I hate sick days. I don’t take a sick day unless I am really sick. So sick that I can’t leave the bathroom sick. Ok, that may have been too much info, but you get the point! Today, I took a sick day. Part of me feels bad, but only part. I feel great. I slept in a little, I’m still in my pj’s, and I haven’t really done anything yet!
Alright, I’m not the sick one. My daughter is. Kind of. She has pink eye so she can’t go back to school until she’s been on eye drops for 24hrs. I didn’t really want to take today off, but someone had to stay home! I’m kinda liking these kind of sick days. No one is throwing up, no one is lying on the couch whining, no one is going to die. She’s just contagious! Who would have thought I’d be happy with that?! The only struggle I’ll have today is getting the eye drops actually in her eye! If I don’t have to hold her down it will be a great day.
Do you ever just take a sick day to play hookie or do you have to be on your death bed? I think we had this as a question of the day awhile back, but since I can’t do too much today I thought I’d revisit this. Share your stories whether it’s about yourself or your kids or anyone else for that matter!
Us Girls..Our Views 
Nah… I figure my boss (me) will catch me out! So no sick days allowed dang it!
That definitely sounds like the best kind of sick day, Sue!
When I was in school I used to stay home whenever I felt even a little bad – mostly cause I knew it wasn’t a big deal missing school and I didn’t love school.
Now that I actually have a steady job… well, money is a better incentive than boring teachers are, so I haven’t yet taken one sick day.
However, apparently I’ll lose all my sick-day hours in December, when the year ends, and start gaining them again from there – so I’m thinking about taking a couple sick days just for fun sometime before then!
What’s a sick day?
I was pulled for speeding by the Highway Patrol when I had pink eye. The Trooper took one look at me and told me to slow down and left. lol
I wish I still had sick days – often, I get sick and have to attend to both my children and my sick self.
I do remember the worst sick day I ever had – my daughter had caught hand, mouth, and foot disease (for the second!!! time), and I had caught it too. She was in base daycare and I still worked at the agency, and Tim was stationed in San Diego. I couldn’t walk, couldn’t hold anything, really couldn’t swallow without severe pain. I had it worse than Sophie. I only got one day off due to something I was working on (I wasn’t contagious at that point), and I spent that day curled up on the couch with Sophie. The next day at work wasn’t much better – in fact, it took a week before I could type without my fingertips feeling like needles were stuck in them!
I used to be a die-hard must-be-half-dead sick day taker. Now that I work from home I tend to be more relaxed about time off.
I found out from co-workers that my daughter choose an excellent day to get sick b/c nothing went right and we got a surprise visit from JCAHO. (Kind of like the Dept of Health, but MUCH tougher!)
I have never been one to take my sick days. I was in a 7-car accident and could hardly move, went to urgent care that evening, and reported for work the next morning, but that week I only worked 8-hour days (I also had a bad cold), so that was kind of a break . . . . I did take a day off when I had an extremely bad muscle spasm in my neck and was unable to stand upright. I have taken a few other sick days over my nearly 30-year career.
Now that I work at home and live with my business partners, there is no such thing as a day off. Doesn’t matter if it’s Sunday, Thanksgiving, Nanny’s day off, or a day when my kids and I are all sick as dogs. If I can drag my butt down to feed my kids and get to the bathroom, I can sit at my computer and solve the latest work emergency. The exception is those few days a year when my kids and I overnight it at my parents’ house.
I do sneak in a nap here and there when I theoretically should be working.
These days my sick days are usually reserved for my kids. I very rarely take a sick day for me unless there’s a body fluid involved.
Typically though, each year my husband and I will each call in sick on our anniversary and take the day together while the kids are in daycare. Although, last year my hubby wasn’t able to take the day…
I never really used sick days as sick days for myself. I was lucky, my job really only “required” me to be there for the lunch hours. All the other jobs I had at school could be done beforehand or the day after. Nothing but lunch was crucial and it wouldn’t matter if I went home early or came in late.
Given that said, I really don’t get “sick” sick. I’m not sure what other people consider sick but to me, unless I’m laying on the bathroom floor and can’t get up, I’d just say I didn’t feel up to par. I have not had that “laying on bathroom floor” sickness in almost 10 years. I find a cold or a sore throat or stiff neck, not to be considered “sick.” When I left the school district after being there for almost 15 years, I could have stayed home for 4 years on the sick time I’d accumulated (which I lost). If the kids were sick, my husband used to come home and be with them for those two hours. Once they got a little older, I’m leave them home for two hours.
