I don't know how we do it

It sounds trite but I really don’t. My brain goes to two places when I have a hunch my kid is sick…’ah shit, there goes my day’ quickly followed by ‘meh, you’re not throwing up and it’s only a mild fever…off to daycare with ya’. I somehow feel the need to push the boundaries of it and wait until I’m getting side eye from the daycare staff or another parent thinking why in the hell I thought I should bring my kid to daycare when they’re clearly sick in some capacity.

No, to answer their question I don’t want my kid to get other kids sick, of course not. But honestly, who’s to say it didn’t come from your kid to begin with? It’s a shit show in there! And the struggle is real…The dichotomy of not wanting my kid to get other kids sick and the pressure to get back to work. Literally at least once every two weeks one of my kids has something dribbling out of their nose or squirting out their butts, it’s insane. I’m lucky in that I am self employed and if I need to rearrange my day I can. The other side of that though is if I’m not there, no ones making money. No sales are happening, the buck stops with me.

My millennial non-parent employee looks at me like, this can’t be happening again?! Oh but it can, just you wait. Or don’t!

I just don’t know how people with really rigid policies at work get through all of their kids’ illnesses. I would really like to know what happens when perhaps several times a month during the winter your kids are sick and you have to stay home with them? How does your family handle it? How does your employer handle it? Let’s discuss! xo Kristin