Your little way

This is such a tough one!!!

This dilemma landed right on my doorstep recently—on one of my work days, naturally. I had just recovered from two brutal weeks of fever, cough, and congestion (a lovely gift from some adorable babies at work). I finally started feeling human again and enjoyed a lovely Easter weekend with friends. Then I returned to work and—BOOM—back down with another fever. This time with the deluxe package: sore throat and cough.

To make matters worse, most of my colleagues were also off sick, so we had temp staff come in. Lovely people, but if you know babies, you know strangers are not their favourite. The little ones clung to me like Velcro all day, which was sweet, but so exhausting. By the time I got home, I was shattered—and of course, the cough and phlegm kept me up all night.

Just to add insult to injury, I decided to check my monthly payslip (why do we do this to ourselves when we’re already down?), and surprise: I hadn’t been paid for the two days I took off sick. And here I was, sick again. From work!

Then, the cherry on top: the next morning a lovely mum asked me, “How did my child seem yesterday? We spent the whole weekend at home because she was very poorly with a fever and sore throat.”
AAAAGGGHHHHH!

Let me just say—I LOVE MY JOB. Truly. But yes, I am feeling a little bit sorry for myself right now because it’s been non-stop illness. And this is the kicker: I got sick from work, couldn’t go to work, didn’t get paid by work, and then got sick again…from work.

When I first started this job, someone joked that we should get “danger money” for working with babies and all their germs. I laughed at the time, but now? Yep. Totally get it.

So… should we be keeping our kids home until they’re completely better?

I’m a working mother myself, I’ll be honest—I’ve sent my kids to nursery or school on more than one “borderline” occasion. I know the pressure. You’ve just returned from maternity leave, your little one is in Nursery, and within the first few weeks, they catch everything. And I mean everything. You start questioning why you’re paying all this money when they’re constantly getting sick or sent home. It’s maddening.

So—sorry for the ramble—but I genuinely want to know: How are you all doing it?
How do you juggle whether to send your child in or stay home? Do you have backup plans? Does the guilt ever get easier?

I’ve worked with so many mums who are completely torn—guilty for not being home, and guilty for not being at work. It’s exhausting trying to find the balance, and honestly, some days it feels like we can’t win.

If you’ve got advice, stories, or just want to vent— at your Little way we are all ears. Let’s support each other, because this working parent life is no joke.

Let me know how you’re managing xx