Question for working moms

When your child is sick an can’t go to daycare/school and you can’t miss work, what is your next option? ( if you don’t have a family/ friend to help you)

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I’d call off.
Period.
Child always comes first. I don’t need to put my kid in a situation I’m not comfortable in to go punch a clock.

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Depends on the age. If they ain’t old enough to stay home alone, call off work and pray they understand…

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I used a back up who was a retired nurse and loved watching kiddos… so if they just had a cold or a fever from teething she would watch them. Their dad and I also switched off so it wasn’t always me calling in.

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Have to take off…no question

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Id call off. Not the best choice but sometimes its your last resort

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I call off and take them to the doctors so I will at least have a doctors note to take to work.

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Your child is more important and your job should understand. Stay home and take care of them.

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See if my spouse could miss work. If not call in kids come first always. Couldn’t handle the anxiety of leaving with a complete stranger that offered to babysit in the world we live in.

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Work for some place a little more family oriented. Kids get sick. :woman_shrugging:

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I’m in a similar situation and here is my conclusion, there are always other jobs out there…try to call off first of course but if your place of employment doesn’t understand that your child comes first then move on

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I call off with fever or vomiting. They hire a mom, they have to understand. I made it very clear that that’s what would happen if I was put in that position between a sick kid and having to work.

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Fyi not everyone has the luxury to call off, and can be really hard to. Some people do live pay check to pay check and no one knows if this lady is a single mother!!! I’d try to call up a trusted family member, and set up a back up just in case :heart:

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Your child comes 1st

What else is there to do other than call out sick?

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I call off. Period. I’ve taken mine to the doctors just so I can have the Dr. Excuse

I am so blessed I have the option to work from home. Not sure what I would do if I couldn’t. Probably not go in, and I live pay check to week before the next pay check.

My husband and I rotate the best we can.

Miss work…I don’t have another option

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You have to call in :woman_shrugging: that goes hand in hand with having kids. My son was sick and had to miss two days of school this week. I was off the first day, and the second day my husband stayed home because between the two of us, I make more so it made sense for him to stay home. Although most times I’m the one staying home with him when he’s sick.

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I call off per CA labor law you are required 3 paid sick leave days per year

Always always always have a back up babysitter in your pocket! Things happen like this & you need to know theres someone you trust that will watch your child.

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Call out sick, go to the dr and get a dr note, they can’t fire you for that

Just went thru this Thursday. My 8yo had the flu and was out of school for the week. My sister watched her Monday and Tuesday because normally she goes to Grandma’s but we didn’t want Grandma (who isn’t in the best of health) getting sick. Then my sister came down with the flu Tuesday night. I was off Wednesday, but when I got a hold of my other back up babysitter for Thursday, she was sick as well. I had no one else who could watch her and wasn’t about to send her to Grandma’s with a fever still.

Called in because there was no other option. But I don’t feel guilty about it because my kids have and ALWAYS come before my job.

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Call in and see if I can pick up another shift to make up for the time I lost. A sick kiddo does come first. May mean you dont pay the cable bill fully…but for me I cant miss a few days. So kids, sadly sometimes, went to daycare sick. Had no choice. 1 day of work is 120$ before taxes are taken off. So to miss more then 1 day wasnt really an option.

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Sometimes there is no other choice than to miss work. Just be sure to get a dr excuse.

Get friendly with moms in your neighborhood or in your local Facebook moms groups. There should always be someone in there you can talk to, become friends with, and trust each other with your kids as needed. Always, always, always plan ahead. Don’t wait until an emergency pops up.

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Well your only choice would be to call off or hire a babysitter who doesnt mind your child is sick

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Child first. Try and make accommodations but if you have to miss you have to miss

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Depending on how old your kid is just leave them at home and go to work if you can’t miss other then that I would ask the neighbors of something

You obviously miss work if you have no other options.

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Miss work :woman_shrugging: unfortunately it’s part of having kids.

Either me or my husband stay home . Usually me , cause I use my sick days.

There really isn’t a next option. Kids come first

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lol! The options are the same for everyone who dosen’t have someone to watch the kid. You either call out even when you can’t, leave the kid home alone, or you take a sleeping bag and bring the kid to work. What else are you expecting people to suggest? Place an ad on craigslist? Go to the nearest daycare and ring the bell? Call 911? Refuse to get them from school? :tipping_hand_woman:t3:

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Been there as we lived 6+ hours away from any family. I just had to miss work. My husband and I would alternate taking turns so it wasn’t always one parent. But you just have to do it sometimes

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I just noticed you said no family or friend. So at this point you probably will have no choice but to call in! I’d get a doctors note, though so you have proof! And make sure you try to set up a back up babysitter for situations like these!:heavy_heart_exclamation: good luck mama!

