The policy is that any child with a fever over 101° must be picked up from school and can not return until they have been fever free for 24hrs. "Great"! I'm thinking. She must have another ear infection- which would make this ear infection number 4 within the last 3 months. If you are good with math, that means that within the last 3 months Daddie and I have had to alternate taking off work a total of 6 times for an ear infection alone! That doesn't include the week we took off when she had an upper respitory infection or the 3 days she was out with pink eye. So roughly, that comes to a grand total of about 15 days of vacation neither one of us had. So what do you do? Tell the daycare "I'm sorry, I'm all out of sick time. See ya when I get off."? I think not! You march into your bosses office, put on that Mommie hat, tell them you have an emergency (yet again) and pray you have a job to come back to in the morning.
Finding that work life balance is difficult with a young child. They are so unpredictable. Talk to your supervisor or manager and be honest. Granted they may sympathize at first, but that doesn't negate the fact that we were hired to be the best (insert job title here) not to be a mom. Job responsibilities are priority, hell, that's what they are paying us of for. They may "goo and ga" at how precious and how big they have gotten. But let's be honest, we all know personal problems and family issues are left outside the door when you clock in in the morning.
So what do I do? I make them aware of any issues that may disturb my daily routine or interfere with my job duties as soon as I'm aware. If that means sending the team an email at 3am from the ER, so be it. That way not only is my email time stamped, but I'm demonstrating my commitment and dedication to the team and my job. Build relationships so they trust you will always make the best decisions in trying situations.
So what was wrong with Dreux this time you ask? Oh nothing! Long story short, I left work 5 hours early, only to take her to the doctor to find out she doesn't even have a fever and her ears look great! Well that's great, for Dreux. But what about Mommie? I just left work 5 hours early to get to a "sick child" that wasn't really sick at all. Can I curse the daycare out and tell them next time can they take her temperate and do the best out of three before they call us? Or perhaps the average? Ugh! But the fact of the matter is, I have 5hrs to make up for. And no amount arguing is going to fix they. Needless to say for the duration of the week, Mommie was at her desk by 7:30am and left between 5:30-6pm to make up those hours. I must say being a stay at home more is looking more appealing. Kids! Gotta love em!