But I did take a week of sick time each Feb when we’d take our annual trip to Lutsen. We went up there each year and the kids skied and we snow-shoed. But I never told anyone I was sick. I also had to find my own sub if I couldn’t go to work and that was a job in itself so I just went in unless I really couldn’t which was almost never.
Why is it so many people get so much sick time? Is it the unions or what? I think I got something like two a month. Does anyone really get sick that often?? I can’t even imagine that.
Well first of all I’m sad that Trinity has pink eye, that’s no fun!! But seeing that I work in my home, the only time I take a sick day is when I’m bed ridden. If it’s contagious I don’t take kids. If it’s just a cold though, with the parents knowing, I will take them. I’ve been very lucky with the kids I have gotten, they are well behaved. I think it’s great that you took a sick day when you aren’t sick, granted Trin is kinda. Everyone needs a little down time, a little break once in awhile. You deserve it!!! Tell Trin I love her and we hope she feels better soon.
Yea I’m not sure Joy, Jason is like you and never takes sick days when he’s sick. Come December he’ll be at his job for 5 years and gets 2 weeks vacation. And we’re actually going to use it for a vacation!! Well one week anyway, I think we’re going to Taylors Falls, and their water park during Memorial weekend. Just the 3 of us!!
I’m glad you’re making the most of it and having a good day Sue!! I’m sure Trinity is happy to miss a day too! I hope she feels okay, I have never had that and don’t know if it hurts or what?
Joy, that is so fortunate and great you have been healthy that long! STRESS is the number one reason people get sick, so you must be pretty stress free and relaxed. I think you are a laid back person and that has a lot to do with it. Spiritual masters believe that humans are capable of never getting sick, but we do because we let negative energy-stress- affect us.
Those sick days at work are there for many reasons, including sick kids. Kids get sick more often than adults of coarse. Their immune systems are growing. Sick days are for funerals, accidents, or if you just feel exhausted or have a bad cold.
I use to feel guilty for taking sick days too, but that is what they are there for. I did play hookie sometimes when I worked as a cashier and as an admissions specialist at the hospital. Always felt guilt if I did that! But I needed it when I did.
I think all boss’ should be like the ones I had at Abbott Hospital. They were so understanding and compassionate and sincerely concerned about your well being. I came in with a UTI one day, if you’ve had one you know what I am talking about when I say it can be very painful!! I was hurting for awhile till the meds kicked in, and my supervisor asked if I was sure I wanted to stay at work. She said, “you could have stayed home and taken a sick day!”
Joy, one thing to keep in mind is how quickly that sick time can go…and if you’re working a 10 month or 12 month calendar can make a big difference…you’ve got 2 more months that either a family member or yourself could become ill. It seems each year we still have people that apply to the ‘sick bank’, the pool that we all donate a sick day to that helps those caught without time. All it takes is a bad year to use up your time. I can remember all too well the reading teacher in my old school that after returning from maternity leave and having used up all her time she fell on the stairs carrying her baby and broke her leg and was out another 6 weeks with no more days left.
Last year was the first year I rolled over sick time in the 5 years I worked for my employer. The reason plain and simple was back to back pregnancies. Our maternity leave comes out of our sick days so all of my days were used up for two years in a row which included my drs appointments while pregnant. Once our sick days are used they take our vacation days, and then they start docking our paycheck. There’s really no incentive unless you can afford to, to stay home longer than the six weeks. The third year my days were given to the two infants I had and all the well-child visits back and forth for each one, or cases like Sue’s where one kid would be sent home with pink eye or some other ailment and two days later the other kiddo would get it…Finally last year in my fourth year I rolled over sick days. I was so excited! I do receive vacation days as well since I work year-round in my school, unlike the other people who follow the 10-month school calendar. However I typically reserve my vacation days for when daycare is closed. If I don’t use all of my vacation days at the end of the year then I’ll lose them, so I’ll often try to save my time for June when the weather is nice and the teachers go on vacation. It seems to be a good time for me to sneak a few days vacation in before the July 1 deadline (even if it pours rain like last year!)
With that said though, I really can’t complain. I do receive these days with pay. I remember all too well the days when calling in sick also meant giving up a days worth of pay…..that hurts…