Discussion:To Those Just Getting Into The Field...
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Taxestaxes (talk|edits) said: | 21 April 2008 |
| I had to share this, and I am sure there are plenty out there who will appreciate it.......
My 7 year old daughter, for some unknown reason cried yesterday afternoon to go eat at Cracker Barrell. It was the middle of the afternoon, and CB is about 20 minutes away at least, and we just werent going to do it.....so I told her not today, I had things to do....."Come on Mom, tax season is over, take some time to do something with your kids!" THat just blew me away!!! I cant believe she was so grown up to say that!! HOw true it was though!! I also have a 6 yr old son, and they both know what tax season means!!! No Mommy - Daddy does lots of things for them that he normally doesnt do!! It means they get to eat out alot!! I even got a note sent home by my daughters teacher, asking what was wrong, because my daughter hadnt done her homework in 3 days!!! I had been so busy I had totally forgotten to check with them at night to see if they had homework!!! What a terrible Mom. So get ready all you newcomers-this is what you get to look forward too!!!! | |
Meyerbooya (talk|edits) said: | 22 April 2008 |
| I am feeling you Taxes. I had conferences with my two youngest sons' teachers toward the end of tax season - right before spring break. It happens EVERY year. They do well and get all their homework done at the beginning of the year. January arives and my 4 children have an absentee mom. The older deal with it okay, they are in high school - but my two that are in elementary school towards Spring Break are always asking - Is tax season over yet?
I do the best that I can -- once the 15th of April hits, we have have a party in the office and begin drinking at 4:00 p.m. (all efiling is done by 3 p.m.). I go home that night, wake up and make my kids' breakfast for the first time in 4 months and decide which days I am going to work for the summer. This year I will be taking Wednesdays and half a day Friday off. I consider myself lucky though. While I am crammed with work for 4 months straight because of tax season - I get to decide when I want to work after tax season. | |
Donniecastleman (talk|edits) said: | 22 April 2008 |
| I'm taking Mondays off for the 4 kids from now on, my kids constantly have their noses pressed up against the glass of my enclosed home office, what the hell am i working so hard for anyway, to watch them grow up behind the glass? I'll just work harder 4 days a week. | |
| 22 April 2008 | |
| I also watch my children 1 day a week after tax season is over. It is a tough balance...juggling act. But tax season I am definitely missing in action. | |
Southparkcpa (talk|edits) said: | 23 April 2008 |
| You know what, all of that is true, But our children learn through us the value of hard work, values, trust and relationships. Not always the easy road.
I can't tell you how many people (clients and colleagues) say hello to me in the mall, church, gym , school etc... that my children are amazed at. I do not work the killer hours that many do anymore but I have few regrets, the profession has treated me well, 2 college educations paid for and I hope the respect of my children. I encourage young people to become CPA's. My journey has been fun. | |
| 23 April 2008 | |
| I went back to study for and take the CPA exam 3 days before my son turned 1. Now that he's nearly 23 and already two years into a law enforcement career, I still ask myself if it was worth it to 'abandon' him for nearly 1/3 of his life. I hope that I did set an example of hard work and values, but I still have regrets and always will. | |
| 23 April 2008 | |
| Gee my Dad was a CPA and insisted that he check my math homework every night even during tax season!
You still have to keep your priorities! Put several more clients on extension or work 7 days a week. | |
| 23 April 2008 | |
| My 7 y/o's teacher called Friday to say she's been talking in class a lot lately. Of course, the Mrs. blamed me because of "tax season." I think there is plenty of blame to go around on this issue for both of us.
My wife and I both work hard at our jobs, but there has to be a balance in life. No one on their deathbed ever said, "Gosh, I wish I spent more time at the office." I always tell everyone that "Graveyards are full of indispensable people." My sister said something to me recently I found interesting. She went to a conference and the priest who ran it asked, "What do you want put on your tombstone? Do you want to be known as a devoted husband and father, wife and mother or hard worker?" She and I talked about it in the context of something that happened in our family. It makes you think of what is important. Barb makes a good point. Another extension isn't going to kill you or a client. I wish I had done that with a few clients last week. I am still paying for working some ridiculous hours. Tom | |
| 23 April 2008 | |
| We finally had a reasonably better tax season without nearly the whining from spouses. We both pushed the idea that this is a family endeavor and not an individual one. I work for my brother, and my sister-in-law and I split the task of bringing dinner to the office (we have evening appts). When I couldn't do it, my husband would bring dinner. We'd try to take a half hour to have dinner together (albeit at the office) many nights. My nieces and nephews came by the office to get help with their homework, and while they complained about it, I think they are getting the point that maybe, just maybe, it's a small price for them to pay for having tax season provide for them the rest of the year. I understand that they'd rather be in the comforts of their home doing it, but so would we, and it's not like the surroundings were awful. When they had time, they helped out with copies, compiling returns, mailings, and making appointments.
My point is this. It doesn't have to be a confrontational issue if it's treated as a group endeavor. When I was a kid, family businesses required everyone to pitch in. Having a little more cooperation and understanding really took the outside stress down. Even my niece commented that it wasn't nearly so bad this year, I'm sure because the attitudes were different because we worked just as many hours. | |
Www.cpa1.biz (talk|edits) said: | 23 April 2008 |
| I am not a big winter person so I kind of enjoy tax season because I can work hard and take some good days off during the summer. I do not have children yet and my girlfriend is going to school right now in NY. I feel you all mothers and fathers out there an I am sure your children are looking up to your good work values and discipline.