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My husband and I would spilt the care. So he watched them until he has to go to work then I take over. At least then I work some of my shift. It’s the best I can do when I can’t find help elsewhere because everyone in our family works :woman_shrugging:t4::woman_shrugging:t4:

There is no next option for me. I have to call in.

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It all depends. How sick is my kid? Is it just a common cold with a fever that can be “fixed” with a little medication or is it they haven’t been able to hold anything down in a day?
Common cold, back up. Family, friends, that back up babysitter if you are so lucky.
Kid not having eaten, take the hit. Your kid needs you more then your job does and if they don’t understand that your family comes first probably not a company you wanna work for.
I’m a single mom and took off a week because my kid was sick. Didn’t get paid for it but didn’t get docked at work either because they understand that shit happens and sometimes you just gotta take a day off for your kid

Miss work. Child comes first.

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Miss work anyway.

What else are you supposed to do? Leave them home alone sick? Lol

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Miss work and get a doctors note. I’ve never worked anywhere that if you took in a doc’s note they didn’t accept it. And most places cant even penalize you

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You either hire a sitter or miss work.

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Check your local hospital. A lot of them offer sick care. Nurses take care of them and give them meds etc.

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Children first… and if your place of employment has no more respect than that to write you up or fire you for staying with your sick child it’s not a good place anyway!!

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I miss work… there is no not missing work option… your family will always be there and are more important

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Wonder we’re you work at that’s so important. Miss work for your kid he’s sick . They should understand. Or else take him to the neighbors. Yeah that sound crazy . Stay home !!!

I have to call in. Luckily my mom works a swing shift so if she happens to be off that day, she can keep my son. If she’s working, I call in.

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If there is no family or friends to help there is no choice but to miss work. Other parent not in the picture? If they are they can help with the child too, if not then you gotta miss work🤷 take them to the doctor and get a note.

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It’s really sad we have to choose work for fear of loosing a job over the health of ourselves and loved ones! I’ll Choose my kids every time and if they don’t like it I guess I’ll be looking for another job! Compassion and understanding has gone right out the window because of greed and selfishness in the working world!

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Stay home this time but find a few babysitters for when they get sick next time

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Miss work. Family/ parent first, before anything else.

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I would miss work. But like others say get a doctors note. Maybe it should help you . I dont know. My job terminated me even though I had a doctors note

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You call in. That’s your only option. And if your employer can’t have enough respect for that, you need a new one.

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I have a serious question, bc maybe someone has thought of something I haven’t in my 16 years of being a parent… if there are no family and friends to help, is there an option besides miss work? In my case, my family has kids also, along with what few friends have and we definitely do not want to pass it around, and my mom works… so is there another option? :woman_shrugging:t2:

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I’m lucky enough I can work from home if my child is sick or worse case I take them with me and make a bed in the corner of my office. If they are really sick I have the day off or my husband does.

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To the holier than thou moms commenting that she should just stay home, family first, yada yada yada…
Some of us have jobs that will not allow you to miss work at ALL, even for a sick kid, without risking losing the job. I happen to have family that can watch them, but this lady is simply asking what other options moms use. Not YOUR OPINION ON HER PARENTING CHOICES. Geez.

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No choice but to miss work, family comes first no matter what

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We have an au pair. They handle days like this. It’s truly amazing and I know it’s not for everyone or affordable for everyone, but it’s a life saver for us.

I would start a list of backup sitters. Start vetting them and that way, when you have to, you have a list of people to call.

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She isn’t asking about if she should stay home with her suck child or not; she knows she should. She is asking why TF is she going to be terminated from a job in the fricking USA due to her companies ‘Attendance Policy’ ?!?!? The policy that issues you ‘points’ ‘demerits’ or otherwise derogatory marks for missing a day of work for illness, yours or your childrens (with or without a doctors note). I am a single mom of 5. This happened to me in July of 2019. I accumulated more than 9 sick days and was terminated for ‘violating the attendance policy’. And for the record, my parents are in their 70’s. My friends have kids and I would never ask them to watch my sick kid and intentionally get them and their families sick. Also- 9 days isn’t a lot. Factor is well child visits, 2 dental visits a year IF your child is healthy. My kids happen to have some health issues, and have specialists at the children’s hospital 50 miles north of me. 3 of mine are also in some type of OT, PT or Speech Therapy. I was fired the day I returned from FMLA.

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Well in Texas they can’t fire you if you bring in a Dr note.

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I miss work. Plain and simple :person_shrugging:

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I always kept someone who would watch the kids I watch my granddaughter now

That’s why I love my bosses!

I would hire a sitter or just stay home with the kid. Our country’s healthcare system is a joke and so is its views on working parents. My kids will always come first.

