Woman was fired because of her little kids

[mjkacmom]

Lol, her clients didn’t complain! If clients didn’t complain she’d probably still have her job. Her kids, her problem. DH’s company was initially more tolerant with folks having to work from home, but by now they don’t expect family interruptions. Many had to find care for the kids, even if it consisted of a teenager coming to the house.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Mommy Blogger and being a mother aren't mutually exclusive. She's kinda portraying herself in a light where the mommy blogging takes a front seat in how people view her.

Take this quote: "she claimed in court docs that her boss continued to schedule appointments for her during lunchtime when both her kids were hungry and impatient." Everyone has had to adjust to a different way of doing things. Your employment may be less able to switch up on the fly..but you know is more easy? Adjusting, even ever so slightly, meal time to accommodate appointments (that have to be coordinated with other people's schedules too). I don't think you're trying to rewire a kid's schedule but face the realities (meaning the mom) that plenty of parents and caretakers are having to do the same in adjusting timing of things here and there on their children's front.

Take this quote: "She said she spent countless dollars on crafts, toys and anything else that might keep them busy — and appease her boss." Umm okay..wait a minute is her boss supposed to be ever so gracious for this? What about everyone else who has chosen to do that same to help stem boredom for children who suddenly had their lives drastically changed too. Oh but this quote takes the cake IMO: "I lost count of how much I spent. Every week I was spending money to keep them occupied. It was insane.” ....Does she not have times where she spends money on her kids maybe more than she thought she would? I mean I'm sure people have spent more money on crafts, getting puzzles and other such things but I don't see people truly complaining about it in a sense of resentment and that's how she comes off.

I think it's okay to be frustrated, to be frazzled. She's gone beyond that and I don't personally see that she was singled out like she thinks she was.

Her quote: “There are other mothers out there who are afraid to speak out,” she said. “I just hope we can find justice for myself and any other mom who has been treated this way.” gets eye rolls from me because based on her comments she's like a kid herself stomping her foot that she couldn't do it this way. And not trying to be harsh here but I think there are much more very real, very valid, individuals who deserve justice to use her words on discriminatory practices. This just smacks of

 

[sk!mom]

I saw her on a news show last week. I gathered from that that her job was mostly to be on the phone servicing accounts. It might not be a job that could be done with small children.

I think last spring saw many employers being very accommodating. It was a pandemic after all. However as we approach 6 months of disrupted schedules, I think we will see more employers putting more expectations in place. It’s tough to know what is fair.

As someone said upthread, DH and I have been so glad that the kids are grown.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

There are several things she could've done to lessen the impact her children had on her job. A 4 year old, if well behaved, should be able to understand the concept of "quiet time". The one year old is tricky, but a good parent should be able to find entertaining things for the young one. I"m hoping this wouldn't mean putting an I-pad in front of a child (don't get me started about the brain impact too much screen time has on young children).

I don’t think it’s fair to say a good parent could find entertaining things for a 4 year old while you are trying to work for 8 hours straight. An hour or so here and there is one thing. But a full day isn’t so easy. For some jobs it is impossible and the only thing that can be done is childcare.

My SO works from home and when he’s working.....he is working. He is tied to his phone, zoom meetings and his computer. When I’m home he barely talks to me the entire 8 hour day. And he’s constantly telling me to keep it down.

The “kids” are 20 and 14 but if we had small children the only option would’ve been to get a sitter. Either in the home but away from his office or outside of the home.

ETA: coincidentally one of my SO’s friend’s wife works at the same company. She’s been working from home for years and has a 5 year old. She’s had an in house sitter ever since she was off of maternity leave. Even when he went to PT preschool she still had the sitter take him and pick him up and spend the rest of the day with him at home.

 

[brockash]

It's relevant because she made it sound like she was the only parent attending to the kids, teaching them, feeding them, and working a full time job and I see no reason for that if he had the ability to help out at least part of the time. I am curious about it because if I were working at home with two kids and my husband was in the house also working we could at least trade tasks so that either job had 50% of the interruptions it would have normally. Marriage is teamwork. If he worked away from the home then what did she do with the kids normally while she went to work? There's just so much detail missing. In short, I feel she's giving a very one-sided story here and perhaps the lack of detail is intentional. Of course the business she works for not really releasing a statement isn't helping that either.

She probably was??? If she does have a partner who lives in the home; I'd say there's a pretty decent shot he may be gone at work all day...I don't think that's very uncommon...I know it's been happening in my house since March.

 

[morgan98]

I saw her on a news show last week. I gathered from that that her job was mostly to be on the phone servicing accounts. It might not be a job that could be done with small children.

I think last spring saw many employers being very accommodating. It was a pandemic after all. However as we approach 6 months of disrupted schedules, I think we will see more employers putting more expectations in place. It’s tough to know what is fair.

As someone said upthread, DH and I have been so glad that the kids are grown.

Right at some point people are going to have to work the expected hours and schedules even with kids - it cannot go on forever the way it is unfortunately.

Many jobs require proof of child care arrangements even when people have work from home jobs because it is unrealistic to work your normal day jobs while watching small children as the sole care giver.

 

[Hikergirl]

Millions of people with small children manage to work at home.
This woman is nothing more than an idiot with an entitlement complex.

 

[DLgal]

Maybe she just wasn't that good at her job?

 

[penn19]

I don’t think it’s fair to say a good parent could find entertaining things for a 4 year old while you are trying to work for 8 hours straight. An hour or so here and there is one thing. But a full day isn’t so easy. For some jobs it is impossible and the only thing that can be done is childcare.

My SO works from home and when he’s working.....he is working. He is tied to his phone, zoom meetings and his computer. When I’m home he barely talks to me the entire 8 hour day. And he’s constantly telling me to keep it down.

The “kids” are 20 and 14 but if we had small children the only option would’ve been to get a sitter. Either in the home but away from his office or outside of the home.

ETA: coincidentally one of my SO’s friend’s wife works at the same company. She’s been working from home for years and has a 5 year old. She’s had an in house sitter ever since she was off of maternity leave. Even when he went to PT preschool she still had the sitter take him and pick him up and spend the rest of the day with him at home.

We might have the same husband.

 

[sk!mom]

My SO works from home and when he’s working.....he is working. He is tied to his phone, zoom meetings and his computer. When I’m home he barely talks to me the entire 8 hour day. And he’s constantly telling me to keep it down.

Back in March, my DD sent me this TikTok after I mentioned that my DH and I have very different work from home styles. He’s an accountant used to solitude and silence. I’m a teacher. Teachers like to talk about how things are going.
https://m.tiktok.com/v/680600773322...751892221794042885&tt_from=sms&utm_source=sms

 

[LuvOrlando]

May have to look harder. Presumably she was paying for daycare when she was going into the office. So pay someone to come play with the kids from 8-5.

If there is a quarantine isn't it contraindicated to expose your family by bringing a stranger into the house? Then it's not a quarantine

 

[LuvOrlando]

May have to look harder. Presumably she was paying for daycare when she was going into the office. So pay someone to come play with the kids from 8-5.

In outbreak I don't want anyone breathing on me or my kids or me.

 

[GreatLakes]

My wife and I both work from home with a 3 year old due to the pandemic and daycare being closed. We manage to make sure to arrange our schedules so one of the two of us can take care of him when the other is in an important meeting. It isn't some unsolvable problem. It sounds like this lady just wanted some clicks instead of solving their problem.

 

[Disneybuckeye]

Last summer we moved into a new house in an old people neighborhood. Most people are retired. It has become kid central during the day as they are all watching their grandkids so the parents can work. Employers are not paying people to watch their kids. They are paying people to work and parents need to figure it out. A mother’s helper in the house for a few hours a day is much cheaper than most daycares.

 

[LuvOrlando]

Most interesting thing about this thread is the willingness to blame the mother and vindicate the male boss, it's surprising.

 

[Searc]

Most interesting thing about this thread is the willingness to blame the mother and vindicate the male boss.

It's been months...way past time for her and her husband to figure out different arrangements for their kids.

 

[pens4821]

I agree with the employer, but feel bad for the mom. She should have tried to work something out. Even if daycare was still closed, she most likely could have found a babysitter.

Personal experience from a customers perspective. I called to cancel a vacation package the other day. It was a VERY difficult experience. The lady was clearly working from home. I felt like I was just on speaker phone and could barely hear her. Had to keep asking for her to repeat herself. Not only could I hear kids in the background but what also seemed like an adult male talking. It was quite bothersome for me. I get times are hard right now, but she really made no effort to make the experience any better. I had to ask for clarification multiple times just about every sentence she said.

I really should have said something but after being on hold almost two hours and dealing with that, it was best to say nothing at all. I was highly annoyed.

 

[Colleen27]

If there is a quarantine isn't it contraindicated to expose your family by bringing a stranger into the house? Then it's not a quarantine

And even if you're comfortable with that, in-home care costs much more than center-based childcare. A lot of working parents likely cannot afford what essentially amounts to a nanny on what they make.

I think we're rapidly heading for a reality where dual-income households won't be feasible for most, at least for the next 6 months to a year, because of childcare and school disruptions as cases rise and fall. One parent is going to have to be available to care for their young children and supervise online learning for their older ones, potentially on little to no notice because of confirmed-case closures and quarantines, so unless one or the other has a job with a lot of flexibility that's likely going to mean not working until the pandemic is under control.

 

[Searc]

I agree with the employer, but feel bad for the mom. She should have tried to work something out. Even if daycare was still closed, she most likely could have found a babysitter.

Personal experience from a customers perspective. I called to cancel a vacation package the other day. It was a VERY difficult experience. The lady was clearly working from home. I felt like I was just on speaker phone and could barely hear her. Had to keep asking for her to repeat herself. Not only could I hear kids in the background but what also seemed like an adult male talking. It was quite bothersome for me. I get times are hard right now, but she really made no effort to make the experience any better. I had to ask for clarification multiple times just about every sentence she said.

I really should have said something but after being on hold almost two hours and dealing with that, it was best to say nothing at all. I was highly annoyed.

Oh, I definitely would have said something.

 

[LuvOrlando]

And even if you're comfortable with that, in-home care costs much more than center-based childcare. A lot of working parents likely cannot afford what essentially amounts to a nanny on what they make.

I think we're rapidly heading for a reality where dual-income households won't be feasible for most, at least for the next 6 months to a year, because of childcare and school disruptions as cases rise and fall. One parent is going to have to be available to care for their young children and supervise online learning for their older ones, potentially on little to no notice because of confirmed-case closures and quarantines, so unless one or the other has a job with a lot of flexibility that's likely going to mean not working until the pandemic is under control.

I agree, it seems we are on a precipice that will cause a dramatic shift.

Many houses in older areas have the mother-daughter suite, it's how I grew up and I didn't like it but there is no denying there was an extra hand and someone always had eyes on me. Although, it was grandma's house and as she got older she moved to the smaller side we got the main part, then when I got married I moved into there saved money. Benefit to grandma is she never needed to move to a retirement home or anything, she got in home care there were always eyes on her too. My extended family in Brooklyn has done this for generations, maybe that generation had reasons.