Full Time, All the Time
with Britt and Robyn
I'm Britt. I work full time as a mom, wife, blogger and salesperson with a fancy management title. And I'm Robyn. I work as a project manager and between corporate meetings manage to cook a home-made meal every day. This blog is about our experiences of juggling full-time work with family.
Check out our personal blogs:
Miss Britt and Who's the Boss?
As working parents, we think (and talk) a lot about what happens when our kids get sick.
We worry about having to call in - again. We worry about sending our kids to school with a runny nose. We worry about having to leave work early to pick up a child who seemed just fine when you put them on the bus that morning.
We set up contingency plans and give up vacation days if necessary to care for our sick kids. We are, as parents, constantly preparing ourselves for the possibility that our children might get sick in the middle of the work week.
But what about us?
Like many working people I know, my contingency plan involves handfuls of ibuprofen, a stash of out of date antibiotics, and a heavy dose of sucking it up. I think less about the possibility of infecting my co-workers and more about letting everyone down by calling in sick.
No blood, no foul. No vomit, no sick day.
Recently I found myself having to choose my own health over my job. I had what is described in polite company as an episode. In a nutshell, the culmination of stress and some unresolved health issues knocked me on my butt and into bed. I was incapable of showering, let alone performing at work.
Thank God I have a supportive boss. He not only picked up the slack for me by doing both of our jobs, but he reminded me over and over again that my value to the company far exceeded what could be accomplished in a few days. He sees me as a resource and a person and knows that it’s best for me, him and the company for me to be at the top of my game.
This has been a much needed reminder for me that it’s just as important for me to stay on top of my own health as it is for me to monitor my children. I’m not only a better wife and mother when I’m feeling good, but I’m a better employee.
Taking the time to have regular check ups and address concerns sooner rather than later may mean missing a few hours of work, but in the long run it’s better for everyone if I take the time to take care of myself.
Subscribe to blog via RSS
Amen!
Finn | May 6th, 2009 at 10:48 am
You are very lucky to have such a caring boss. That is a constant struggle for me with my current job. Honestly, I don’t think a mom (or dad) should have to feel guilty for calling in when she or her child is sick. Unfortunately, some employers aren’t so understanding!
Tracy | May 6th, 2009 at 11:09 am
Good point. I go through so many vacation and sick days taking care of my kid that there is never ‘time’ to take care of myself. That’s great you have such an understanding boss. Too bad a lot of working moms don’t (I do thank goodness but then, like you mentioned, I always feel guilty or burdensome by not coming in for whatever).
samantha jo campen | May 6th, 2009 at 1:55 pm
What I want to know is this:
When are we women going to get it through our thick skulls that if we don’t put ourselves (especially our health) first, we can’t take care of anyone or anything else?
Not picking on you, Britt, but on all of us.
I had a big breakdown in the summer of 2006, where I had to take FMLA, see a shrink 3 times a week, go on medication and relearn about balance. That’s because I didn’t take any sick time, mental health time, anything during my divorce.
Taking shortcuts bites you in the ass almost every time.
So now, I use my sick time when I need to. I take mental health days when I’m overstressed. I can do this because I have a great boss, and I produce a lot of top-quality work. She’s like your boss, seeing the big picture vs. the fact that I missed meeting A.
Lynn @ human, being | May 6th, 2009 at 5:45 pm
Our employee handbook clearly states sick days can be taken for the illness of a dependent family member. And this was a change over the past 5 years I’ve been here.
But it obviously isn’t ingrained in the culture if you have to remind your boss of the policy! Depending on my manager, some years “I” was sick a lot, versus the other years where the manager had no issue hearing I was out because my daughter was sick.
Mich | May 7th, 2009 at 12:22 pm
I’m very fortunate to work in an office where most of us have kids and most of us, men included, do “sick day” duty with the kids. It’s not uncommon for me to get a call from my boss that he’s got a sick kid at home and will be in late (so that his wife can take over for him)..
I learned a long time ago that neglecting yourself will as Lynn said, come back and bite you in the ass at some point. At this point in my life (I’m 54), I learned that NO JOB is worth destroying your health over. Now, in others’ defense, I know that there are, unfortunately, a lot of people for whom paid sick days simply don’t exist. So, regardless of the shape you’re in, you HAVE to go to work or you don’t get paid. That kind of situation is exactly WHY companies have to be required to provide paid sick leave. No person, male or female, married or not, kids or not, should have to put their health on the line simply to draw a paycheck.
JD | May 10th, 2009 at 6:28 am