What do you do when the kids are sick ?

[LIZS]

Was due at a meeting an hour away today but dd not well, with stomach cramps, so have her at home and cancelled trip. Even if she'd gone into school I'd not have felt happy leaving her to go so far, anticipating a call. No family nearby.

What do you do in these circumstances ? I felt obliged to offer to do some time tomorrow, my supposed day off(assuming she's better). My job is part-time temporary so not sure what I 'm entitled to if anything.

im not exactly sure what the law is but at my last job i remember having a conversation with my boss about this subject, she was very understanding (she had just come back off mat leave) basically she thought that it was acceptable to take time off to look after sick children but in my organisation those hours had to be made up (not sure if this is the same everywhere). in fact she told me that if it wasnt serious and prob only going to last one day just to phone in sick myself so that way i would still get paid for it and not have to make up hours. (she figured that there was loads of people pulling sickies because of hangovers or not wanting to work nights/weekends so she didnt mind so much if it was for a valid reason, as long as i was honest and told her and it didnt happen often)

Hi! You should be intitled to have time off if your child is ill. We have something called the 'caring package'.

As it happens I am off too with poorly DS and I just take a days holiday.

If you are part-time temp it might be that you don't get paid for today, but you shouldn't feel obliged to make up your hours.

Don't feel bad about it.

I can take a few days of a year, with pay, for emergency dependent care - so could be DD, DH, a dependent relative... Have never had to take a holiday for DD being sick luckily.

If I was really struggling to take time off for her - like this year as I will have had so much time off on sick myself - then DH will have to take time out - he will be able to work from home instead. Failing that will have to try and rope in grandparents if they can come over - they live about 40 miles away, but near my work so can also drop off if necessary.

I take an unplanned holiday.

But I'm fortunate because I have a nanny who can cover most minor illnesses (anything that doesn't warrant a trip to the doctor, basically) and I can still go to work.

I am like eleusis minus the nanny. The idea is that I take unplanned holiday or DH takes unplanned holiday or DH works from home (if it is 6yo DS this is usually feasible but not fro 3yo DD). However 9 times out of 10 it ends up being me taking unplanned holiday.

This is an issue between DH and me and the reason why despite the fact that I only work Tues-Thurs, get bank holidays pro-rataed, and "bought" an extra weeks holiday I have only 2 days left to take before December whereas DH has 5. But the CM is on holiday at half term and DH has a two day meeting on the Tues/Weds and I have arrangements for the Thursday (friend/holiday club) which means he can't cover any of the days. I am thinking of seeing if I can arrange to work the Monday and he can have a rare day with DS and DD (who would otherwise be in nursery).

Would have to take a days holiday and although employer very understanding on the surface, suspect that this would not be the case if it happened too often. I'm afraid to say I often just mop up the dcs' noses and send them into school/nursery anyway as we could not survive otherwise.

I just call in sick. I suspect as far as HR are concerned it is me that is ill, but my boss always knows (it doesn't happen often). In practice that does mean I catch up on evenings/weekends/days off as the essential stuff still needs to be done. If it is DS that is ill (old enough that he can be left snuggled on sofa in front of DVDs) then either I or occasionally DH will work from home, which we often do anyway.

If you work for Camden and you are not a teacher, you are entitled to 5 days of paid 'sickness dependency'. If you are a teacher, it is 3 days.

(Not much help for you but thought you might be interested)

I was off Thurs and Mon (I don't work Fri's anyway) with poorly DD. I took the Thurs as last minute annual leave and yesterday will be taken as 'parental leave' which is unpaid.