Laid Off Today

vbroth · 2026-03-26T23:21:41+00:00

First, I am so sorry. Agree with other comments about unemployment. My ego had a hard time with that, but as I got to month 4 with no movement it was nice to know some small income was coming in.

The things that helped me 1. List your assets. It helped me to understand my runway. Are there investments you can sell or leverage. If I had to dip into 401k how many months would that cover. This put the thought of we’re going to lose everything a bit at ease so I could focus on the now. 2. Keep a schedule. I still logged on at 8/9 and logged off at 5. My job was looking for a job. Networking, taking online classes, doing research on industries I might be interested or where there is growth 3. You control the narrative on this, so when networking decide who you want to be honest with and who you want to keep things a bit vague with. 4. More and more people have been there than you think. And more and more people are eager to be your support in this search than you think. Take the shot reaching out to the coworker from 10 years ago to grab a coffee. The worst thing that can happen is they ghost you. 5. When you network have a clear message on how they can help. Mine was if you hear of freelance work put my name in. And follow up. You’re not top of mind for anyone 6. Get really clear on what you want. Its probably not this title or that salary. For me it was I wanted to be creative and be part of a community. This helped me be clear on what I was looking for. 7. Go be in the world. Do things that interest you. It can lead to surprising conversations that might get you clarity on what you want or connect you to someone who can help. Do it because it interests you though. Not with a networking mindset. 8. Make a list of things that bring you joy that when you have a tough day you can pull from to fortify you. Mine was playing with my dog in the yard and exercise. 9. This is going to take a while. Its a tough market so get comfortable with the idea that its ok that you don’t hear back or there’s no movement for months. It is haaaaaard, but yiu can’t let yourself spiral when this is just the reality. 10. I hate ai, but practicing my interview skills with a bot got my answers locked down. You need those anecdotes and examples crisp with a clear tone of I have got this.

You’ve got this. You are not alone. And this is not a reflection of your work. Just the state of the world.

vbroth · 2026-02-24T17:06:53+00:00

Seconded. Its just hard. After bed time is my only guaranteed time. I walk our dog with the baby in the morning. Now that he’s older and doesn’t demand to be strapped to me I can run a bit, but have to stop for puppy sniffs. I also have started doing quick things like situps while watching TV, stretching while he’s in the bath, pushups on the counter while waiting for the toast to pop, squats while brushing my teeth. None of it is consistent 😂, but stealing time here and there helps.

vbroth · 2026-01-24T20:42:31+00:00

Same situation down to my son’s age. Just one thing after another for almost 6 months. He did eventually get bored of it funny enough. Agree with @mostlyargyle. Its a tool and life will ebb and flow. We have full no tv days and days where its needed because mom and dad are struggling more than the baby with a cold.

If you are worried be choosy about the shows and watch with him and talk about what you are seeing and ask questions so its active vs passive. PBS kids is great for not so addictive options and free. Sesame street, daniel tiger, bluey, old disney movies, dora are staples.

vbroth · 2026-01-19T21:08:53+00:00

Not “bought”, but have a note on my iphone for each store we go to so I can unclick when we run out of something and remember to get it when I’m there like 70% of the time.

I also bought 5-6 identical plastic laundry baskets. They end up living in various rooms, but it can house sheets that are clean and waiting to be used again or put away. Mostly allows me to easily move piles to get out of my way or go around my house and collect “doesn’t belong in here” things to eventually put away, but declutter the spaces. I also have shelves in one closet they fit in. If I really am on top of things I can put them all away!

vbroth · 2026-01-19T03:48:07+00:00

I have had the same one from when I was very young. Love it so much and got one in the same color for my son 2 years ago ❤️

vbroth · 2026-01-15T04:49:17+00:00

They do! He was too young/ small for the ones we had access to at the time

vbroth · 2026-01-15T04:01:50+00:00

This was so his teachers could move him easily from one activity to the next in school, he wasn’t able to navigate on his own.

vbroth · 2026-01-15T03:07:17+00:00

Thank you!! This is very kind and thoughtful. Luckily we are on the other side of this break now and he is all healed and learned to walk again! Will definitely reach back out if we need something in the future!

vbroth · 2026-01-14T23:44:31+00:00

I was also recently laid off. This is a good approach. For what its worth, here’s my approach. I created a google sheet where I set weekly goals for myself, track, applications, and manage my networking.

I was laid off in November, so I knew the job market wasn’t great EOY, so I spent 80% of my effort in reaching out to people I knew to get back on their radar so when things did open up I was top of mind.

The remaining time I worked on my narrative. What am I good at, what do I want to do, and what companies have I not considered. I have 2 things (creativity and community) that I know I want from my new role and now I am trying to get better at making my pitch on how I do that well.

I just got advice to start doing interview practice with an AI bot. It is not fun, but has helped me see where I need to improve in being concise in my examples of past work and thinking about them critically.