If you do play your cards right, you will be able to spend some good time with them when they have chidren. Here are some things that helped me work at home and have a balance: 1) I use gotomypc and keep my working PC at my office and use my home pc to get on my work pc. 2) I allowed my employees to do the same thing 3) I use PEAPOD (which is a grocery deliver service in Washington DC) and had my food delivered to my home twice a month. It allowed me to cook my own food, eat healthier, conserve energy and save money. I love it! 4) I stopped receiving paper publications and now receive everything online (WEB CPA, Accounting today, IRS tax tips and news, Accoutant's world). When I like an article, I print it out and bring it along with me to the gym. I am definitely trying to go green as much as I can for both environment and office conservatism. Anyone else? Bj | |
Taxestaxes (talk|edits) said: | 23 April 2008 |
| WOw, thanks for all the responses. I dont feel so alone!!! Yes, I truly hope my children look at me with respect and admiration. After all, most of what I do in life is for them - in some form or fashion. Its funny, my niece, who just turned 3 has visited with me some during tax season, she is a very good child, and I watched her a few times during tax season. Now she plays at home that she is working, and of course, she is doing taxes!!! Too cute to see her playing that....she even asks her Mom (my sister) when is she coming to my house to help me do taxes!! Anyways, all aside, I do what I do so that I can have the rest of year (most of it anway) off to be with my kids, especially the summer, when they arent in school. Thats our fun time!!!! I do work part-time (2 days) out of the home, and the rest is at home, so when they get tired of me, then I can get some time alone to catch up on other bookkeeping or I do it at night after they are asleep. Anyway, hope everyone is breathing easy and relaxing....me I just joined Curves to get me in shape and moving more.....these past 4 months glued to the chair in front of a computer eating fast food has took its toll!!! | |
| 23 April 2008 | |
| I do most of my work at home because there are less interuptions than my office. My kids at home are 13 & 15. I take a break everyday when they get home from school. When they get bored talking to me I go back and work until supper. I think they have benefited from seeing me work. 1) They have much better phone manners than most kids. They know not to interupt me and I do the same for them 2) They have learned to make some easy meals. 3)They know how to do laundry 4)They have learned how money works. They know when people make money they pay taxes, buy goods they pay sales tax, and the governemnt uses that money to pave our roads, etc. They know that someone has to keep track of all that tax and that person is me (With all your help of course!) | |
| 23 April 2008 | |
| My dad, a CPA, was a workaholic. However, he took the day off for my wedding in February, and walked me down the isle. It was a beautiful day.
I was still in college and it was intersession. | |
| April 23, 2008 | |
| After my second son was born, I had to go back to work in the middle of tax season. I was getting up at 3:30 a.m. so I could be at work before 5 a.m. so I could leave about 5 p.m. and have dinner with my family. At night, I was falling asleep while reading my sons their bed-time stories. I wasn't doing my bosses, co-workers or family any good. While I tried to be the "superwoman," I really couldn't do either job as well as was expected. At the end of April that year I started my own practice.
Now that I am the boss, I decide when to work and what kind of work to do. My work load is pretty even throughout the year. I think it's critical that I spend time with my boys while they are young. I do not want to look back and say that I "abandoned" them "nearly 1/3" of their lives. | |
| 24 April 2008 | |
| My point exactly, Natalie. I can never get that time back and no matter how many children he eventually has, it will never be the same as having that time with my own child. Priorities - set them while you still have the time to do so. I cannot say it strongly enough. I was a single mom with no child support for most of that time and had little choice but to work as much as I could, but I think I could have done it differently. | |
| 24 April 2008 | |
| It was my first season with my own practice and found out quickly what you all are echoing. I have 2 girls, one a senior in high school, the other away at college, so it didn't bother them too much. I also have 2 boys, ages 4 and 1. They were good sports all the way through the long season, and as soon as the afternoon of the 15th came and went and I was caught up, we went outside to play in the sun in our backyard.
I did manage to schedule appointments around everything, so I made it to all of my daughter's swim meets and my older boy's basketball games on Saturdays. I'm looking for changes to improve efficiency next year, to make sure that I get one evening or half a Saturday at the minimum that is still family time next season. | |
| 24 April 2008 | |
| My wife and I are both CPAs out on our own. I work full time year round. She works full time during the busy season and 2 to 3 days a week the rest of the year. Our kids are 7,5 and 1 1/2. We try to get home by 5 each day, eat dinner together, play with the kids, check homework, read books and get them to bed by 8:30. Then we connect to our office computers from home with "VNCviewer" - something our computer guy set up for us - and work into the night. We have been blessed with Sally - she watches our kids everyday at out home. She costs about 20% of our take home pay, but that is a choice we have made and are happy with it.
We still work way too much. We missed our daughter's homework at least one night. And our kids complain about us working to much on the weekends. During the summer and fall I take off work 1 or 2 or 3 days a month to go to the zoo or the park or a ball game. Hopefully next year we will be able to find/hire an additional tax preparer that knows what they are doing to lighten our load. | |
