Returning from ML with sick kids - Help!

[Ohbuggermebugger]

I'm meant to be returning to work this week after 6 months ML but both children, 3 and 6 months are sick, both have stinking colds and this coughing virus that is doing the rounds. Nursery don't want a contagious 3 year old back until she's better, understandable, and both mine and DH mums are unwilling to look after 6 month old while she's so poorly, understandable again (also doesn't help they were both SAHM's so think I should be at home).

I've just emailed my boss and been honest and said both children are ill and can I delay coming back by a week.

Would you have done that or made up another excuse?

I know it looks terrible having to delay due to sic kids and I can imagine my boss will be rolling her eyes (she doesn't have any children).

Thanks everyone it's such a comfort to know I'm not the only one this has happened to. Little ones have been healthy the entire time I've been off up until now! Sods law.

Baby is really poorly now and we're just going to the doctors because her temp is almost 40. I'm actually glad I didn't go to work today, I would've ended up coming home anyway.

I will be having a chat with husband too and appreciate all the advice on that note too.

I do all the dd sick days. My work is flexible, my husbands isnt. I make him take time off to cover childminder holidays but thats 1 or 2 days a year. Fortunately dd not sick too often after the first year on nursery.

Other posters shpuld remember it isnt always easy to share these things out equally.

liquid I don't think anyone's saying it's always easy to be equal. But most of the time it is possible to have more balance than OP is describing. There are some people whose jobs make it genuinely impossible to share the child commitments, but there are a lot more where the partner is either choosing to prioritise their own work, or mistakenly believes themself to be indispensable at work. Mostly, in reality, they could take the odd day off with a sick child, without the world ending or them losing their job, even if it is not the norm in their workplace.