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The Editor's Desk - From Beneath the Clutter
Feature Article - Working at Home with Sick Kids
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Here it is, Super Tuesday in the United States. I'll be heading out to vote later today.
Hauling along one slightly sick little boy. Nothing too bad, but enough to inspire this week's article. It's just a little more tiring to work with a sick child to care for, especially one who clings so much under normal circumstances. Gets worse when he's sick. But at least I can be there for him.
Being able to be there for your kids is one of the big advantages to working from home. But it also falls into one of the challenges.
This is something I had to deal with just the other day. My youngest, not yet of school age, was just dealing with a bad cold. Just the kind of thing to make him cranky and clingy.
Obviously this made working quite a bit harder.
Just as with jobs outside the home, sometimes it's necessary to take a sick day yourself to deal with a sick child. This isn't always the case, as sometimes sick kids sleep so much that you can get tons done, and still be there for the comforting they need when awake. And of course older children probably won't be so clingy as younger ones.
If your work is flexible enough, dealing with a sick child who really needs you doesn't have to require that you take the entire day off. It may simply mean that you shift your usual working hours to after their bedtime.
Then again, if you're like me, you're working those hours anyhow. The peace and quiet of working when everyone else is asleep can be a major relief.
When the kids are sick it becomes more important than usual to remember why it is you chose to work at home in the first place. It probably related to wanting to be there for your kids. And no matter how much you love the work you do at home, you need to keep in mind that being there for your child is more important.
But what about deadlines?
Taking time off for a sick child is really hard to face when you have a deadline to meet. If it's just not going to be possible, you may have to call your client or employer and explain why you can't meet that deadline. While not all will want to respect that, it's something you need to be firm about. Don't let them guilt you into something that isn't really all that important.
Try to keep it as professional as possible. You can explain about having a sick child, but it's rarely good form to go into too much detail.
When I really have to work, I've found that being lax on the rules on how long the television is watched really helps. Too much television on a regular basis isn't good for kids, but when they're sick it's a nice way to keep their minds off things. It also improves the chance that they'll just fall asleep in the middle of the day.
And of course, if your spouse works outside the home, talk about taking turns taking time off for sick children. You need to treat the work you do from home as seriously as any other employment, especially if you work full time at it. This won't work in all situations, but when it's possible you should give it a try.
And of course, hope that you don't get sick too. Taking time to care for a sick child may expose you to the germs, but it can also be a time to think more about your health, maybe remember those vitamins and eating a little better. You don't want to be next.
Stephanie Foster is the owner of Home with the Kids, a resource that knows that there's more to staying home with your family than just business. For more stay at home tips, visit the site at http://www.homewiththekids.com/ and subscribe to the free newsletter.
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