As we pass Halloween and head into the holiday season, we also enter the “season of the sick”. This week our family was hit with the sick bug, which means the upheaval of any sort of stability or normalcy. Our days are filled with snot, extra fussy kids, interrupted sleep and grumpy tired adults. Today, we spent our Sunday resting, napping, and taking care of sick kids and adults. We missed church, watched way too much TV and didn’t get outside much. But that’s ok, it’s what our family needed!
Tomorrow is Monday. That means we have some tough decisions to make.
Do we send the kids to school or do we keep them home? If we keep them home, do we take a day of leave or try to work? Being a stay-at-home-work-from-home-mom has its perks, including, not having to find alternate care on sick days. However, trying to work from home when all four kids are home and sick, while I’m also sick, is a plate spinning game that feels like an Olympic sport.
I realize the “easy” answer is to take a day of sick leave and rest up. But let’s be real – the uncomfortable conversation with my boss and increased workload waiting for me on Tuesday makes the Olympic plate spinning sport seem like a better option. The fact that I feel pressure to work while sick says a lot about our work-life culture.
We still live in a world where working Moms are expected to work like we don’t have kids.
Even though I have three weeks of maternity leave remaining to use in lieu of sick days, I am met with irritation when I ask to use it. It is considered inconvenient to others when my children are sick, or I’m sick, and I must delay my deliverables by a day. There is also hesitation to let me use maternity leave days because it’s a type of leave not available to everyone. But not everyone had a baby recently either, so I’m not sure how to fix that disconnect. The same people that are irritated by me taking a day of leave also chant “family comes first”. So which is it?
To the stay-at-home-moms. I see you!
I see you when you are sick, but paid sick leave doesn’t exist for you. I see you when you are the primary caregiver and have to tough it out because your littles need you. I pray that you get the rest that you need.
To the working-moms. I see you!
I see the battle you wage between wanting to take a sick day but feeling like you have to push through because your job needs you. I see you when your kids are sick but you have to go to work and no one is available to help watch your kids. I pray that you get the rest you need too.
Mom life is hard and it’s double hard when sickness arrives at your doorstep. Know that you are awesome Mama, keep going, you got this!
