Can’t go to work and headteacher unimpressed

[BrutusMcDogface]

I mean, I can’t blame him as it’s a ball ache for him but there’s no need to be rude, is there?! I had covid and my kids are getting it one at a time which will be two weeks off for me. Wtf can I do, though? Aibu? No I’m not!! Anyone else in this boat and being faced by a grumpy boss?

Are you the only adult at home?

What about the children's Father?

If you’re the only parent then no, there’s not much you can do about it. In what way was he rude?

Well what can you do? If there's no other option, and opportunities to off load a child with covid are slim, then just rise above the reaction from him. Yes, absolutely no need to be rude to you about something completely outside of your control.

If you’re a single parent then no, there’s absolutely nothing you can do about it. If you’re not, I can see why he might be upset that you’re not sharing care of your ill children with your partner.

My boss expects us to go in with covid. It's shit. The government have basically washed their hands of it and left it to a moral decision. I don't know what they expect people to do.

As long as the children's father is taking the same amount of time off, or you are a single parent, then no, there is nothing more you can do, and your boss is not reasonable.

If you have decided not to share the parental time off even though there is another parent on the scene, then that's a different scenario, as I am sure you understand.

My school has temporary partial closures because of staff absence. Nothing anyone can do about it, and I hope I am always sympathetic when the next person phones in, but I am on my knees with the stress of it.

@TheFallenMadonna

My school has temporary partial closures because of staff absence. Nothing anyone can do about it, and I hope I am always sympathetic when the next person phones in, but I am on my knees with the stress of it.

Same here.

I would feel awful if my reaction was causing upset to staff but my goodness, it is relentless.

Oh I’m sure it is, and I really don’t envy him at the moment. My husband works away

It is completely out of my control but I still feel like I’ve done something wrong and am in the doghouse.

It's awful isn't it! I have just had to phone in as our DD childminder has covid and closed! Noting I can do, luckily she seems sympathetic.
My partner is self employed and earns more in a day Than I do in a week!!!! It makes sense he works and I suffer the stress of calling in to work!

Why can't your husband take some time off and come back to help?

@Ginger1982

Why can't your husband take some time off and come back to help?

Really ?

Easier said than done .

My husband works away a lot. Often the other side of the world.

He also earns hourly what I earn in a week so no, I wouldn't be expecting him to come back. Not at all ..

"My husband works away"

Unless he's military on deployment or something similar I'm afraid that isn't good enough. If the children are sick enough/young enough to require a parent at home then the two of you should be splitting that equally between you. It is not fair on your colleagues, pupils and their families for you to take all the time off to avoid inconveniencing your DH's employer.

Unless he's military on deployment or something similar I'm afraid that isn't good enough.

😂

@londonmummy1966

"My husband works away"

Unless he's military on deployment or something similar I'm afraid that isn't good enough. If the children are sick enough/young enough to require a parent at home then the two of you should be splitting that equally between you. It is not fair on your colleagues, pupils and their families for you to take all the time off to avoid inconveniencing your DH's employer.

Give over.

My DH earns per week what I earn in a month. If it came down to me missing a day at work (hospital, clinical role, patients booked to see me) or him (IT, no commitments) it would almost always be me.

That’s because if I stopped working tomorrow, the impact on our finances would be negligible. If his (foreign not bound by U.K. employment law) employer decided he’d had enough time off and was putting him on notice; we would be stuffed.

Of course there's nothing you can do if you have no other childcare options.
But, (as gently as possible) if you are on your own because your husband works away, then you do need to have a system in place. What would happen if you were bedridden with something?
And- you say the kids are getting it one at a time- have you pre-emptively decided they're all going to get it so you've told the school you're talking two weeks? Who has Covid now? Surely you can't be sure everyone is going to get it?

@Ginger1982

Why can't your husband take some time off and come back to help?

My partner works offshore. Absolutely no way on earth would he be able to return for this.

@londonmummy1966

"My husband works away"

Unless he's military on deployment or something similar I'm afraid that isn't good enough. If the children are sick enough/young enough to require a parent at home then the two of you should be splitting that equally between you. It is not fair on your colleagues, pupils and their families for you to take all the time off to avoid inconveniencing your DH's employer.

Just laughing at this!

I realise that when some people say works away they might mean a few hours away by car, working a generic job, but really, don't people know that there are jobs where it can sometimes take over a week to get back due to various factors.

@TheFallenMadonna

it’s the same here. Also struggling with the cheery responses to the daily emails informing me that they are still positive and we have to cobble together a solution for another 48hrs. There is absolutely no supply available at anything less than 10days notice (which Covid doesn’t give you) and we’ve been slammed with infections amongst staff since Feb half term.

Why are you isolating?
I'd be annoyed too, it is completely unnecessary.
Unless you're ill enough to warrant being off with any other bug, you all go in!

You don't have to isolate anymore so of course he's pissed off. Send them to school if they're well.

@londonmummy1966

"My husband works away"

Unless he's military on deployment or something similar I'm afraid that isn't good enough. If the children are sick enough/young enough to require a parent at home then the two of you should be splitting that equally between you. It is not fair on your colleagues, pupils and their families for you to take all the time off to avoid inconveniencing your DH's employer.

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Some people really have no idea what they’re talking about!

My husband is currently working on a boat somewhere in the atlantic… not that easy to just pop home for childcare!

I'm in my last week of working at a school where the headteacher tried to insist I called in a member of staff who's small son had covid, because she thought the dad should take 50:50 responsibility. I had a ral disagreement with her, esp after the headteacher had been coming in with no mask and giving it to everyone in the first place (her family had it but she tested negative)... the whole team was off at the same time after she did this.

Anyway, cut a long story short, I didn't do it and I found another job instead and quit. No way did I want to work for someone who would ever make me feel like work was more important than my sick child if it ever came to them being ill.

Some people are just unkind.