To think you don’t need to stay home to look after a 15 year old?

[sleepysimbaa]

Colleague was suppose to be in the office yesterday as we had a presentation to give. Their excuse was their child isn’t well and said child is 15.

They made a joke today that said child asked if their friend could come over as they weren’t feeling well either.

(child doesn’t have additional needs)

I woud have left my 15 year old home alone but would have kept checking in to see how they were.

Did they say what was wrong with the child?

Depends how ill they were.

I would also leave my 15 year old but do you know what was wrong with them? Maybe there was a reason they didn’t want to leave them.

Cold type sickness.

I presume they used their sick/annual leave allowance, so were entitled to have the day off?

I'd let it go - the 15 year old might be needy in a different way, unless there is a back story and this colleague is always calling for time off at the last minute.

No, of course they don't need looking after for a cold.

Yanbu

If anyone thinks they do, they are being deliberately contrarian

Depends on the teen, depends on the illness.

No that's ridiculous, unless said child was extremely unwell but then I'd be taking them to hospital if they were too unwell to be left alone at that age

If my 15yo was ill enough to stay home from school I'd be quite worried about them.

I'm very committed to my career but I'm past the stage where it comes first every single time. If things could be managed without me without a disaster, I'd have stayed home too.

One of my boss' favourite sayings is "go and be a mum".

If my 15 year old was ill enough to be off school he’d probably be ill enough that he’d need at least some care. I’d maybe leave for an hour or two but no longer. My DS15 recently had COVID and it floored him. I was quite worried about him at one point and did stay off for one day.

Oh, just a cold?
I'd have left them with some lemsip and a box of tissues but everyone's different.

Are you thinking colleague used it as an excuse to duck out of the presentation?

Officially. Maybe it was something else

This effects you ?? Why ?

exactly.

Up to his line manager to deal with the presentation, to know if he was working from home or had to take some dependence leave.

I would guess that the OP was lumbered with the presentation the colleague was supposed to do, or at least be involved with.

People are more understanding when there's an actual emergency.

Officially. Maybe it was something else- an abortion?

Officially. Maybe it was something else

I'd think this quite likely.

Nah. If colleague lumbered other staff, annoying.

I'd struggle a bit if it was my 15yo as they can't be left with paracetamol. A quick outing would be OK but a work day would be too long if they needed pain relief.

Depends on how bad the illness was but if the "joke" about a friend was a serious suggestion they weren't that bad.

You say no additional needs but how about underlying health conditions or general anxiety?

If they were drowsy, faint, losing lots of fluids I would want to keep an eye on them, or be close enough to get home quickly.

If my 15yo was ill enough to stay home from school I'd be quite worried about them

You'd be 'quite worried' about a 15-year-old with a nasty cold or a dose of the shits? Really?

Or are you saying you're one of those parents who sends your kid to school when they're ill so they can give their bug to everyone else in the class? I definitely think someone can be ill enough to stay at home feeling rotten without having anything that's remotely worrying.

I think the blunt truth here is that everyone will have a difference in opinion and that’s perfectly normal. Personally, I think it’s a piss poor excuse - at 15 a child should be able to manage a cold without their parents having to watch them. Doesn’t require more than a few lemsips, a box of tissues, some albas oil and a duvet day. However, reading others opinions it’s clear many would stay at home. I think it’s all dependent on the type of parent. To use it as an excuse to get out of work however isn’t acceptable but that’s not down to a bunch of internet strangers to comment on that’s down to the management of the organisation to resolve that as they see fit.

Just remember, own brand lemsips have the same ingredients in as branded versions but for a fraction of the price.

TheBluntTruth.

It depends on what is actually wrong and not what is presumed wrong with the child. I’ve taken the day off to look after an adult who needed monitoring, the only person in the office who knew the factual details was my employer, my colleagues didn’t need that information.