Over the past month I have had a cold, then Mr. B. had a cold, then Lara got a horrid vomit virus which scared the hell out of us, followed by a horrendous cold. Finally, last week I caught the dreaded virus off her. It has been one thing after another.
In the olden days (pre-Lara), if I were ill, I'd take a day, maybe two, off work; curl up in bed and get myself better. These days I just can't do that. In the past year since returning to work after maternity leave, I have taken 1.5 days off work due to illness and another 0.5 due to Lara's illness. Even this makes me feel guilty.
But it's not the guilt or disappointment of missing work that bothers me, it is the fact that, even when I am so ill that I can't face a day in the office, I still have to be a mummy. There isn't any option not to be a mummy. You can't take a day off motherhood. So, at 7am I drag myself out of bed to get Lara up, dressed and fed before Mr. B. takes her to the childminder and then again in the evening I snuggle up with her on the sofa while Mr. B. makes the dinner.
Last week I was so ill that I simply couldn't do the snuggling bit. I couldn't get out of bed, and when I did (several times in the night to deal with a snotty daughter) I felt rough as... It is a helpless feeling of total inadequacy so I am thankful that I have a lovely, helpful husband who can take over, and some fabby parents who can step in too.
All this raises the question though, do you have the time to be ill?
In the olden days (pre-Lara), if I were ill, I'd take a day, maybe two, off work; curl up in bed and get myself better. These days I just can't do that. In the past year since returning to work after maternity leave, I have taken 1.5 days off work due to illness and another 0.5 due to Lara's illness. Even this makes me feel guilty.
But it's not the guilt or disappointment of missing work that bothers me, it is the fact that, even when I am so ill that I can't face a day in the office, I still have to be a mummy. There isn't any option not to be a mummy. You can't take a day off motherhood. So, at 7am I drag myself out of bed to get Lara up, dressed and fed before Mr. B. takes her to the childminder and then again in the evening I snuggle up with her on the sofa while Mr. B. makes the dinner.
Last week I was so ill that I simply couldn't do the snuggling bit. I couldn't get out of bed, and when I did (several times in the night to deal with a snotty daughter) I felt rough as... It is a helpless feeling of total inadequacy so I am thankful that I have a lovely, helpful husband who can take over, and some fabby parents who can step in too.
All this raises the question though, do you have the time to be ill?
