In the current society, it's common for both parents to be in the working force. Being a working parent can be very stressful both emotionally and physically, especially when your child is unwell.
You will most probably be at work worrying about your child's condition while be in a rush to cover duties at work in order to hurry home and into your child's arms. In order to have a balance between work and your family, you can make a couple of strategize steps stated below.
Acknowledge and be prepared
Studies shows that small children tend to get the cold and viruses 8-10 times per year, thus you have to acknowledge that your child might be ill on an average of once per month or two.
Be prepared, have someone on standby mode to be ready to take care of the kids, be it a babysitter, your spouse or even your relatives. The more realistic your plan is, the easier to handle the situation when it occurs.
Notify beforehand
Let your employer and colleagues be aware of the kind of flexibility you would be requiring, for example "if your child is ill, your babysitter would only be available till 2pm, and you would be required to cover their shift after, will have to work from home and only be contactable via mobile." Make sure that the company is comfortable and supportive with your arrangement in order to ensure that everything at work is not delayed.
Be in Control
Plan your backup plan ahead of time and make sure that all aspects of the plan is working to avoid any last-minute hiccups. Ensure that your caretaker knows what he/she is supposed to do and what not to, from the type of medicine to be taken to the special cases like allergies. In the case if you are the caretaker and has to work from home, make sure that you have access to all your resources needed when you are out of the office. It's also good if you could prepare a bag of your child's necessities to be ready to hand them over to your caretaker when needed.
Plan your finances
The cost incurred for childcare is high and can be taxing to a household. List down the things that you might be paying for during a situation and start allocating funds into an "emergency fund" so that you do not have to worry about the finances when the time comes.
Gather support from your company
If you will be working from home, make sure that you are not misusing the goodwill of your company. Ensure that you are still contactable and responsive on email and calls even though you have to factor in the time to look after your child as well. If your child is down with a health issue that requires longer recovery period, notify your company immediately in order for them to have ample time to make suitable arrangement for you.
Make your child feel better
Your child is already feeling grumpy and irritated when they are unwell, do not show them that you are also annoyed by the situation. Assure them by letting them feel that daddy/mommy has everything under control, or at least that you are doing your best in the situation. Making a big fuss out of the situation will only make the situation worst and always remember the reason of working is to provide for your love ones, keeping the situation all in control will benefit both your family and the company that you are working for in the long run.