As I mentioned briefly in a previous post, last September I returned back to work three days a week as a teacher.
I'll be honest the whole transition back to work was tough (but I'll leave that for another post). We cobble together childcare on those three days. One day hubby has Xander, another day my mum and then he goes to nursery one day a week, however one thing I didn't consider is what happens if you're ill AND what happens if your little one is ill OR the person who is suppose to be looking after your little one whilst you're at work?!
All of a sudden I've gone from a worker with a fairly good attendance record to someone in the past I would have complained about, problem being it's all utterly beyond your control. If you're child is ill then no one will look after them, you have little choice but to forfeit a day of work to care for them. Then conscious you've already taken time off work (and may need to again in the future), you then go into work ill ... And that makes you more ill. You can't win!!
I've recently had to take two weeks signed off work for being unwell, I simply had been Ill too long and ran myself into the ground. But how easy is it to recover with a toddler running around insisting on constant 24 hour entertaining! This is when I came to the realisation once you become a mother there's no such thing as sick days ... In fact sometimes work is viewed as having a rest!
So my question for you is: how do you deal with the daily grind of work alongside children? Who helps out when you or your little one is ill? How understanding are your work when you call in sick or call in to take a day off to look after your little ones?
Please leave comments below (and please do not leave explicit names of workplaces in your comments)
