Tried working from home today while my 18mo had a fever. Got maybe 45 minutes of actual work done in an 8-hour day. My boss kept messaging asking about the project. Had to finally just tell him I was dealing with a sick kid and couldn't focus. He seemed annoyed? I don't get it. What am I supposed to do, ignore my kid because he's home sick?? Vent over.
This is the WFH lie nobody talks about. You can either be a good parent or a productive employee but not both when there's a sick toddler involved. Something has to give.
The guilt of not being productive AND not being fully present with the sick kid is the worst. You're basically failing at two things at once. Did your boss chill once you told him or was he still expecting stuff?
18mo with fever while trying to work is basically impossible. Your boss messaging about the project while that's happening is tone-deaf. You did the right thing telling him.
My wife and I finally divided sick days. She takes Monday/Wednesday, I take Tuesday/Thursday, that way we're not both pretending to work while one kid melts down. Doesn't fix the boss problem but at least one of you can actually focus.
18mo with a fever is next level hard. They need constant attention and you can't just put them in front of a screen guilt-free like with older kids. I feel this in my soul. Did the fever come down at least?
The messaging thing would drive me insane. I'd be tempted to respond 'she just threw up on me again, will send update when she stops screaming' just to make it real for him lol
Real question: what does your company actually expect? Some places get it, some places expect you to magically be two places at once. If he kept pushing about work while your kid had a fever, that's a them problem.
Yeah the 45 minutes is actually generous. I WFH regularly and when my kid is sick it's basically a write-off day. I've started just telling my boss upfront 'not gonna be productive today' instead of pretending. Saves the awkward messages.
This is exactly why I negotiated with my company to have 2 'sick kid' days a month where I'm just completely offline. Game changer. Your boss needs to understand that sick toddler = you are now a full-time parent that day, nothing else.
lol 45 minutes of actual work in 8 hours is pretty generous. Honestly I'd have gotten like 15. Sick toddler is legitimately impossible. Your boss should understand that's just how it works.
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This is why I stopped trying to work from home when kids are sick. Just take the day off. You're not working, you're managing a sick toddler poorly while your job suffers. Own it.