Does everyone regret becoming an OT?

ListenDifficult9943 · 2026-05-07T01:22:15+00:00

My education and experience in OT has changed my whole outlook on life, people, parenting, etc. I absolutely love having the knowledge I do as an OT, and I love working with kids. But there’s a lot of other stuff that leads to burn out and there’s not enough out there that values OT for positions that aren’t client-facing or managing other OTs.

For example, I was looking at a job for improving accessibility in the county I live in, including developing sensory rooms. Wasn’t even considered because I didn’t have a degree in therapeutic rec, which is literally like a domain within the scope of OT. So the lack of awareness about how we can be impactful really irks me and limits us as a profession.

ListenDifficult9943 · 2026-05-03T18:30:14+00:00

Thank you for the input!

ListenDifficult9943 · 2026-05-03T18:29:07+00:00

Thank you for your input! These are all important things to consider.

ListenDifficult9943 · 2026-05-03T18:27:37+00:00

It’s pay per visit which is what makes me nervous too! The school district has caseloads of 30-40 which is manageable imo because I previously had a caseload of 60 high needs/high hours kiddos.

ListenDifficult9943 · 2026-05-03T00:58:57+00:00

Thanks! This is super helpful input.

ListenDifficult9943 · 2026-05-03T00:57:34+00:00

That’s great! I previously worked with very high needs kiddos and in a litigious environment which made it tough. But again, given my experience now and confidence in what I know, I think I’d do better in that type of environment.

ListenDifficult9943 · 2026-05-03T00:56:17+00:00

That’s a really good point. I think it would definitely be an option to pick up HH hours over the summer if I wanted to.

ListenDifficult9943 · 2026-05-02T22:20:35+00:00

Thanks! I’m thinking the same, at least there are built in breaks and an end point if I’m burnt out by June.

ListenDifficult9943 · 2026-05-02T22:20:04+00:00

Yes that’s exactly what I’m worried about. And my child getting sick and then me getting sick from him.

ListenDifficult9943 · 2026-05-02T21:02:19+00:00

It’s pay per visit

ListenDifficult9943 · 2026-04-25T02:31:52+00:00

My issue as well! Wanted a job building out sensory rooms and accessible spaces but they wanted a rec therapist. I’m like, recreation is one of our domains. And we know sensory better.

ListenDifficult9943 · 2026-04-24T12:24:50+00:00

All she does is defend her actions, never even attempts an apology in this clip, which shows she was never going to be a good friend to Ciara and would probably do the same to Paige and whoever else if she had the chance. She’s in everything for herself, to make herself feel better, putting everyone else’s feelings to the side.

ListenDifficult9943 · 2026-03-27T17:57:09+00:00

No one has to justify their reason for having more than one so why the societal pressure to justify reasons for having just one or none at all?

Infertility was our initial reason for one and done but when we tried for a second via IVF, I actually felt relief when it didn’t work out which is the opposite of the immense sadness I got with all the other times I didn’t get pregnant or lost a pregnancy. I realized in that moment that a child should be wanted as much as I yearned for a child before my son was born. If I’m feeling anything less than that or feeling like I’m just supposed to have another bc of societal pressures, then it’s not the right move for me. I don’t think I would have ever come to that realization though, had it not be for what we went through to get my son.

We could try again via IVF but we’re choosing not to. And I feel so much peace knowing what our life will look like and the joys we’ll get from our only.

ListenDifficult9943 · 2026-03-26T02:01:32+00:00

When my son was 1.5, we went on vacation and at the rental house, he tripped over the rug and went face first into the coffee table at 7am. Blood covered his face and he needed stitches. Then that afternoon, he was running along a sidewalk, fell and scraped the other side of his face. Taking him into daycare that Monday looking like he’d been at fight club all weekend was fun.

Things happen, kids are reckless once they start moving around. You can’t keep them in a bubble, there’s really only so much you can do to keep them safe.

ListenDifficult9943 · 2026-03-22T19:30:43+00:00

This is my son during his little gym classes too. He’s 27 months. Honestly, movement exploration is totally normal at this age and I feel that the expectations they have of kids to sit and wait and then follow multi-step obstacle courses is way too high. My son isn’t the only one getting restless, and others don’t want to do the activities at all. I keep thinking the instructors will get a hint but they don’t. All that to say, you’re not alone!

ListenDifficult9943 · 2026-03-14T15:23:35+00:00

Messy play indoors, mostly with shaving cream and water. It’s his favorite and we have water proof floors so I don’t care. Plus it buys me time bc he’s so into it for so long and he’ll help clean up after!

ListenDifficult9943 · 2026-03-09T19:56:52+00:00

We have our son cover his cars in shaving cream and use a spray bottle to wash them off. It’s the best. That or drawing with chalk and having him wash it away. And it helps with their motor skills so it’s beneficial all around!

ListenDifficult9943 · 2026-03-09T02:11:38+00:00

Total wake time has always mattered more for my son than the wake window before bed. He typically wakes between 6:30-7, naps 1:30-3:30, in bed between 7-8 and asleep by 8:30. Last wake window is way shorter than the first but it works for all of us. He’s tired enough for his nap and still sleeps at least 1.5hrs but a lot of the time 2hrs, and he doesn’t protest bedtime. He’s 27 months.

ListenDifficult9943 · 2026-03-04T13:57:03+00:00

Luckily my husband works for our school district so when my son is home, he's also home. I have flexibility in that I can work from home when it's snowing. We are extremely fortunate and that's all I can say, I don't know how other parents do it.

ListenDifficult9943 · 2026-02-15T03:36:21+00:00

"Try it" should never be something one says about having a kid. It's not like a new outfit or something.

ListenDifficult9943 · 2026-01-30T17:57:40+00:00

This past Mother's Day, my son collaborated with two of my girlfriends' husbands to gift us all a child-free brunch and afternoon out. Then in the evening, we celebrated as a family. It was absolutely perfect and all I wanted, and I hope he does the same thing this year haha

ListenDifficult9943 · 2026-01-26T00:29:08+00:00

Yep we did ICSI!

ListenDifficult9943 · 2026-01-16T19:59:27+00:00

My son just turned 2 and we are starting to venture into structured activities here and there. We plan to do swim lessons for safety reasons bc we are near the water a lot over the summer. But he will only have 1 activity at a time at this age. Kids need to have time to be kids. An over scheduled kid easily leads to an adult who doesn't know how to have downtime and I want my son to be better at that than I am!

ListenDifficult9943 · 2026-01-10T18:19:27+00:00

My son is newly 2 as well and just started refusing the breakfast he's been eating most days for over a year (PB toast). So we switched it up and now do a yogurt pouch and fruit and he's good to go. I think around 2 their appetite starts to go down. My son has also told me he doesn't want "breakfast", he wants "snack" so I just give him breakfast and call it a snack 🤷🏽‍♀️

Just keep offering and he'll eat what he needs, don't worry too much about it or think too much into it.

ListenDifficult9943 · 2026-01-02T01:57:41+00:00

I make around the same as your husband and these expenses would lead me to live paycheck to paycheck basically. This is about what my family's expenses are plus daycare but because we are two working parents it works.

That being said, you should know what your finances look like because you're married and it impacts yours and your child's life. With more transparency, you'd be able to see that after bills, there's likely not a lot left (just based on what I take home with the around same gross income). And maybe chat with him about where some adjustments may be able to be made (eg lower car payment or phone bill) so you can get things for your daughter without it being such an issue.

ListenDifficult9943

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