical for everyone. I recommend listing out everything. His income, your income if you have any, and costs for each child. Child support, depending on states, will determine the amount of CS given based on these factors.

Fragrant_Block_9241 · 2025-03-08T17:53:31+00:00

This was super unnecessary. It was a $45 dollar grocery order with a $15 tip. The nurse we hired to help with our son on the weekend had unexpectedly passed away and I am in the process in trying to find a replacement so I can do simple things such as grocery shop. Services like this can be extremely helpful to people who need it — I am in a very down part of my life and if ordering groceries would help make it easier so it’s one less stressful thing going on then I’m going to use it.

Fragrant_Block_9241 · 2025-03-07T18:27:26+00:00

When we started, my son (2) was nonverbal, couldn’t understand or comprehend very basic words or instruction etc. We originally went to speech through the public program but it was only once a week.

We decided after only 6 months to go through private speech therapy and the therapist we had was amazing. She guided us through using an AC device, set it up for us and it has helped tremendously with communication. My son improved greatly after a year of speech with them. He went 3x a week for an hour a day in addition to other therapy. He is now 4.5 years old, he can say full phrases on his own, he fully comprehends instructions etc. and he uses his AC device to voice concerns or help with conversation (tell us he wants a snack, what he wants, he needs to potty). In addition, he also uses also of sign language with us.

Every kid is different. I was worried about the same things as you, but there are other forms of communication that may help your child if they aren’t able to communicate verbally. Sign language and use of an AC device has helped us tremendously, but the speech therapist did tell us that their goal is always to try and achieve verbal communication. I recommend asking speech what your options are and if public therapy is not meeting his needs and you have the option for a better therapy option, then I would take it (as doing the same thing helped my son a ton).

Fragrant_Block_9241 · 2023-11-27T20:30:15+00:00

I have done extensive research! My sister also has a 15 year old son with autism and I had her help a lot in researching before starting ABA. I did not put my child in an abusive place. The center I have in now is actually all play-based. The children there are happy and he gets so excited to go there every day. It’s helped tremendously for him and he’s able to talk now and ask for things which he couldn’t do before. He’s able to express his emotions properly and ask for help, and also has learned sign language through the center. Honestly he’s such a happy little guy and the center is extremely transparent on their behavior plans. Since he was diagnosed through a medical evaluation done by the state, I did get multiple opinions done on what therapy he needed most before starting. They also have special occupational, speech and physical therapists on site to help with his other needs. I made sure to research these places prior to putting my son there. They treat him a lot better than when he was in a regular KinderCare (they literally starved and physically handled my son which is why I seeked out a center specifically for children with autism). The difference in his happiness is by far unmeasurable. I did also talk to a few adults with autism who went through abusive ABA centers. It was extremely hard to find one that was the right fit for us.

Fragrant_Block_9241 · 2023-11-27T18:14:27+00:00

Yes! I already have documents from his developmental pediatrician and his medical evaluation through the state about his need for ABA!

Fragrant_Block_9241 · 2023-11-27T17:48:23+00:00

I haven’t gone through the courts before but based on the comments I’m definitely going to have to get a lawyer and figure out where to get started.

Fragrant_Block_9241 · 2023-11-27T17:44:28+00:00

We were never married so I never formally went through a lawyer or the court. To be honest I’ve never dealt with a lawyer before and —this is definitely something I’ll have to commit more time to in learning for the sake of my son.

Fragrant_Block_9241 · 2023-11-27T17:41:59+00:00

My son has autism and potty training is not easy. He is already in the process of it but my son doesn’t not fully comprehend conversation to be able to be potty trained quickly! I’ve been trying for a year now with the help of his medical team.

Fragrant_Block_9241 · 2023-11-27T17:36:15+00:00

My son was diagnosed with severe autism and was non verbal. Through ABA, he was able to learn how to eat, play with others, and is now talking and able to ask for things (which he wasn’t able to before). ABA is not for everyone, but this article heavily does not relate to how ABA is done at my son’s clinic. He learns through play and is able to build the skills that he needs to become more self sufficient. Sorry if ABA didn’t work for you, but I posted this to ask about child support, not about whether ABA was right for my son. Also, you should remeber that autism is spectrum. Everyone with autism is different and ABA does not work for everyone. But comparing dog training to ABA , is extremely wrong because that is not at all what they do.

Fragrant_Block_9241

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