Who is expected to take days off to look after sick children?

WestonDave

Dependants leave is normally unpaid - in general when we both worked I used to take the day off if it was her working day as my employers were generally more understanding, plus if it was more than a 24 hour bug my OH would end up dealing with the other days (her non working ones) anyway. Now she works flexible hours from home I'd probably only need to take time off if she was unwell and my parents (who live across town) were unable to help out particularly now the kids are both either in or nearly in school so the childcare hours are more limited. The chances of her and a child being unwell for a prolonged period is not that great so we should be OK.

LillythePink

It's normally me, however, now my parents are in a wing of our house and my mum doesn't work, it's now her!

If dd needs picking up from school, then OH usually does this as it's easier for him to leave work for 30 mins to do it, however, if my parents are away then I will stay off from work as I can work from home or will work part time from home then make my hours up by going back into work in the evening.

Luckily my boss is understanding and flexible - he has kids so knows what it can be like!

JodyBPM

I only work 2 days a week, so mainly I am at home anyway.

For sickeness that comes on overnight and is not apparent til the morning, it would tend to be me, as DH leaves earlier than me in the morning, often before the children are up and it becomes apparent that they need to stay home.

DH has 5 days PAID dependants leave, where as my dependants leave is unpaid, so if I want to get paid I have to take annual leave, so normally if we know the night before DH would take leave, and I would go to work - the same for a second day if necessary.

We are flexible though, if DH has an important meeting planned etc, then I would take the day off as leave and he would go into work. We just work it out between us. It helps that we both have access to our work emails/calendar from home so we can check our diaries, and also keep in touch with work from home.

Fortunately it doesn't happen often due to my 2 day weeks, and both of our employers are very sympathetic:)

jcr16

i don't work, so i'm always home if the children are ill. but if i'm ill then hubby will either take the day off and be with us, or he will go to work later and come home earlier. he is happy to juggle the day if he needs to. Quite often when i've been ill and the children are well. he sorts it out with my mum, and he will see to the children in morning and get them to school ( breakfast club) then he not late for work. and he will arrange for my mum to collect them at 3 and have them for an hour, then hubby is home.

Sometimes it can feel like a juggling act, but when your ill your ill. and fortunatly i'm not i'll too often. however hubby keeps going and going, but then when he is ill, he is really ill. and often is out of action for a couple of week's.

i not sure if hubby looses money or not , but i know when it comes to his work and children as long as he don't take the p**s and he is prepapred to help them out, they are will to help him out.

onlyroz

Whoever has the most annual leave left. This is usually hubby, because he gets 27 days and I get 23.

balletshoes

polejunkie wrote: »

The mums or the dads?

How do couples who both work sort out this argument?

both in our household, basically whichever of us would be missed least at work, would be the one to stay home with our DD. I (Mum) am the first point of contact in an emergency though, so on the rare occasion that DD has been ill at school, I've always left work and gone to collect her.

moomoomama27

I only work paart time, so it isn't usually a problem! On the days I work my husband takes days off if they are ill as he can work from home in this situation.

Js_Other_Half

We work round it, depending on who has got what on at work. As mentioned earlier sometimes we have each worked half a day and swapped at lunchtime. There is of course the time honoured method of giving Nurofen at 7.30, putting DS into nursery at 8, then getting everything in work sorted for when nursery call at 2pm...

(Disclaimer, not if DS is really poorly!)

rachbc

I get 5 days paid sick dependants leave - so I take that unless I have something that just can't be changed. Once i have used those days OH work from home or takes flexi

kathy206

DH was SAHD for last 4 years until DS2 went to preschool, so he did it,he can cope with most childhood stuff, unless they are REALLY ill (I am a nurse practitioner). Before DS2 was born we both worked but OH worked opposite me so. Now DH works his shifts around mine so it's whoever is off on that day.