25 Oct 2006 12:16 AM

The Balancing Act.

I have missed two days of work and it is stressing me out. My son has been quite sick since saturday, so I have stayed at home with him to make sure he is getting the best care possible. Although I have a great sitter, as his mother I feel like it's my responsibility to be there for him. I'm the only one familiar enough with his little idiosyncricies to know when he is tired, hungry, in pain, etc. and when he's sick I want to be the one looking after him. It's not as though I skip work every time he coughs, he's had a fever of 102+ and infections in his ears and throat. Moreover, my sitter is also sick and, with three kids of her own to look after, I'm afraid it might be too much for her to take Ben. My problem is, I doubt my employer sees things this way. My attendance at work has not exactly been exemplary (in fact I've been disciplined for it........recently) and I'm afraid I may have gotten myself into trouble. I have never skipped work for "fun", but I have over-reacted to certain situations which did not, in hindsight, require me to take a day off. A couple of months ago I vowed to attend work no matter what and I've adhered to that (with the exception of a day I was late because I slept through my alarm like an idiot and was consequently suspended for a day). I've cancelled important appointments, gone to work with the flu, and worked in my good clothes (ruining them) all to make sure that I didn't miss any more work. However, my responsibilities toward my son are my highest priority. I don't regret or feel guilty for staying with him, but I'm really concerned about what I'll face when I go to work tomorrow. I am very fortunate to have the job that I do, but I don't want to comprimise my responsibilities as a parent in order to keep it. I think one of the most difficult things I have had to face as a single parent is finding the line between good parenting and looking after everything else that needs to be done. Case in point, the last couple of days. Should I have gone to work and left my son with the sitter in order to perform a duty vital to our success? Or am I justified in staying at home with him? It's tormenting me. Any thoughts?

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