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I admit I'm a total wuss when it comes to parents having to take time off work because the kids are sick. Not when they're throwing up or have a high fever... that's a no-brainer. I mean the common cold.
I watch 2 sisters - 7 and 4. They're just the type of people who get sick more often than others. I understand that. I'm one that (knock on wood) never gets sick. I've called parents saying I can't work TWO times in 18 years. Anyway, with school starting (we didn't go back till Sept 10th here) kids are bound to catch nasty stuff because they are being re-exposed after a summer off. So it's gonna happen, right? So the dad of these girls had Monday off and the girls stayed home. They come on Tuesday and the 4 yr old is coughing her head off. No fever, not much out of her nose but the occasional clear stuff. She blew her nose maybe twice that day. But the cough was nonstop. Then the 7 yr old tells me that the 4 yr old did not go to preschool Monday because she was sick. So Wednesday, they come and the cough is still bad, but now she's blowing her nose a lot more. It's still clear, and no fever. But the 7 yr old is now blowing her nose too.
Then today the 4 yr old is about the same, but the 7 yr old is coughing her head off, blowing her nose, and feels slightly warm. She's laying on the couch with a blanket and saying "I don't feel good, I want to go home". So I text the mom that her 4 yr old is about the same and I've done ok with separating her from the others, but now the 7 yr old is almost crying that she doesn't feel good and wants to go home. I'm asking if she wants me to send her to school. (I wouldn't send her if she were mine, but it's the mom's call. And also, that was my way of saying if she doesn't go to school, she goes home!) This was 8:20 and I said they leave at 8:40 to go to school. So at 8:30 the mom calls and has a down-in-the-dumps voice saying "is she really bad? are you sure?" I just repeated that the girl was on the couch with a blanket saying "I don't feel good I want to go home". I didn't give my opinion at all. Told her it's HER call, and said "do you want to talk to her?" (Sorry this is rambling on so much!!) So 7 yr old gets on the phone and I can't really hear what she says. Mom asks for me back and says, "well I guess I'll come and get them. I have 2 things I HAVE to get done and will be there by 9:00".
I said that worked out good because I have to leave about then to get my mom and take her to her hair appt. THEN... the mom says "well when will you be back? That might give me extra time to get my stuff done".
Um.... WHAT??? I'm not taking 2 sick girls to be with my 78 yr old mother and get HER sick! So I said "well, I don't want to expose my mom to it.." And she sorta muttered "omg, this ****s". Ok, so she may have meant it as an overall statement and not directed at me, but it made me feel guilty. I do like this family. The dad is in the Air Force Reserves, and I've really done everything I can to support them. I GET that she can't take too much time off work or she'll get fired. That's just how employers are these days. No sympathy for families with sick kids. And she has had to take off more than the average person because she just has the type of family who catches things easier than others. I get it. That's why I felt guilty. But I still have to do what's best for me and for the other kids. And for my mom! So she shows up at 8:45 and tells the girls they have to come back to work with her. She won't even LOOK at me when she comes in. Sheesh. I didn't make them sick!
Like I said, I get that it really ****s for her and I'm sure she was just frustrated at the situation and not necessarily ME, but I felt guilty! Oh, and I had told her also in the text that the almost 3-yr old I watch is going to Disneyland next week and the last thing I wanted to do was to have her sick when they go. I hope she understands. I shouldn't care whether she's mad at me or not, but I'm human and I do care!
Thanks for listening.
I watch 2 sisters - 7 and 4. They're just the type of people who get sick more often than others. I understand that. I'm one that (knock on wood) never gets sick. I've called parents saying I can't work TWO times in 18 years. Anyway, with school starting (we didn't go back till Sept 10th here) kids are bound to catch nasty stuff because they are being re-exposed after a summer off. So it's gonna happen, right? So the dad of these girls had Monday off and the girls stayed home. They come on Tuesday and the 4 yr old is coughing her head off. No fever, not much out of her nose but the occasional clear stuff. She blew her nose maybe twice that day. But the cough was nonstop. Then the 7 yr old tells me that the 4 yr old did not go to preschool Monday because she was sick. So Wednesday, they come and the cough is still bad, but now she's blowing her nose a lot more. It's still clear, and no fever. But the 7 yr old is now blowing her nose too.
Then today the 4 yr old is about the same, but the 7 yr old is coughing her head off, blowing her nose, and feels slightly warm. She's laying on the couch with a blanket and saying "I don't feel good, I want to go home". So I text the mom that her 4 yr old is about the same and I've done ok with separating her from the others, but now the 7 yr old is almost crying that she doesn't feel good and wants to go home. I'm asking if she wants me to send her to school. (I wouldn't send her if she were mine, but it's the mom's call. And also, that was my way of saying if she doesn't go to school, she goes home!) This was 8:20 and I said they leave at 8:40 to go to school. So at 8:30 the mom calls and has a down-in-the-dumps voice saying "is she really bad? are you sure?" I just repeated that the girl was on the couch with a blanket saying "I don't feel good I want to go home". I didn't give my opinion at all. Told her it's HER call, and said "do you want to talk to her?" (Sorry this is rambling on so much!!) So 7 yr old gets on the phone and I can't really hear what she says. Mom asks for me back and says, "well I guess I'll come and get them. I have 2 things I HAVE to get done and will be there by 9:00".
I said that worked out good because I have to leave about then to get my mom and take her to her hair appt. THEN... the mom says "well when will you be back? That might give me extra time to get my stuff done".
Um.... WHAT??? I'm not taking 2 sick girls to be with my 78 yr old mother and get HER sick! So I said "well, I don't want to expose my mom to it.." And she sorta muttered "omg, this ****s". Ok, so she may have meant it as an overall statement and not directed at me, but it made me feel guilty. I do like this family. The dad is in the Air Force Reserves, and I've really done everything I can to support them. I GET that she can't take too much time off work or she'll get fired. That's just how employers are these days. No sympathy for families with sick kids. And she has had to take off more than the average person because she just has the type of family who catches things easier than others. I get it. That's why I felt guilty. But I still have to do what's best for me and for the other kids. And for my mom! So she shows up at 8:45 and tells the girls they have to come back to work with her. She won't even LOOK at me when she comes in. Sheesh. I didn't make them sick! Like I said, I get that it really ****s for her and I'm sure she was just frustrated at the situation and not necessarily ME, but I felt guilty! Oh, and I had told her also in the text that the almost 3-yr old I watch is going to Disneyland next week and the last thing I wanted to do was to have her sick when they go. I hope she understands. I shouldn't care whether she's mad at me or not, but I'm human and I do care!
Thanks for listening.
Im only 21 for the second time around......
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