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From: pc@hplabsb.UUCP (Patricia Collins)
Newsgroups: net.kids,ho.childcare
Subject: Re: Working parents and sick kids
Message-ID: <2334@hplabsb.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 18-Jun-84 11:57:00 EDT
Article-I.D.: hplabsb.2334
Posted: Mon Jun 18 11:57:00 1984
Date-Received: Thu, 21-Jun-84 00:33:58 EDT
References: <243@iwu1c.UUCP>, <665@ariel.UUCP>
Organization: Hewlett Packard Labs, Palo Alto CA
Lines: 41


	I have been struggling with the sick child and career responsibility
problem for a year.  My husband and I have worked out a solution that neither
of us finds "perfect" but both of us finds acceptable.  It is based on a few
premises:
	1. A young child who is ill might be traumatized if left with strangers.
	2. It is neither "fair" to the sick child nor the daycare center 
	children to have a sick child among healthy children.  (And at our
	daycare center, there is a policy that clearly spells out that sick
	children may not return until they've been well for 24 hrs.)
	3. Our jobs often entail meetings or other activities where other
	people depend on our participation.
	4. Our working hours are more flexible than, for example, a school
	teacher's or secretary's.

	SO: When we wake up in the morning and find Adam has a 102o fever,
we know someone will be home AT LEAST that day and the next; probably 3 
days.  We figure out who can stay home when and make whatever phone calls
are necessary to rearrange commitments at work, then hope Adam will sleep
a lot so we can get some work done at home.  
	I have found it impossible to make up all of the hours I miss by
working at night and on weekends, although my husband manages to do that.
I have already used 5 flexible-time-off days out of my 15 for the year,
just taking care of our little boy.
	When children are kept in isolation, they aren't exposed to as 
many diseases, viruses, etc.  So, parents can make the decision to isolate
their young child and just go through the ~18 months of illnesses when
the child begins school.

						Patricia Collins

 BTW: I *would* like to request that those who have decided they must
share their moralistic diatribes kindly post them to net.holier-than-thou.
IF you have children and IF you have given up a career to stay home with
them full time, then please feel free to share your experiences as something
which works for you.  But please don't preach; and PLEASE don't tell those who 
are different from you that they are immoral/unethical/damned/inferior.
-- 

					Patricia
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