to work from home with sick dcs.

[bedraggledmumoftwo]

Dd2(1) had a temp and was sent home from nursery on Tues afternoon. She was fine yesterday so sent back in, then Dd1(2.5) and dd2 both had a temp yesterday and both sent home in the afternoon. Mil collected both times, but FIL just came out of hospital and don't feel I can ask again. Nursery told MIL not to send them back until temps resolved(but neither had a temp yesterday morning!) so now I don't know what to do. I am down to work from home today. Would you
a) take kids to nursery a bit later (due to no commute) and explain they are both fine other than a cold and hope they don't send them home again and that I don't piss nursery off too much.
b) keep them home with me, put tv on and try and get as much done as possible, especially at naptime/bedtime.
c) phone boss and say need day off to look after dependents?

if it were d&v etc I would definitely keep them off, but i can't keep having them off with colds in case their temp rises later, can i?
help!!

Are they otherwise well in themselves? Ds1 particularly would get silly temperatures frequently with no other symptoms. We would dose him on calpol and then nurofen a couple of hours later (just before taking to nursery). This generally saw him through his nursery session. Nursery were fine with this if he was well in himself.

If he was otherwise unwell he didn't go in.

I'd see about taking them in a bit later maybe.

If you're working from home anyway, whilst you might not get as much done if they had to stay at home, it would be seen as better than asking for dependants leave. Imo it's one of the perks of being able to work from home. I always had to ask for time off (usually unpaid) if my dc were ill as working from home wasn't an option for me.

Could you phone your boss, explain the situation and say you're happy to work from home with slightly less productivity or would they rather you took it off to look after DCs? If I was your boss I'd appreciate the offer to try to work round sick DCs and wouldn't expect usual amount of work done.

I suggest a combination of b& c: call your boss and tell him that your productivity will be significantly reduced due to child being ill. Your boss cannot turn you down if your kid is sick, so you can take a sick day, so any work you can complete is an added bonus.

Sorry, just realised my thread had double posted, have reported it.

I am a bit loathe to tell my boss unless I am really unable to work, as it is only my second week back after mat leave and I left early the last two nights to get them so don't want to seem unreliable although it seems that as a mother I am! I will definitely be able to make up the work, as I already did two hours this morning after dd2's 5am wake up call, and before they got up. Between nap time, bedtime and whatever I get done in between I should be in credit, even if it doesn't always have my undivided attention!

Call your boss and explain the situation if it's that sort of company. Its perfectly acceptable at the place I work.

If they're ok to mostly lie around, watch tv and sleep then just get on with your day and try to do as much work as you can, don't worry your boss with it.

Where is their Dad? Why can't he look after them if you have already had to leave early this week?
My husband and I split looking after sick children 50:50. (Although I am better at it...)

My husband works away and stays in a hotel during the week so is a couple of hundred miles away. He did say he would try and rearrange things for tomorrow if they are still ill. not that they are still ill now, other than a cold