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I am very fortunate to work for a company that not only value family but will work with you in the event you need time off. I have the option (depending on the day) to work from home if I need to stay home. We have PTO time which means points do not start to accumulate until after all if your PTO time is used up. I’m not saying all of this to poke fun or play holier than thou. I’m saying it because the companies are out there. It’s not some big corporation but a small company. We have had situations where we were in a pickle and needed someone to watch them and have resorted to my husband staying home with them. He makes more money and his company is less understanding

Get a back up sitter that diesnt have other kids that will get sick also

See, I don’t care about losing the money. But this is a huge issue for single moms especially.
Feeling like we aren’t aloud to miss work for our kids. It’s already hard enough finding care for youngins during our work hours. Daycares only take kids at certain ages, wait list, transportation etc. It’s really not easy at all. That’s why I don’t understand people who judge moms for not working. It’s hard TO be able to work. It’s different when you’re a single mom.
Then add in feeling like you can’t call in to take care of your child is wrong. If you’re scared
Of that you need to take it up with Human Resources at your job or the labour board.
I’m with the people saying I’m not leaving my sick child with anyone other than me.

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I’d miss work if my child’s ill then they’re ill wouldn’t care if they sack me they aren’t allowed to sack you as there are laws around helping mothers out ect and legislation acts about it but me personally my child comes before any job x

Bring your child to work with you and show your boss that you must be home!

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I’ve had to “quit” jobs for my babies, sometimes there are no other options.

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My mom watches my son but if hes sick I miss work plain and simple! My kid is #1

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My area used to have a drop in daycare for sick kids that was staffed by nurses. Maybe yours has one too?

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I’m lucky I have a mum and a stay at home dad. But when worst comes i leave work and if needed a dr cert for the boss.

See if you can request FMLA, you can have it to cover all your call ins. I did this when I worked at walmart, and it came in handy being 1. A new mom 2. A step Mom 3. An expecting mom. Pretected me from getting fired.

I have the ability to work from home which is amazing that my job allows me to do that

Jobs come and go. NOTHING is more important than your child’s well being.

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Back up babysitter or call off. Depends what symptoms they have and if the back up babysitter has kids of their own who could get sick from my kid.

Your child needs YOU

I have been there a few times. It’s ridiculously hard. I simply didn’t have an option, I just couldn’t go to work. It really stifled my career growth, which financially hurt the family. But I don’t regret being there for my kids obviously. It’s such a double-edged sword and it just isn’t fair. I have heard that care.com has some options. Perhaps check that out?

Miss work or find a babysitter that isn’t a day care provider (like a friend that’s a sahm) pay her and then u get a perfect sitter and they make cash and if there kids in school it’s more one on one time with ur child

If u can’t do that then call in get a doc note and keep looking for a more family oriented job

Don’t go to work. You can always find another job but you’ll never have another family. Your children always come first and that should never be a question. If you have a doctor’s note, it’s illegal for them to fire you for missing work…unless you have excessive absences.

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You get a doctor’s note. Your child comes first. And if they fire you, you call the labor board and file a complaint. Then maybe sue them.

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When my children get sick, I don’t go to work, and if my job doesn’t understand that, then I don’t know what to tell them.

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Miss work. It was never a choice.

Miss work or find a friend to watch ur child make sure they know ur going to pay them too

You can’t go to work period. That’s it. There is no other options unfortunately.

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I miss work I literally have no one my old landlord use to work with us for situations like this her sister does not so I over draw my bank account everytime my 3 year old sick it can be life or death for him for some reason and he has no major illness his body just cant handle be sick for some reason

Your children come first. You do what is necessary for them.

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Sorry I saw your make money online post. From my experience that’s not realistic . Unless your a CEO, or something of that nature. At least in order to make enough to actually live on. If you happen to have a legitamit idea please post it.

You have to miss work. Unless you can bring your child with you.

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Not sure why you would ask this question. you said had nobody else to sit and no family member your only option is to call your boss as early as possible right?

I luckily have family close by, but it’s hard and I’ve even taken my daughter to work with me before

Just not going to work.

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I’ve done this as a single mom, now grama raising kids. Unfortunately you will end up loosing ur job at some point.There is no easy answer. Find yourself a way to work on the side or at home. If you cant then be on the look out for another job. When my son was very young he had severe asthma. He was in the hospital alot. I lost many jobs due to nobody else there to help. I sympathize for you. Just dont give up. Being a single mom is never easy. It the hardest job there is.

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Will it’s pretty obvious you wouldn’t go to work if you had no options. You can’t leave the baby home alone…

Your child comes first

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Take them with you? I do this sometimes

Take your kid to work