Sick days in reserve are like gold to parents who work outside the home. Both my husband Joe and I are lucky to work in offices that are family-friendly and also provide a decent allotment of sick days. Still, with two children who have been passing viruses back and forth all winter, and a few snow days that closed daycare, both of us have missed a chunk of time at the office already this year.
Every time Lucy or Isaac spikes a fever, we parents have to begin the latest round of “Whose Turn Is It Anyway?” where we flip back through our mental calendars and try to remember which one of us was the last one to have taken a day off from work to stay home with a sick kid. We do our best to keep things even, alternating days whenever it’s practical. For instance, my workplace offered liberal leave during one of the days daycare was closed this winter, and while it wasn’t technically my turn to stay home, it made the most sense for me to be the parent to cover the day.
That meant that when Isaac, our 8-month-old, came down with the latest thing this week, Joe was the attending parent while I headed downtown to work. I have to admit I was more than a little jealous when Joe told me about his two and a half-hour morning co-nap with Ike. As much as I feel guilty about missing work, I have to say that I love being able to be home making my children feel better when they’re not well, keeping them company on the couch while they sit in my lap. But of course there’s no need to be envious. It’s only a matter of time before it’s my turn to stay home again.
