Your Child Is Sick. You Need to Work. What Now?

by Tim Beyers Feb 22nd 2012 4:00PM
Updated Feb 22nd 2012 4:05PM
sick childSchools are cocktails of germs. Soon enough, your kids will come home with something that lands them in bed, sick. For parents, caring for a child's aches and pains often leads to household financial distress.

For working parents, finding a substitute caregiver when they're away isn't the only issue. Sick kids need medicine, doctor visits, and good tools for completing homework while laid up.

Here are five ways to get prepared before the common cold comes calling.



What are your best tips for balancing work and personal life? Please let us know using the comments box below.

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February 24 2012 at 12:47 AM Report abuse -1 rate up rate down Reply
Michele

LOL! I have a co-worker that has done this from the get-go. If she isn't sick, her child is sick. I work at a doctor's office.
She once came to the my desk and called her daughter up and said to her, pretend you're sick! So, the daughter does and calls the workplace again and ask for mommy. Guess what? She left work for the day. I got STUCK doing her job.
This has happened more than one time and she hasn't been with this office for long and yet, the boss keeps her on.

And yes, I do have a daughter, but I never, ever pulled this line of bs. I wouldn't dream of doing that. And I am the one being treated poorly. Maybe it pays to kiss a$$?

February 23 2012 at 7:00 PM Report abuse +1 rate up rate down Reply
Linda

People getting sick is a REALITY in life but employers just don't seem to recognize this unless it is them! It does not matter if the situation is not your fault or something out of your control, they don't want to hear it. If you don't get fired, you are sure to hear about it in your next "review" for a raise....."remember last December when you were out for three days...." You can have them remember that your kids all had the stomach flu and you had no one else to take care of them...but that only makes you look bad, all because you don't have an available relative, friend or the money to provide for a reliable competent sitter. Who wants to care for three kids all throwing up all day other than the parent anyway? Same goes for any program you might want to see your kids in at school or the teacher meetings, whatever the reason, your job is on the line big time. You know you need your job and those raises in pay to support your kids and your kids need you there when they are sick or if they are in a school program but you can't be two places at once. So you stay home when they are sick to take care of them (hoping you can keep your job) and you miss all the school stuff they are in because that would be the end of everything. It really makes you resentful of the "powers that be" at work!!

February 23 2012 at 5:40 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
noneybray

So you have a sick kid. If you are a single parent, the options are very few because most single parents "need" the job. Getting a sitter/daycare worker to accept your sick child is almost impossible and most single parents cannot afford the cost of special sitter/daycares that take in sick children. Divorced parents can typically call each other to take in the sick child or they can afford to stay home or take them to special daycares that can look after their sick children. I believe it is wrong for any parent to send their child sick to school, fever or not. It's the parents responsiblity to care for the child regardless of economic circumstance and selfish on the parent(s) behalf to expose others to their child's sickness. Why not give a Grandparent, trusted relative or trusted friend Limited Medical Power of Attorney and put them on the list of people who can take your child to your pediatrician or hospital. On another note, It's appalling that Employers put profits before the sick children of their employee's ! I wonder..., do Employers ever look to the future and wonder if that "Well, you should have called us 12 hours ago, now I have to find someone to come in and we were counting on you" OR" that all too common "II understand your sick child has needs. I have children who get sick also, but this is not about our child(ren). Your performance has been down the last year and customers have noticed (and stock holders) , so we are putting you on notice or in the case of workers in Florida, "your just not what we want in an employee"...and show you to the door with security in tow. Do Employer's know that those very same children who were denied their parents care when they were sick will one day grow up to work in their place of work? If the parents are smart enough, add that Company/Employer to the Parent(s) "Do No Ever Apply To That Company List" for their children. We have.

February 23 2012 at 5:34 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Kat Fiessinger

FMLA is a joke and most Americans are not covered under it's provisions. It needs to be re-written to include things like people who work in field offices away from corporated headquarters.
Work from home? What a joke! Try having to work with a group of people who are allowed that perk. Misuse that perk, and not even being allowed sick leave for yourself!!
It's hard for mothers to find jobs out here too because it's automatically assumed that if the kids get sick, Mom will be the one to stay home! Of course we already know that our society does not value women and they make that perfectly clear in so many ways!

February 23 2012 at 5:02 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Kat Fiessinger

FMLA is a joke and most Americans are not covered under it's provisions. It needs to be re-written to include things like people who work in field offices away from corporated headquarters.
Work from home? What a joke! Try having to work with a group of people who are allowed that perk. Misuse that perk, and not even being allowed sick leave for yourself!!
It's hard for mothers to find jobs out here too because it's automatically assumed that if the kids get sick, Mom will be the one to stay home! Of course we already know that our society does not value women and they make that perfectly clear in so many ways!

February 23 2012 at 5:02 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Laurie

I can't stand these articles that are always written from the perspective of someone with one of those amazing jobs that lets them work from home when needed and take time off without a problem. Number one in the tips here should have been advice on how to get the day off to care for your child. Are there generally any laws regarding this to protect parents? Anything in FMLA? I don't know, and after this I still don't know. Real people can't generally get to your step 1...

February 23 2012 at 4:48 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to Laurie's comment
Kat Fiessinger

Yeah, I wish I had one of those jobs. I just have to work around people who get this perk and misuse it all the time while I'm not even allowed sick leave!!!
FMLA is a joke for most of us. The law needs to be re-written so that more people are covered under it. But of course, we're all at the mercy of our employers. That's why women have such a hard time finding work because it's assumed that if the kids are sick, the woman will stay home. Just ticks me off!

February 23 2012 at 4:59 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Laurie

I can't stand these articles that are always written from the perspective of someone with one of those amazing jobs that lets them work from home when needed and take time off without a problem. Number one in the tips here should have been advice on how to get the day off to care for your child. Are there generally any laws regarding this to protect parents? Anything in FMLA? I don't know, and after this I still don't know. Real people can't generally get to your step 1...

February 23 2012 at 4:46 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Gary

I don,t know what state you all are from, but here in WV it is the law that if your child misses 5 or more days of unexcused absenses the parents will be arrested, fined and or jail time given. It is not an option to take your child to the Dr every time he or she get a fever or a cold, lots of parents do not have the health insurance or the time to sit and wait for hours until a Dr sees you and tells you its just a 24 hour thing. But it is not an option to send your child to school sick, I just hate it when those types send their children to school and infect all the other little children

February 23 2012 at 4:43 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply