I don’t know about you, but in my household, the minute our daughter gets sick my husband and I pull out our boxing gloves. It isn’t something I am proud of, but it is the reality we face on what feels like a monthly basis and it can get rough.
Typically one of us will realize that our toddler is running a fever and at that point, a 24 hour time out is mandated by daycare. So now we get ready to rumble: who is staying home from work with Katherine?? In this corner is Lisa K., a stressed out full time working mom, weighing in 20 pounds more than I should, with a propensity to hit below the belt. In the other corner is my husband, a heavy weight contender with a booming voice and a short Polish temper!
This should be a good bout. It’s December; the holiday rush is upon us and the end of the year is never a good time at work. Our eyes meet, we size each other up and slowly start to bob and weave around the nursery like two prize fighters ready to duke it out.
I throw the first punch and let hubby know that I have four conferences before lunch. Bam! He comes back with a 10am meeting with his boss – it’s a quick one-two punch. I can recover quickly, because I stayed home last time our child was sick and it is HIS turn. Oh, but his meeting is high priority and he could lose an account if he is not there to defend his position!
Now voices are being raised and the judges are having a hard time keeping score. This particular match ended up in a draw. My hubby went to his 10am meeting while I took two conference calls from the kitchen. Then he did meet me at the pediatrician at 11:45 so we could do a toddler hand off, and I could head into work for the afternoon.
It is about compromise in the end and supporting each other through the good times and the bad, but the sick child tends to bring out the fighter me. It probably is the guilt I feel for not always being able to drop everything and care for my little girl. Sometimes I can stay home. Other times there are work commitments that can’t be missed. It’s a balance, and I am learning how to keep that balance day by day without fighting the ones I love in the process!
2 comments
Oh, I know this fight! I’ve won and lost this battle several times. Four years into being a mom and two kids later, I’m still not sure how to find this balance even when my kids are healthy. Luckily, as your kid gets older, so does their immune system. Keep fighting, Lisa!
Well said! That’s a tough one. I’m the crazy stay at home, wait I mean, working mom with four kids and no office and the most bizarre hours ever. So I tend to lose every time!