Sick teenager / working parents

[unknownrebelbang]

If you're a working parent, and you have a teenager who is too ill to go to school, do you/would you leave them on their own whilst you went to work?

No. Not unless they were only minorly unwell.

Yes. Left ds last Thurs and Fri as he had a tummy bug. He's 13. Slept most of the time. I'm only out of the house 9till 3, though and he had his mobile to call me if any prob.

I'm going to. I start work next week and DD is 12 nearly 13. Like MC, I'll only be at work from 9-3 and I'm only 10 mins away, so I can come home at lunch time. DH works all over the place and is rarely out for more than a couple of hours at a time, so I think I'm just going to 'wing' it! I'll let the neighbours know she's indoors and keep an eye if necessary too.

Its something I forgot to consider, when I applied for a job! Like you say CAT, just when you think its getting easier! I start my new job on 21st April and dd has an inset day a week later! That's worse in some respects, because she won't want to be stuck in doors all day!

Thanks for your replies.

DS1 was ill yesterday (and today), and I did leave him at home, but wondered what other parents did, as it was the first time (potentially) that he would be left for the whole day (well 9-3) whilst poorly.

TBH DS1 was in bed all day, and he wasn't bothered whether we were there or not (he's always been very independent). Not sure I could do with same with DS2/DS3 at the same age. Very much depends on their personality as well.

DH did pop home mid-morning and finished work early, and today, I've popped into work mainly to sort out some work for over the weekend (which helps me in the long-run) and was back home mid-morning.

DS1 can be left at home on inset days, as I just arrange to work a shorter day if I can't get the day off, but that's easier (for me) to plan because I know when they are, and I work pt and have flexi-time. It was just a bad day yesterday with deadlines and things. (goes without saying if he needed me at home I would have stayed at home, my boss/colleagues are very good about family matters).

I usually leave mine rebel. Luckily it's a rare day that dh and I both have full days to do on the same day IYSWIM, so usually the longest they were left was half a day.

It's hard though isn't it? dd has an appalling attendance record. I don't generally like to leave her TBH but my mum moved closer to us last year and is only a few streets away now so it is a bit easier.

Thank the Lord for understanding employers that's what I say!

Yes, I would leave them - but then I have an aupair in the house (not technically looking after my teens though), and DH could easily pop in at lunchtime.

ooh an au pair would be wonderful, wouldn't it?

Yes, Saggars, my understanding manager is what has kept me working all these years, unlike some of the others around.

Not sure I'm looking forward to his pending retirement.

Yes, I have left my daughters (8am to 3.30), but have generally asked my mum to pop in at lunchtime to check they're OK & help them get some food (if they're hungry)

Yes, I would, unless they were very ill (as in risk of turning delirious). Have left dd (11) for half a day.

I only work part-time, but when I do work it's virtually impossible to get time off, and dh often works out of time.

Oh God, this thread reminds me of that 15 year old a few years ago.

Left at home with a mild cold. When his parents got home from work, he was dead. Post Mortem revealed he had died from meninigitis................he must have become iller and iller during the day, and no one was there.

Not that I want to worry anyone! I always think of this when my ds 14 is ill

Really Fizzbuzz?

Yep, clearly rememeber it on the news

Any of mine have to be really ill to be allowed to stay off at all, so I have taken days off work for them.

He had been throwing up ww, so unable to go to school whether he vomited again, or just the once.

TBH, my work is pretty flexible, but this was one of those rare occasions where it would have been really difficult for me to take the morning off, so if need be DH would have taken the day off, but the day itself worked as DH called home to see him, he had a mobile with him, and DH then finished work as early as possible.

That's really sad fizzbuzz, meningitis is such a frightening illness.

we've done that before sally, when DH has been on nights.

DS1 was asleep for most of the morning.

Fizzbuz's story is scary but tbh the same thing happens with university students- and we've still got to let them be on their own. If he'd been 3 years older it would have made no difference to the meningitis. A 15 yo would not be more at risk than an 18yo iyswim. The best you can do is to warn them about the symptoms and make sure there is a phone by their bedside.

To my mind this is different from not leaving small children alone because of the particular dangers that arise from them being children.

fizzbuzz that sounds exactly what happened to Michael Rosen's 18 year old son - except of course that they were in the house at the time. He went to sleep, didn't wake up & was found to have died meningococcal meningitis. Sounds like scare mongering to me.