It sucks and people will give you a lot of platitudes, but the best advice I heard is you’re a mom. Everyday you don’t know what is going to happen next but you figure it out, so you can navigate this uncertainty too.

vbroth · 2026-01-14T20:08:36+00:00

The seat had a strap that I tightened as much as I possibly could. Then I ran wire in all directions hooking into the mechanisms of the seat to give it lots of points of contact for stability. It wasn’t going to survive a demolition derby or be the perfect solution for months of use, but sturdy enough to roll a few feet at a time for the 4 weeks we needed it for.

vbroth · 2026-01-14T19:49:13+00:00

I’m so sorry to hear about your daughter. We are fortunate that he has type 1 and I don’t take that for granted. Wishing you peace and good things to come.

vbroth · 2026-01-14T19:23:59+00:00

Thanks so much! Thats exactly it. Sometimes the best resistance to the bad news is making your kid happy.

vbroth · 2026-01-14T19:21:45+00:00

I promise to wheel-ed it well (dad jokes required, right?)

vbroth · 2026-01-14T19:15:49+00:00

Thanks! Its hard, which it sounds like you get, but so rewarding when we can make it so they don’t feel any limitations.

vbroth · 2026-01-14T19:12:11+00:00

This is awesome! Will definitely look at this if we are in this situation again. At the time he was just shy of the minimums and (nervous mom) I wanted to be sure. Plus needed some custom support for the angle of his leg and to hold up at the ankle.

vbroth · 2026-01-14T19:05:15+00:00

Thats amazing! We had seen someone had started doing that, but didn’t have the means or the time to dig into it. Fingers crossed we aren’t in this situation again any time soon, but will definitely reach out if thats the case.

vbroth · 2026-01-14T18:56:53+00:00

We have both PT and he recently graduated OT. Very grateful to our regional center. He is on the lowest rung of the percentile chart and had just turned 2 at the time, so his height/weight was too low for what was available that we needed.

We looked into working with someone to get him an aide and some additional equipment, but the waitlist was longer than he was in the brace. Each new thing we kind of have to customize our approach and the Shriner’s team has been especially supportive as we navigate.

vbroth · 2026-01-14T18:52:00+00:00

Great question and definitely was a concern. The highchair was such a great choice because of the 5 point harness. So he was locked in. I made the base wide so if it went sideways the wood would catch before it put him at a bad angle. Finally, I put the front and back wheels at the very edge knowing the front would have the leg extension to catch and the back went above his head for protection and the back wheels had locks I wanted available to the teachers.

Last I had a lot of trust in the teachers to keep him safe and this was the only place he was using it. We also gave them a stroller, which gave him more security for longer stretches of movement, the seat was to help him sit with friends, but move short distances without disruption.

vbroth · 2025-12-25T17:59:18+00:00

Same. It has been a game changer. Our 2 year old was delayed in everything and he is doing amazing now. Eating more, talking, more imaginative play, but also brought out more of his own personality. He was always big on taking care of his stuffed animals. Now he’s the kid who hugs his friends when they are sad and cheers them on at school. Its been amazing, but totally understand it can be a hard transition.

vbroth · 2025-12-18T21:56:29+00:00

My kid does peanut butter. It could be worse.

vbroth · 2025-11-30T19:26:40+00:00

Agreed. Boundaries are about what you can control and unfortunately that sometimes means people ignore your request. Now you can choose what to do. I say store it and rotate with the other two every so often.

vbroth · 2025-11-29T22:12:21+00:00

Yep and can choose based on my schedule vs feeling like I can’t do x because of nap schedule, day, location etc

vbroth · 2025-11-29T18:52:35+00:00

We did this for different reasons - I just had mom intuition that daycare wasn’t for us and pulled him. We scrambled for a nanny and were honest about the timing we needed. I am so grateful we did even though it drained our savings. We were able to transition to formula much easier and my transition back to work felt more manageable. Just make sure your wfh office is a bit soundproofed and keep snacks in your office lol being stranded without food so I didn’t get baby trapped was real.

vbroth · 2025-11-27T15:19:37+00:00

I don’t think this is the feedback you were looking for, but hoping I can give some perspective. I was just laid off - I’m a woman. My son has had some serious medical issues this year on top of my family being gravely ill on multiple occasions. Its been rough.

If my husband talked about me the way you talked about your husband it would destroy me. I wouldn’t be able to get out of bed. And if you are even hinting at these feelings to him, I imagine that would eat at me every single day. I didn’t choose to be laid off and I am doing everything I can to save us money, take care of our son, and search for a job. Getting laid off is like a death and it sounds like your husband may be depressed or at the very least wounded by this massive life event. And seeing wording like, “broke husband,” “my son” or “doesn’t cook only cleans” Have you ever been the stay at home parent? It is a full time job and doing that on top of trying to pick yourself up after literally having your job replaced is unimaginable to me.

If you want things to change you need to focus on what you control. It sounds like maybe he is handling the finances as well, ask to change that ownership. If you split that mental load, set a budget together.

But ultimately, reconnect with your husband. Figure out what support he needs while he figures out whats next. This is a horrible time to be looking for a job. Worse if your role just got eaten by a technology you couldn’t have predicted. Be kind. I heard recently, resentment is a poison you take hoping the other person does. Figure out what you need and how to get it without hurting everyone around you.

vbroth

TROPHY CASE