Nannies with young charges, do you go to work...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Honestly it's easier with infants. Put the infant in crib or outside of bathroom. Gets much harder with older kids. While you're chained to the toilet, they're tearing the house apart.

Yes! This is exactly what I am getting at - how on earth do you keep everyone and everything safe when you can't provide 100% supervision?

[Anonymous]

I'm not an MB, but I certainly wouldn't want a nanny who was vomiting and/or had horrible diarrhea anywhere near my children. You shouldn't feel bad about calling out. People get sick. If you were a teacher, daycare provider, nurse, bus driver, etc. you wouldn't be capable of working.

[Anonymous]

Thanks PP, and that's true. It just seems like a badge of honor for nannies to insist they've never taken a day off - I've only ever experienced that before when I lived in Asia, where you are definitively expected to go to work sick and everyone gets infected and stays sick and it was a nightmare. But in other fields (in the us) it seems obvious that people sometimes need a day off. Is this insistence that nannies always come to work a holdover from the history of domestic work (slavery) or what??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honestly it's easier with infants. Put the infant in crib or outside of bathroom. Gets much harder with older kids. While you're chained to the toilet, they're tearing the house apart.

Yes! This is exactly what I am getting at - how on earth do you keep everyone and everything safe when you can't provide 100% supervision?

Kids shouldn't need to be supervised 100% of the time (that doesn't mean you should leave them alone in the house, but you don't need eyes on them every second of the day.) Plus, if my nanny can't keep my normally well behaved and calm kids in that same state so they can sit and play a game or read while she is on the toilet then I will be looking for a new nanny.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honestly it's easier with infants. Put the infant in crib or outside of bathroom. Gets much harder with older kids. While you're chained to the toilet, they're tearing the house apart.

Yes! This is exactly what I am getting at - how on earth do you keep everyone and everything safe when you can't provide 100% supervision?

Kids shouldn't need to be supervised 100% of the time (that doesn't mean you should leave them alone in the house, but you don't need eyes on them every second of the day.) Plus, if my nanny can't keep my normally well behaved and calm kids in that same state so they can sit and play a game or read while she is on the toilet then I will be looking for a new nanny.

Great. Thanks for you input. As I said, these are 1.5 and 3.5 year old boys - they are absolutely not calm, cannot read, and cannot play games. But thanks for weighing in about your angel children whose nanny theoretically uses the toilet a few times a day. That is absolutely comparable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, I go to work. Did so at my previous, different job as well.

Ok. Great! I have some questions...

How did you get to work? I have a 40 min commute on the highway (no bathroom stops) and couldn't see how to do that. I can't even drive to the local pharmacy myself...

What did you do with children aged 1-4 while you were in the toilet? TV?

Were your employers not at all concerned you were contagious?

Did you not experience symptoms of dehydration (weakness, dizziness)? If yes, how did you safely carry small children up and down stairs when you couldn't trust your body?

Not trying to trick you or anything, legitimately wondering how one would do this!

I have some questions for you: How dehydrated and ill for how many days until your common sense judgement kicks in and you get to a doctor for medicine and a scope?

Don't post your crap on DCUM, go get your crap analyzed at the ER room or something, you are seriously ILL or a troll.

[Anonymous]

Uh, I'm good thanks. Called my Dr this morning, appt. tomorrow if needed for dehydration. Why is asking someone for logistical details trolling? I hate calling out from work and I would love to be someone who can say they never take sick days, I just don't see how that is possible for 9+ years. If someone has managed it I'm extremely curious as to how so I can aim for the same. Whether I hit the mark or not remains to be seen, but SOMETIMES people here have great ideas for navigating tricky situations. Since PP said she had, I asked for the HOW on the issues that led me to call out...if I could manage those issues, perhaps I could go to work even when I'm this ill.

[Anonymous]

You were right to stay home, there is no way you could have adequately cared for two young kids in your condition.

Don't tell me your bosses complained that you called out sick. They should understand that one component of being a human being is getting sick from time to time.

[Anonymous]

I view a few sick days a year (3 or so in an avg year) as normal. Up to 5 as being on the high end of normal on a yearly basis; more than 5 in a year (unless it's an unusual year) is a lot.

OP - obviously you're right to be home.

[Anonymous]

no sick days here. men have even less, and rarely go to the doctor for anything.

regardless, OP sounded critically sick and needed to go to the doctor to give samples, etc. am surprised she didn't need a colonoscopy the way her serious and awful, awful symptoms sounded.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, I go to work. Did so at my previous, different job as well.

Ok. Great! I have some questions...

How did you get to work? I have a 40 min commute on the highway (no bathroom stops) and couldn't see how to do that. I can't even drive to the local pharmacy myself...

What did you do with children aged 1-4 while you were in the toilet? TV?

Were your employers not at all concerned you were contagious?

Did you not experience symptoms of dehydration (weakness, dizziness)? If yes, how did you safely carry small children up and down stairs when you couldn't trust your body?

Not trying to trick you or anything, legitimately wondering how one would do this!

You want us to break down 30 years of learning to be an adult into a few sentences or paragraphs on the DCUM? I can't teach you all that. If you haven't learned it by now then I fear you are hopeless.

[Anonymous]

I don't work if I'm vomiting.

I can't do my job properly, plus I'd much rather puke in my own toilet.

[Anonymous]

Guess I'm hopeless then, since I have not figured out how to combine working with small children and involuntary fluid loss. Oh well! I think I'll manage to survive somehow.

My take-away here is that no, people - even nannies - do not go to work when they are this ill. That answers my question and puts me at ease. (PP, yes, they were a little miffed that I called out and I know the timing wasn't great but...dunno what else I could have done).

[Anonymous]

I've been lucky that I would always get sick towards the end of the week and typically take the Friday off or its around the holidays ! Great for work, but suck because it's my days off! My most recent family had a newborn and toddler, I would always get sick after them.. Family knew it, mom would be home everyday so it always worked out. Current family are doctors so it still works out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Guess I'm hopeless then, since I have not figured out how to combine working with small children and involuntary fluid loss. Oh well! I think I'll manage to survive somehow.

My take-away here is that no, people - even nannies - do not go to work when they are this ill. That answers my question and puts me at ease. (PP, yes, they were a little miffed that I called out and I know the timing wasn't great but...dunno what else I could have done).

Oh my God - seek help for your severe insecurity and obsessive-compulsive disorder, OP!

Not everyone gets whatever stomach bug/food poisoning that you had! I have never missed a day of work due to illness and I have also never had food-poisoning. I do go to work when I have a cold or the flu since my charges gave it to me/had it first.

Relax and seriously - get help for needing so much approval. Something is definitely wrong with you that has nothing to do with your bowels!