Don't you miss your children?

[25kilopumpkin]

Frequently asked above along with "but who's looking after them?" I work away often. Could do with some cleanish witty suggestions for a reply pls? Ta

"They're boys - I definately 'master' them"

I was asked this quite a lot when I had to travel overseas (max 2 nights away) - "but who is looking after your children?" I would reply very drily with raised eyebrows - "Their father of course." - seemed to do the trick!

I'm always far too busy at work to miss mine much. Generally hoping for lunch break by 3ish...

Crazy people.

I just say 'always' when asked that... agree with MissPB's comment - I've used this too with similar expression

'No'

"who?"

My favourite answer is...."Of course - don't you?" (especially if asked by a male with children, in fact the last one who asked me had 4 children of his own, including a young baby!).

I get asked the 'who is looking after ds' a lot when I travel (and I've been back travelling since he was 6 months and he is 5.5 now, so its not a new thing). I raise an eyebrow and say 'well, he does have a father you know'.

If asked if I miss him I usually just say 'of course, don't we all'

I get asked "When do you see your children?" as a conversation starter in the office, just at the end of the day usually - ouch! It upsets me as I would love to see them more but that's just the way it is for us as a family - the irony is that I have been asked this twice by HR who seem to be able to approve flexible working in their own teams but unable to encourage managers of other teams to agree the same!

"Who's looking after them?"

Look into the middle distance, say "SHIT!" and run off.

It's an opportunity to make yourself look like a super-keen and hardworking employee by saying 'Oh to be honest, when I'm at work I'm so focused on the task in hand I don't think about them! Of course I occasionally miss them for 5 minutes in the evening....'

I would Elderberry I think if it was someone higher up than me, what's weird is this is from peers - other mothers.

I mean, at the same level as me, too. Not just peers in also being mothers!

I used to work away from home. And it was a problem for my employer in a way it wasn't for them with the man in my department who did the same (and his kids and wife were on another continent whereas my kids and dh were just a couple of hours away).

Tethersend I love that! Hope someone tried that comment out on me so I can use it!

Just say "I love a hot cup of tea, don't you? I only get them at work"

i use it as an opportunity to explain just how lucky dd is to have a daddy who she gets proper one on one time with, so many children don't. Works especially well for male work aholics.